Latest news with #StevenAdams
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rockets rumors: Houston's backup target if ‘priority' Steven Adams leaves
The post Rockets rumors: Houston's backup target if 'priority' Steven Adams leaves appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Houston Rockets head into the 2025 offseason looking to continue their ascent in the Western Conference. Following their early exit in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs by the Golden State Warriors, the focus is continuing to build towards being a contender. That includes addressing the Rockets' own players, such as Steven Adams, once the free agency period rolls around. Advertisement Steven Adams is reportedly the top priority in the offseason in terms of the Rockets internal free agency options, as per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. But Iko reports that if Adams should opt to sign elsewhere in free agency, the Rockets could turn their attention to another two-way caliber big man. 'If Adams leaves, team sources said the Rockets could reignite their interest in Brook Lopez,' Iko reports. 'The 37-year-old, who averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game shooting 37 percent from 3 in Milwaukee last season, was previously a target for Houston and would theoretically be a fit, given his two-way production and health.' Following Adams' strong showing the playoffs, the veteran center is sure to draw interest on the free agent market from opposing teams. In the Rockets' seven playoff games, Adams averaged 5.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots while shooting 60 percent from the field. He would be a solid addition for any team looking to add frontcourt depth. But per Iko, the Rockets are heading into the offseason working under the assumption that Adams has strong interest in re-signing with the team. Advertisement But in the event that Adams does depart in the offseason, Brook Lopez would not be a bad replacement for the Rockets. The former lottery pick has transitioned into becoming one of the top stretch-bigs in the NBA. His overall numbers took a hit in the playoffs during the Bucks' opening round exit against the Indiana Pacers. But during the regular season, Lopez shot 37.3 percent from the three-point line and 50.9 percent overall. He put up 13.0 points, which is close to his career average of 15.9. In more of a backup role with the Rockets, Lopez could thrive. In any case, it's going to be an important offseason for the Rockets if they wish to mold themselves into a West contender.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Houston Rockets Prioritize Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet as Offseason Kicks Off After 52-Win Campaign
(Image Source - Getty Images) The Houston Rockets are stepping into the 2025 offseason with a fresh sense of determination. After achieving 52 wins and making their first playoff appearance in years, the team is prioritizing the retention of key veterans Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet to build on their recent achievements. As free agency and the NBA Draft draw near, Rocket's front office is taking calculated steps to strengthen their roster for the next season. Steven Adams Proves His Value with $12.6 Million Season Performance At 31, Steven Adams played a crucial role in the Rockets' late-season comeback. After getting back from his knee injury, he became an important player for Ime Udoka, especially because of his terrific work on the offensive boards. Because of his game, the Rockets view him as a top target for re-signing. But, the way Steiner influences both offense and defense has sparked interest from playoff teams like San Antonio, New York, Indiana and both Los Angeles teams. — lakersnews_all (@lakersnews_all) Steven Adams earned $12.6 million last season, and while the Rockets are optimistic about keeping him, they are also preparing backup plans in case he opts to sign with another team. Fred VanVleet 's $130 Million Contract Sets New Standard Fred VanVleet has been a crucial part of the Houston Rockets' evolution. After signing a three-year, $130 million contract, the largest ever for an undrafted player, he brought his championship experience and leadership to a young Houston team. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo His impact isn't just on the court, he's also been guiding rising stars like Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün. VanVleet has shown a strong interest in staying with the Rockets, stating, "I didn't come here to be a rental. I came here for a long-term home." The team has a $44.9 million option for the 2025-26 season and is looking at either taking that option or negotiating a new, more team-friendly contract to keep their roster flexible. Also Read: Steve Kerr's 2007 Salary Dump Helped Build the 2025 NBA Finals Roster of the Oklahoma City Thunder The Rockets are checking out their options for the upcoming NBA Draft, as they have the No. 10 pick. They've gotten a lot of interest in this pick and are open to the idea of trading down or combining it with a player to get some instant contributors. Moreover, Houston is kicking off discussions for contract extensions with key young players Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, both of whom can sign rookie-scale extensions this summer. Their approach indicates a balance between fostering young talent and keeping a competitive lineup through savvy veteran additions.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Steven Adams attributes Rockets' improved playoff offense to faster pace, ball movement
