I love this trade. Yes, he's out til next season, but he'll be a great backup center and mentor, he'll be only 31, and he's got an expiring contract. So if he's a great fit for the Rockets, they can look to resign him. If not or if they think his salary can be used to get even better, he can be moved at the deadline in 2025.
Absolutely LOVE this move. Having a huge, tough, enforcing, experienced, great locker room presence backup for Alpy is phenomenal
I recall reading about him laughing when people say he has superhuman strength and can't be moved. He said something like there are probably lots of people in the NBA stronger than he is, but he uses positional strength, use his stance, how to place his feet, etc. and gets a lot of that from watching jiu-jitsu/martial arts.
Does anyone know which specific 2nd round picks we sent out? I thought we had 3 2nds in 2024 and 2 in 2024
I like it... he's pretty good when healthy... 3 second round picks for a 2024-2025 expiring seems a bit high but there's a potential to resign him to a decent deal.
I mean.... meh? 30 year old oft injured big man coming off a pretty significant injury and layoff. Would be a little bit surprising if he played for us at all, ever. This is clearly a move to extend the time frame for when we can use that salary slot. So we spent three 2nds to kick the can? Ouch. After watching Tilman burn down the Harden Era it will always make me nervous when the team sets assets on fire. This doesn't even worry Jock Landale. A nothing burger. With a side of fried assets.
I love Steven Adams the player throughout his career and consider him the ideal backup to complement Sengun, but isn't his knee completely cooked? I believe most PCL injuries are managed non-operatively, since the surgery has such a long recovery time. The fact that he basically didn't respond to the standard treatment should be a giant alarm, along with the fact that he's probably going to be coming back after nearly two full years of not playing a single minute, even if he's ready for opening night. Not to mention, he'll be 31 while attempting this unprecedented return. I think that the risk he's completely washed and is a salary albatross next year is unacceptably high, and was not worth giving up two fairly premium 2nd rounders this year (currently #38 and #40). This is a bet on the Rockets' medical team being more competent than the Grizzlies', despite their team tracking his entire health and recovery for two years, while the Rockets are making educated guesses from outside the building.
Why though? Our current roster is not equipped for a deep post-season run...I like the trade especially if Steven Adams is healthy next year and all we gave up were 2nd round picks
Great move! We can always pay cash to teams to get 2nd round draft picks if we see a certain value in a prospective pick
Steep price, but Adams is worth it. He is significantly better than a typical backup center assuming healthy next year.
Love the move and have followed Steven Adams since OKC drafted him. He's an incredible locker room guy who believes in professional conduct and serious effort on the court. He'll help Alpi to become a better defender because he knows the tendencies of opposing players and has a bag full of "tricks" on how to play almost dirty without being called for fouls. Alpi will learn a LOT from him on the defensive side.
