Being forced to sit around and do nothing must be the worst feeling for an athlete who dedicated their entire life to honing their athleticism. But this was the quagmire Steven Adams found himself in during the 2023/24 NBA season. But now, after his inspiring comeback, Adams has pulled the trigger on a decision to secure his future. And it could open doors for the Rockets to acquire a 15x All-Star.

See, a knee injury in 2023 caused Steven Adams to miss the entirety of the 2023/24 NBA season. It was among the most harrowing times in the Kiwi’s life. But the way he has bounced back? Now, that’s been nothing short of awe-inspiring, helping the Houston Rockets to the 2nd seed this year. So, it’s no surprise that they re-signed him to a new deal. And to commemorate this deal and honor the ones who supported him through the darkest of times, Adams penned a lovely post on Instagram.

“Today was a meaningful step forward—built on gratitude, resilience, discipline, teamwork, and trust. This journey hasn’t been one I’ve walked alone… I’m grateful to be back on the floor. Honored to represent my whānau, my teammates, and my country, New Zealand 🇳🇿. Every time I step out there, I carry a piece of everyone who’s helped me get here. Thank you for riding with me. The journey continues 🙏,” read the caption of his Instagram post.

And he even put up an IG story of Shams talking about his new deal. The caption read, “Happy to be back, Houston fam🙏.” Steven Adams’ new deal is worth $39 million that runs through the next 3 years. This deal will net Adams a cool $13 million per year. All in all,  it’s a solid upgrade over his previous $25 million, 2-year deal.

Why Steven Adams’ re-signing makes acquiring Kevin Durant easier for the Rockets

Shams Charania recently reported, “Durant is on an expiring $54.7 million deal for 2025-26, and the Suns have made clear to six-to-eight seriously interested teams that they will make the best deal for the franchise – even outside of his preferred list of Miami, San Antonio and Houston.” With the Knicks virtually out of the running, the pool has gotten smaller, and the other teams? They’re more desperate than ever. So, this basically means whoever wants Durant, they need to act NOW.

And that’s where things have become much simpler for the Rockets. See, before Steven Adams re-signed, the Rockets felt they needed to strengthen their backcourt, but the earliest they could do it was during the NBA Draft. See, they have the rights to the Suns’ pick, which landed at 10th overall in this year’s lottery. But now, they no longer need to pick a big man in the Draft.

Moreover, with how many first-round picks they’ve drafted and haven’t been able to keep, we reckon they would want another one. Hence, they could simply trade the No.10 pick before the Draft to the Phoenix Suns. And then assemble a trade package involving Jalen Green and another worthwhile player to get Durant over to Houston.

Not only does this fulfill the Suns’ desire for a speedy deal, but it also gives them an asset in this year’s Draft. On the other hand, the Rockets get their big man in Steven Adams and a bona fide legend in Kevin Durant. If that’s not the definition of a win-win situation, we don’t know what is!