Ahead of the February 8 trade deadline, the Memphis Grizzlies made the bold and, in many ways, shocking decision to ship veteran big Steven Adams to the Houston Rockets, a move many have perceived as being driven by a cap-shedding and asset-filling mentality.
A beloved member of the franchise, the center's presence has been missed all throughout this year's campaign, as he's been sidelined due to PCL surgery, and, as hinted by GM Zach Kleiman, will continue to be missed as he now gears up for his tenure out in Space City.
Since the trade was officially executed, fans, media pundits, and even players alike have shared their heartfelt messages about and fond memories regarding the 30-year-old pivot. Now, nearly a month later, Adams himself has officially chimed in with words of wisdom on his own, breaking his silence on the matter with a short but direct message on his personal Instagram account.
Steven Adams breaks silence on Grizzlies trade with Instagram post
Since initially arriving with the Grizzlies back in 2021, Adams quickly endeared himself to the Grind City faithful with his on-court abilities and off-court stability.
One of the game's premier rebounders when healthy, the New Zeland native served as the starting center for Memphis for two years and finished out his tenure with solid averages of 7.5 points, 10.6 rebounds (4.8 offensive), 3.0 assists, and just shy of a block on 56.7 percent shooting from the floor.
With his bully ball skill set combined with his menacing build of 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, Adams successfully manned the pivot within coach Taylor Jenkins' rotation until unfortunately sustaining a right PCL sprain in January of 2023 that, due to complications with his original non-operative rehabilitation, has kept him out of regular season and postseason action ever since.
Though Kleiman's decision to part ways with the big man may be based in sound logic, it hasn't made seeing the beloved Kiwi depart any easier to accept for the franchise's faithful followers.
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