Why Memphis Grizzlies should sign Steven Adams to contract extension
Veteran big man Steven Adams has been an outstanding contributor and an important piece for the Memphis Grizzlies since he was acquired via trade last summer from the New Orleans Pelicans.
The longtime Oklahoma City Thunder big man was no stranger to the Grizzlies prior to his arrival, having his “Welcome to the NBA” moment in a playoff game in which Zach Randolph punched him mid-game nearly a decade ago.
That’s all water under the bridge and Adams has repeatedly praised the franchise and the culture being implemented under Head Coach Taylor Jenkins and General Manager Zach Kleiman.
The 29-year-old former Pittsburgh Panther (by way of New Zealand) is entering the final year of his two-year, $35 million deal, originally signed with the Pelicans.
Adams is someone the Grizzlies absolutely should consider extending this offseason before he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-23 season.
While his lack of lateral mobility hurt the Grizzlies in the round-one matchup vs the Minnesota Timberwolves, his superior rebounding, toughness, and passing abilities give Jenkins plenty of reasons to keep him on the court.
His ability to set hard screens gives Ja Morant a bit of operating room on the perimeter and helps initiate the offense on multiple levels. After Adams does his part, Morant can drive and finish or kick out to Desmond Bane or Dillon Brooks to knock down a three— it opens up a ton of options and few do it better than him.
If that wasn’t enough, Steven Adams has unparalleled strength in the NBA and a natural knack for chasing down the ball.
Just look to a recent feature from Sports Illustrated, which points to him being the undisputed strongest player in the league. That’s a really nice asset to have on your team and not to have to compete against. The Miami Heat’s Duncan Robinson likened Adams’ strength to having an “iron claw” around his arm when positioning for a rebound in the paint against the 265- pound, 6’11” behemoth.
Adams used his unique skill set to earn career-highs in rebounds per game (10.0) and assists per game (3.4) last season. His 4.6 offensive rebounds per game were tops in the league and enabled the Memphis Grizzlies countless second-chance point opportunities during the regular season.
Kleiman and the rest of the front office would be wise to consider pitching Adams a two or three-year extension to keep him in the fold at a reasonable price so they don’t have to accelerate their timeline of finding a permanent solution at center.
Jaren Jackson Jr. could slide to the five spot, but then that leaves a hole at the four. Does rookie Jake LaRavia take that spot? Or Brandon Clarke? Or maybe someone not currently on the team? Those are all decisions that will have to be made at some point in the near future.
Re-signing Adams now could give the team one less thing to worry about with extensions still needing to be worked out for Brooks and Clarke. The team’s salary cap is only going to get trickier with Jackson’s extension kicking in now, Morant’s max-deal kicking in next season, and Desmond Bane due for a huge raise on the horizon.
Keeping Adams on the team for an additional two or three seasons provides the team stability and more time to find a younger (and more dynamic) solution that’s closer to the age timeline of Morant, Jackson, and Bane (all 22-24 years old).