Late Thursday night, the Rockets made official their reported trade agreement to acquire Memphis center Steven Adams. To compensate the Grizzlies and to match salaries, Houston is sending three second-round draft assets and the expiring contract of Victor Oladipo.
The bruising 6-foot-11 big man is out for the 2023-24 season after undergoing knee surgery last October. However, Adams is expected to make a healthy return for the 2024-25 season, in which he will be relied upon as a valuable backup to Alperen Sengun.
On Friday, with the news now official, team personnel were approved to comment on the deal. Beyond head coach Ime Udoka, one obvious subject of expertise is veteran forward Dillon Brooks, who started alongside Adams with the Grizzlies for multiple years on the frontcourt of a Western Conference contender.
With that in mind, here’s what leaders affiliated with the organization had to say about Adams on Friday, which is when the Rockets were prepping for that night’s game versus Toronto.
Now 30 years old, Adams averaged 8.6 points (59.7% FG) and 11.5 rebounds as the starting center in Memphis last season.