Steven Adams will be returning to the Houston Rockets for next season and beyond, as the veteran center agreed to a new three-year, $39 million contract extension Saturday that will keep him in Houston and take him off the free agent market, per Shams Charania.
The Rockets took another step forward in the 2024-25 season, earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference after going 52-30 in the regular season. While they couldn’t pay off that regular season success with a deep postseason run, losing in the first round to the Golden State Warriors, it was still an impressive season from a team full of young talent.
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Sam Quinn
The challenge this summer for the Rockets front office is identifying who to keep, who to add and who to trade away or let walk in free agency as they try to keep improving the roster to be better equipped to compete in the postseason. With Adams, the decision was pretty simple as Houston was considerably better when Adams was on the floor not just during the regular season but also in their series with the Warriors.
Adams’ abilities as a screener, rebounder and anchor defensively all fit beautifully with the talents of the Rockets’ young stars, filling gaps and plugging holes on this roster. There were a number of teams hoping Adams would test the free agency waters this summer, including the Los Angeles Lakers, who are in desperate need of center help, but Houston made sure to lock up Adams before free agency opened so they could focus on the rest of their roster.
Much more difficult decisions lie ahead for the Rockets, as they are considered one of the frontrunners for a Kevin Durant trade, but must decide which of their young players they’d be willing to part with for the veteran forward. Houston also has to figure out what they want to do with Fred VanVleet’s team option, as they could pick it up and bring the point guard back for one more year or try to extend him as well.
Whatever they do the rest of this offseason, we know at the very least they will have the big Kiwi back in their center rotation, as they made that a top priority and have already checked that off the to-do list.
