The Rockets get Steven Adams in exchange for Victor Oladipo and three second-round picks.
The Houston Rockets are getting Victor Oladipo as well as three second-round picks in exchange for Steven Adams, according to sources who spoke to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski made it even clearer that the Grizzlies will get three picks in the second round: two in 2024, and one in 2025.
Wojnarowski says that the Grizzlies have executed the trade to get draft picks and more salary flexibility for the 2024 off-season.
Adams couldn’t play again this season after ending his season-ending surgery on his right anterior cruciate ligament in October. This was because “non-operative rehabilitation failed to fix ongoing knee instability.”
Adams will join the Rockets next season when they are still a young team. With a record of 18–29, the Grizzlies are 13th in the Western Conference. The Rockets, on the other hand, are 22–25 and are one spot outside of the playoff play-in.
The Memphis Grizzlies sent center Steven Adams to the Houston Rockets in exchange for wing Victor Oladipo or three second-round picks. The trade was announced on Thursday.
Because of a knee injury he got in January, Adams will not be able to play this season. He will also miss the playoffs and the rest of the 2022–23 season.
Oladipo, on the other hand, hasn’t played an innings since April of last year because of an injury to his left patellar tendon.
Houston has always wanted to improve their center bench behind starter Alperen Şengün. Coach Ime Udoka even talked about it before Monday night’s loss against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Adams steps in. He is one of the best-known and toughest big men in the league, and he can protect the rim and grab rebounds in both directions.
The Rockets have had a lot of success this season, but they have had a hard time defending inside the paint, which has been a weakness that keeps coming up.
Adams can’t play for Houston this season because he is still recovering from knee surgery that he had off-season. However, he will keep up his rehabilitation in the city and should be fully recovered before the 2024–25 season.
They still have one week to find Oladipo a new team, if they want to. If they do, they can get more draft capital. For the 2024–25 season, Memphis is getting ready. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, or Jaren Jackson Jr. should all be fit and raring to go.
Memphis is free from Adams’s contract, which earned him $12.5 million next season. This is a big loss for the neighborhood and locker room, but it also gives the team some extra money.
Adams missed the playoffs with the Grizzlies and again this year, so it always seemed like both teams were going in different directions, even though injuries are bad.
Before the Rockets’ disappointing loss against the Saints and Pelicans on Wednesday night, mentor Ime Udoka talked about how the team was feeling about the trade deadline on February 8.
“Improvement in general — I think you look for enhancement in all those areas where you’re lacking,” Udoka stated. “For now, we just want to use what we have, get healthy, and see what this group looks like as a whole.”
“When we’re healthy, we’ll see the possibilities we have going forward.” We can go with that if we want to. We have an excellent group that can do great things in the future.
Adams is one of the best enforcers in the NBA. He made his debut when the Oklahoma City Thunder picked him in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft. In 706 games, he averaged 9.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1 block per game.