Houston's 'double big' lineups featuring Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams are usually bigger than their opponent, but that doesn't mean the Rockets have to play slower. In Friday's Game 6 victory at Golden State, which tied the best-of-seven, first-round playoff series at three games apiece, Adams played a season-high 31 minutes off the bench. Advertisement And yet, the Rockets had 99 possessions as a team versus the Warriors — a significant increase from a series-long average of 93.9 (including just 89 in a Game 1 loss). After averaging 95.7 points in the first three games of the series (two losses), Houston is scoring at a per-game average of 117.3 points over its last three (two wins). In an exclusive postgame interview with SportsTalk 790's Matt Thomas, play-by-play radio broadcaster for the Rockets, Adams stressed the importance of pace. When asked what had changed since two losses at Golden State earlier in the series, Adams responded: We trusted our execution, we trusted our defense, and that's what we're relying on. We're moving the ball. We're not slowing down, and I think that's the main thing. We need to keep the pace up. We've always been a fast-paced team and we can't let teams slow us down. Adams finished with a season-high 17 points in Game 6, making all four of his field-goal attempts and 9-of-16 from the free-throw line (56.3%). That free-throw percentage was well above Adams' 40.5% clip over his previous two NBA seasons (2022-23 and 2024-25) combined, and he attributed the improvement to the repetition that resulted from Golden State's intentional fouling (or hacking) strategy. 'I just need some reps, bro,' Adams told Thomas. Advertisement With Adams in a featured Game 7 role, the Rockets will look to complete their comeback and become just the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. Central on Sunday night, with televised game broadcasts available on TNT and Space City Home Network. Thomas will have the radio call on SportsTalk 790 and across the team's radio network. More: Rockets center Steven Adams finishes second for NBA's 2024-25 Teammate of the Year award This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Steven Adams: Rockets' playoff offense needs fast pace, ball movement
USA Today
2 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Rockets offseason dates: June deadlines and decision timelines
Rockets offseason dates: June deadlines and decision timelines With the calendar turning to June and the NBA Finals matchup set, here's an early look at this month's offseason deadlines for the Rockets. The 2025 NBA Finals matchup is set, with the Oklahoma City Thunder representing the Western Conference and the Indiana Pacers representing the East. The calendar has turned to June. For the 28 other NBA teams, that means the 2025 offseason is almost here. For the Houston Rockets and other teams across the league, here's a look at key dates and deadlines over the coming weeks: June 14-22 (first day after NBA Finals): Teams can negotiate with their own free agents (first day after NBA Finals): Teams can negotiate with their own free agents June 25 : First round of NBA draft : First round of NBA draft June 26 : Second round of NBA draft : Second round of NBA draft June 29 : Deadline for player/team options and qualifying offers for restricted free agents : Deadline for player/team options and qualifying offers for restricted free agents June 30 (5 p.m. Central): Teams can begin negotiating and reaching verbal agreements with free agents from other clubs Trades can occur at any time, although to use 2025-26 salary figures, teams will need to wait until July (the start of the next fiscal year) to process those with the league office. For salary matching purposes, deals finalized in June will be based on 2024-25 salaries. For those June 30 free agency negotiations, the Rockets are likely to operate above the NBA's 2025-26 salary cap. That means their maximum financial tool available (excluding trades) to sign external free agents will be either the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (MLE), estimated at a starting salary of $14.1 million, or the taxpayer MLE, which is estimated at $5.7 million. The decision on which one the Rockets will use will depend on total 2025-26 payroll