How Steven Adams' Season-Ending Injury Could Affect Rockets' Trade Deadline

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Houston Rockets’ center Steven Adams has undergone season-ending surgery on his left ankle.

Houston Rockets center Steven Adams has undergone season-ending surgery on his left ankle, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/IG15RAPxQH
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 28, 2026

Adams went down in the first few minutes of the team’s Jan. 20 matchup versus San Antonio, needing to be helped off the floor. Head coach Ime Udoka said after the game it was a Grade 3 ankle sprain, and Adams was later listed out indefinitely.

The hope that Adams could make it back in time for the postseason was short-lived, as Charania’s report confirms that Houston will now be without a crucial frontcourt piece of the remainder of the season. Adams played in 32 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 5.8 points and a blistering 8.6 rebounds per game across just 22.8 minutes per.

Adams was a vital component to making the Rockets the top rebounding team in the league at 49.0 per game, especially on the offensive end.

“Another significant injury for the Rockets, who are now down their starting point guard in Fred VanVleet and starter/reserve center Steven Adams.” Charania wrote in a follow-up tweet. “And still Houston has been among the top seeds, finds itself 28-16 and is now just two games out of the second place in the West.”

After missing the entire 2023-24 season due to injury, Adams has now played just 58 and 32 games across two seasons since. Adams joins Fred VanVleet as Rockets who are slated to be out for the rest of the 2025-26 season.

The Rockets' decision to acquire backup center Clint Capela in free agency is seeming to be a good one, though he's been unable to fully step into Adams' role as a play-finisher and rebounder. In three games since Adams' exit due to injury, Capela has averaged 2.3 points on 33% shooting overall, though he has grabbed 6.3 rebounds in just 12.7 minutes per game.

Houston has been in dire need of guard help with VanVleet out, relying on players like Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson to create offense. But with Adams' injury, they could instead prioritize another helpful big man on the trade market.

Serviceable bigs are often easier to find on the market than impactful point guards, and Sengun has been proven to be effective in tandem with physical play-finishers. They could certainly still look for both, though with more limited assets following the Durant trade, they may be best-served to simply add big depth.

The NBA's trade deadline will end on Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. CT. The Rockets are sure to be involved in rumors are one of the more active franchises.