Let’s call it what it is, Steven Adams just raised the rent for big men everywhere. The Houston Rockets handed him a brand new deal for three years, $39 million. That is the number. Now because of this somewhere in Brooklyn, Day’Ron Sharpe's agent probably has eyes wide open and is most likely practicing a little victory dance. Sharpe is entering restricted free agency and quietly becoming one of the most interesting decisions the Nets have to make this summer.
Steven Adams deal has set the bar
Adams, a seasoned vet at 31 years of age, who missed the entire 2023-24 season with a knee injury still just got paid like a top-tier rotation big. That tells you everything about where the market is heading, and how Sharpe, who just had the best season of his young career, is about to become a lot more valuable than most people thought coming into the offseason.
Sharpe’s numbers do not scream for attention, last season he averaged 7.9 points and 6.6 boards in just around 20 minutes a night. But if you watch Brooklyn, you know his impact goes beyond the box score. He plays hard and he rebounds in traffic. And most importantly, he is still very young at 23 years old, still learning, and completely bought into what the Nets are building.
That combination of youth, production, and team-first mentality is extremely rare. And with Adams now locked in at $13 million per year, it’s going to be nearly impossible for the Nets to keep Sharpe on a low number. There is a market now.
This is not just about stats or even ceiling
It’s about timing. Brooklyn likely hoped to re-sign Sharpe on a manageable deal, something that made sense for a backup behind Nic Claxton. But Adams’ contract just shifted expectations. It is now not unreasonable to think Sharpe could command something in that same $10-15 million range. Teams looking for physicality off the bench or stability in the frontcourt will come calling. Brooklyn has to decide, do they match? Do they value him enough to pay?
Personally, I believe letting Sharpe walk would be a mistake. Players like him who are mobile, tough and still getting better do not just show up in free agency very often. And when they do, they cost even more. Thanks to Adams, the price of a good big just went up. So now Brooklyn’s got a choice to make.