Story by
Rockets re-sign veteran center Steven Adams for three years, $39 million
- Story by
- Rockets re-sign veteran center Steven Adams for three years, $39 million
Veteran center Steven Adams , who led the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage last season, is returning to the Rockets on a three-year contract worth $39 million. The news was first reported Saturday by ESPN's Shams Charania .
The deal is fully guaranteed and does not include any player or team options, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
Advertisement
As his existing team, Adams was able to negotiate with his Houston prior to the NBA's 2025 free agency window, which starts at the end of June.
"After playing a key rotation and leadership role in the Rockets' playoff run, the new deal keeps a top center out of free agency," Charania writes . "Adams expressed a tremendous desire to stay with the Rockets long-term, and Houston's front office matched the enthusiasm to reach an agreement Saturday."
In seven first-round games against the Golden State Warriors , Adams averaged 5.7 points (60.0% FG), 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game. And in both the regular season and especially the playoffs, his impact-based statistics were consistently excellent.
While Adams will enter 2025-26 as the backup center behind All-Star Alperen Sengun , the duo showed an increasing ability late in the season to play together in "double big" lineups . So, the path is there for Adams to play more minutes in Houston — especially in higher-leverage games and in the playoffs — than what usually exists for a backup center.
Advertisement
Adams turns 32 years old in July, but despite being a year older, he could be in position to take on a higher workload. In 2024-25, Adams was in his first season back from major knee surgery during the previous 2023-24 campaign, and he frequently referred to his recovery as a two-year process.
Now with two years under his belt since that procedure, the expectation is for Adams to be at full strength in 2025-26 and beyond.
More: 'Fought with grit, heart, and determination': Steven Adams reflects on Rockets' season
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets re-sign veteran big Steven Adams for three years, $39 million
