The “right” answer to replacing Steven Adams

Steven Adams in and of himself is about as unique as they come in the NBA. The 7-foot New Zealander combines geographic origin with style of play and personality like few other professional athletes. For the Memphis Grizzlies he is vital, not only for his elite size and strength but also how he amplifies the strengths of the best players for Memphis in Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. He leads by example, and masks the most glaring weaknesses of the roster.

One does not simply replace that level of productivity.

But that is the task now facing Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman and company, as well as Memphis Head Coach Taylor Jenkins and his staff. The team is without arguably their 4th most important player, while simultaneously dealing with the suspension of Ja Morant. It is a tough spot to be in, but thankfully the Grizzlies have been in this spot fairly recently. We know what to expect – continued regular season success is likely.

But the regular season isn’t what matters. Memphis wants more in the playoffs. And there is where the need for an Adams “replacement” shines through.

The good news for the Grizzlies? They have time to find the “right” answer. And that is thanks in part to the silver lining in the dark cloud that is the aforementioned Ja Morant suspension.

Step One: Sign someone once Ja hits the Suspended List

Once Morant has been suspended five games, he will be eligible to be added to the Suspended Players list. That will open up a roster spot for the Grizzlies, and with that slot they can add a big man without having to trade or move on from anyone for at least the next twenty contests. Of course risks come with such a choice – what happens if Marcus Smart or Derrick Rose gets injured, for example. But less than ideal circumstances call for less than ideal solutions some times.

Memphis, while willing to trade players in the past, are quite hesitant to move on from home-grown talent. And with the most likely movable pieces being such talents (Brandon Clarke, John Konchar) or vital cogs to the Grizzlies machine both now (Luke Kennard) and moving forward (Steven Adams), while a trade is possible it almost surely won’t be their first choice of action.

While it’s important to understand whoever they sign is not going to be “the answer” – they’re currently available via free agency as the regular season begins for a reason – the right free agency acquisition could make for a more interesting choice to be made once Morant is reinstated. And there are veteran big men available.

Bismack Biyombo is probably the best option in terms of playing the most meaningful basketball of late – he logged 61 games (14 starts) for the Phoenix Suns last season. And he did do things like this in his time with the Suns.

But at 6’8″ he’s not addressing the “true big” issue that Memphis faces. A bigger option could be a player like Nerlens Noel, a 6’11” rangier defender that did not see the floor as much as Biyombo in 2022-2023 as a member of the Brooklyn Nets.

And there are others – flashier names like Demarcus Cousins or Dwight Howard would bring attention to the franchise and check the “legitimate big” box, but are most certainly past their primes and may distract from the Grizzlies locker room vibes. Taj Gibson may be too old, Tony Bradley and Khem Birch may be too bad.

There are no perfect options. But the one most prepared to help Memphis is likely Biyombo. Let’s make him the pick here – and if he outperforms Kenneth Lofton Jr. or another player then he sticks around beyond the suspension as part of part two of the plan.

Step Two: Pillage an underperformer for their big

If the Memphis Grizzlies were desperate and needed a big right away, teams such as the Portland Trailblazers (Robert Williams III) and Washington Wizards (Daniel Gafford) may be squads that Memphis could contact right now and secure a big’s services ahead of opening night. But because of the depth of the front court, that is not necessarily true. The Grizzlies, who still own all their first round picks the rest of this decade and have numerous tools at their disposal (traded player exception from the Dillon Brooks deal, tradeable contracts), are well positioned to go shopping for a playoff-ready big come Christmas time and the new year.

And over these next 25 or so games, the cream will rise to the top in the NBA at the same time – or fall to the bottom. And it is there, perhaps, that the Grizzlies can interact with surprise sellers as the trade deadline approaches.

Say the New York Knicks wind up worse off than anticipated, and/or Isaiah Hartenstein falls out of favor and the rotation. Or perhaps even better yet, Mitchell Robinson for whatever reason becomes a piece the Knicks are willing to move on from due to his limitations offensively. The Memphis Grizzlies could monitor such a situation and, depending on how froggy they are feeling, can leap in to negotiations for a player that is much more obtainable now that perhaps they were two months prior.

The same can be said of teams hoping to compete that may not for whatever reason – health, inexperience, or both/something else. Or maybe they have depth at the center position and would be looking for assets/young talent to offload such depth to the probably needy Grizzlies. The Orlando Magic (Wendell Carter Jr.), the Philadelphia 76ers (Paul Reed), the Los Angeles Clippers (Mason Plumlee or Ivica Zubac), and the Atlanta Hawks (Clint Capela) are all varying levels of possibilities that would carry with them varying levels of cost between players and draft picks. It would be up to Memphis regarding what level of change they saw necessary.

Would a long-term replacement be wise for Adams, coming off a significant surgery and likely year of rehab? Do they believe in Steve-O enough to bet he returns ready to play at the same level next season and just seek a right-now option? And is such a significant decision wise to make mid-race, with Memphis likely in the playoff hunt regardless of which direction they go?

Again, the choice should not be about regular season success. The focus should be on best preparing the franchise for postseason victories, and also for a Steven Adams-less future regardless of when it arrives (it may be sooner than anticipated, unfortunately).

Count me among the Isaiah Hartenstein believers thanks in part to clips like this one. He’s not going to be a scorer consistently, but he’s above average in “stocks” (steals and blocks) as well as a rebounder, is a solid passer, and a sneaky near-elite rim protector (86th percentile or better each of the last three seasons). He checks a lot of the Adams boxes and could project to be a decent or better screener (2.1 screen assists per game last season) given his 7’1″ frame, and does it all for a $9.2 million cap hit this season on an expiring deal.

Which means he could come relatively cheap. And even re-signing him shouldn’t break the Grizzlies bank. If things go as hoped, he could be, at 25 years old, the center alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. for a long time.

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There are so many different ways the Memphis Grizzlies can go about trying to replace Steven Adams. Perhaps they go Nerlens Noel and Daniel Gafford long-term, for example, as opposed to Biyombo and Hartenstein as suggested above – that would not be “wrong” to do. Any combination can be argued for. The only “wrong answer” would be to do nothing. Because while winning from October to April is possible with this team as-is, in Memphis regular season success is no longer enough. More is needed.

And more is not possible without addressing the Adams absence somehow. Because “Steven Adams is significant to the Grizzlies hopes this season” and “they’re OK without adding another big man to try to replace him” cannot be true at the same time.

Thankfully, the Memphis front office appears to know the title window is open now. And that means getting the Adams replacement “right” must be a priority.