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Steven Adams has agreed to a two-year, $25.2 million contract extension with the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Adams still had one year left on his deal, bringing his total compensation up to $43.1 million over three seasons.
Adams joined the Grizzlies last season after a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans and immediately slotted in as their starting center. With him in the fold, the Grizzlies jumped all the way up to 56 wins and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Adams, widely viewed as one of the NBA’s best teammates, seemingly played as big a role off of the floor in getting the Grizzlies there as he did on it.
As a player, Adams remains one of the NBA’s best rebounders and screeners. He provided a dash of extra playmaking as a passer for a Grizzlies team that needed it with Jonas Valanciunas gone. He’s lost a step defensively, however, and the Grizzlies had to play small in their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves because Adams struggled against Karl-Anthony Towns, and matchups like that will likely dictate Adams’ viability in the postseason moving forward.
But the Grizzlies still have a few years of cost-control left on their top young players, giving them the financial flexibility to splurge on a player who has become critical to their culture. In Adams, Memphis has locked up their starting center and one of their locker room leaders for the next few years.
