Steven Adams will play for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2020-21 NBA season. Photo / Getty Images
Steven Adams will play for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2020-21 NBA season. Photo / Getty Images
Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams has talked about the process of being traded, noting it's simply part of the business.
In the majority of America's professional sporting leagues, players can be traded from their team at the franchise's discretion. While some players have no-trade clauses written into their contracts, mostare subject to being shipped from one city to another.
For Adams, after seven seasons in middle America with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has been relocated to the deep south of the country, the vibrant stylings of New Orleans.
Adams said it wasn't moving from team to team that was the hard part.
"It's all a part of the business, getting traded. That isn't really the difficult part. The difficult part is the relationship you build within it, then you have to move on," he said.
"But it's not like I died or anything, I'm going to see them again. So that's fine; it ain't that sad."
Steven Adams will play for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2020-21 NBA season. Photo / Getty Images
Linking up with the New Orleans Pelicans, Adams joins one of the most exciting and youthful teams in the NBA. Having struggled in recent years, the team now has the building blocks in place for a bright future such as 20-year-old power forward phenom Zion Williamson and star small forward Brandon Ingram.
With Adams joining the frame alongside veteran guard Eric Bledsoe, the team now has the experience to go with and help mould the team's youthful players, while established coach Stan van Gundy, who led the Orlando Magic to the NBA finals in 2009, has joined the team at the helm.
"In terms of coming here, it's an exciting team. Stan's an old school guy and I like that; I feel like I can learn a lot from him.
"It's one of those teams where you have great talent all around, a new coach, and it's not new enough that it's like a completely new rebuild, but for me, you could see where this could potentially go.
"At this point, I'm not even sure if I'm starting. You can't assume, man. That's what comes with doing what you can for the team."
Adams' view of where the team could go saw him sign a two-year contract extension with the Pelicans before even arriving in New Orleans. Adams said he's yet to work out exactly how he will be used in New Orleans, but was excited to find out.
"You'll probably have to ask me next week," he said of how he'll fit into the team. "I'll give you a better answer then, how about that?"
