Rockets trade Motiejunas, Thornton to Pistons

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The Houston Rockets have traded forward Donatas Motiejunas and guard Marcus Thornton to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for center Joel Anthony and a 2016 first-round pick which is top-eight protected, the team confirmed.

This is the second move in three days for the Pistons, who acquired Tobias Harris from the Orlando Magic for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova.

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Motiejunas underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back last year. He hasn't played a single game for the Rockets in the new year as he continues to deal with pain in that area, limiting him to just 14 appearances in total.

The 7-foot Lithuanian had recently been competing in the D-League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers prior to the All-Star break, and was rumored to be returning to the Rockets' lineup as soon as Friday against the Phoenix Suns.

The Pistons will be the seventh team Thornton suits up for since being the 43rd overall selection in the 2009 draft. He's started six of a possible 47 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 10 points on 40 percent shooting in 18.8 minutes.

Anthony has totaled 52 minutes of playing time in 13 appearances during his second season in the Motor City. He's making $2.5 million this season, with a team option for the 2016-17 campaign. He was then flipped to the Philadelphia 76ers.