projections, which will depend on the surrounding roster composition at the time. For the Rockets (salaries), players with June deadlines or decisions to be made include: Fred VanVleet, 2025-26 team option ($44.9 million) Steven Adams, unrestricted free agent, Full Bird rights ($12.6 million salary in 2024-25) Jae'Sean Tate, unrestricted free agent, Full Bird rights ($7.6 million salary in 2024-25) Jeff Green, unrestricted free agent, Early Bird rights ($8.0 million salary in 2024-25) Jock Landale, 2025-26 non-guaranteed salary ($8.0 million) Aaron Holiday, 2025-26 team option ($4.9 million) N'Faly Dante, 2025-26 qualifying offer (two-way) Jack McVeigh, 2025-26 qualifying offer (two-way) On July 1, players who just finished their third NBA seasons on rookie-scale contracts will become extension eligible. That extension window runs until just prior to the start of the next regular season in October. In Houston, this will apply to Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason. More: Rockets, Fred VanVleet delay deadline for 2025-26 contract decision
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Despite losing minutes, Jock Landale understands why Rockets prioritized Steven Adams
Despite losing minutes, Jock Landale understands why Rockets prioritized Steven Adams Jock Landale on losing minutes to Steven Adams: 'It was good for the team. You've got to tuck your tail between your legs every now and again, and I'm happy to do so.' After signing with the Rockets in the 2023 NBA offseason, Jock Landale finished the 2023-24 season as Houston's primary backup at center and posted quality metrics in the process. But in 2024-25, the 29-year-old Australian was largely the third-string center behind incumbent starter Alperen Sengun and veteran backup Steven Adams. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Landale, especially when Adams struggled at times in the regular season amid his return from knee surgery. But when Adams improved late in the season and became arguably Houston's most impactful player in the 2025 playoffs, the preferential treatment made sense. In an episode of the Tommy Talks podcast on the Ausmerican Aces YouTube channel, Landale explained his thought process: So much of the (regular) season is allowing guys to grow back into their roles. Unless you're in that top four or five (players), it's very interchangeable, because all the players on your roster are usually elite. There's so much politics involved and so much analytics these days, and they try things. The whole process is just to figure out what's going to be the best during the playoffs. With Steve coming back from a major injury this year, the general consensus among the team was let's give him time to get himself right, and see if we can get him back to being who Steven Adams is. To his credit, he put in a lot of work. This guy is wild with how much he works. Then you see that come together in the playoffs and him playing as well as he did. In my case, I like to think I'm a humble guy, being an Australian. I'll give credit where credit's due. There were times through the year where it was hard and frustrating, and I thought perhaps I was the better option, at times. But when you really sit back and you look at the playoffs, you're like 'Alright, it made sense.' It was good for the boys, good for the team. You've got to tuck your tail between your legs every now and again, and I'm happy to do so. Depending on what happens with Adams in unrestricted free agency this offseason, it's possible that Landale could have a larger role in 2025-26. The Rockets have two more non-guaranteed years (at $8 million annually) on Landale's contract, which will become guaranteed if he is not waived by June 29. In two seasons (98 games) with the Rockets, Landale has averaged 4.8 points (52.2% FG) and 3.2 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. The 6-foot-11 big man remains an effective backup with reliable defense and a physical presence, when given the opportunity to play. 'I've built myself into where I feel as though I'm good enough to be a backup center in the NBA, and I know that I am,' Landale said. 'But it was just the reality of our team. The third string was a tough pill to swallow, but I had to. It took me a little while, but around November or December, I was like, 'I get it.' Then you just accept it, and life becomes a hell of a lot easier. We'e in very privileged positions just existing inside of the NBA, and once you realize that that's how good life is, this huge weight comes off your shoulders.' 'That's not to say that I don't have bad days, and I don't go in there pissed off about the fact that I'm not playing,' Landale added. 'I'm human. But if I can sit down with the (coaching) staff before the season and they explain what the role looks like, then it's on me to just accept that. The message was pretty loud and clear.' More: Jock Landale on rising Rockets star Amen Thompson: 'Future of the program'
