Big name Bullets signing Jaylen Adams opens up on his Kings exit ahead of pre-season Blitz matchup

It was at this point in mid-April when Adams knew the writing was on the wall, but he previously had been playing the waiting game as he weighed up his future.

“In genuine honesty, no,” Adams told Code Sports when asked if he had been given clarity on his time at the Kings during the off-season.

“The last conversation that I had with the club was, ‘keep in touch’ and I always take those kind of sayings with a grain of salt.

“I didn’t really speak to anyone during that time and it just became one of those things where you start to realise you are going to be doing something different.”

Fortunately for Adams, fate has a funny way of intervening when it matters most.

He jetted off to Africa for an off-season stint at Al Ahli Tripoli in Libya post NBL25 with the Kings and a major part of him felt like he was ready for a change following three seasons in the Harbour City resulting in a league MVP and a championship in 2022.

“I thought it was going to be my last season in Australia,” he said.

“At that point I didn’t think about returning to the NBL and I wanted to try something different for my own career.

“The Kings have made a lot of changes. CP (CEO Chris Pongrass) is leaving, Bogues (Andrew Bogut is on the coaching staff now. I hadn’t had the same coach in my seasons there.

“I feel like it is just one of those organisations that has just so much expectations and pressure on themselves that they always make a lot of changes.”

Just when Adams was ready to put the red pen through an NBL return he received a phone call from Brisbane officials.

The first contact came during the NBA Summer League in July. He sat on the conversation for a few days before chatting to new Bullets coach Stu Lash and signing on the dotted line.

“It all happened pretty fast,” he said.

“I talked to my agent after I left Africa and the NBL became a real thing again and for the first time it wasn’t just Sydney.”

Adams was drawn to the “fresh start” at a Bullets franchise promising to hand him the keys as the team’s chief offensive weapon.

A back injury restricted the former Milwaukee Buck for large chunks of NBL25, but he says he is now fit and ready to consistently fire this season.

The Bullets offered me the freedom to play and be myself and in the same league that I enjoy playing in, so it ended up being like a perfect storm when it all came together,” he said.

“It feels like a good situation and they trust me and I like the direction the club is heading in.

“Everything was appealing about the Bullets.

“The first thing they showed me was the facility that would allow me to be in the gym the whole time, which is something I hadn’t had.

“I thought that in itself was building new energy.

“The Bullets also have some great players, so it was all trending in the right direction and I’m glad they reached out.”

KINGS BLITZ MATCHUP

Adams won’t have to wait long to take on his former franchise in Sydney for the first time as a Bullet.

Brisbane’s first pre-season Blitz game in Canberra next Thursday is against Sydney.

Asked if it works out to “rip the Band-Aid off” early and get the Kings game out of the way, Adams produced a typical unassuming response.

“I’m not a super emotional guy, so I really couldn’t care less,” he said frankly.

“That is just the energy that I have. There are no hard feelings or strong emotions about playing against the Kings.

“So, I don’t think there needs to be a Band-Aid that has to be ripped off.

“I gave everything I could for Sydney. Sometimes it ended in wins and sometimes it ended in losses, but whatever it ended as, it ended as.

“I’m pretty aware of life at this point to realise it is all a business and we do this for entertainment.

“I’ll be excited to play the Kings, but more so because of the guys there that I played alongside.”

PRATHER FACTOR

Adams doesn’t hesitate when asked to nominate a Bullets player he is most looking forward to playing alongside.

“I played against Casey Prather a bunch of times and it was obvious that he was their best player,” he said.

“I mean, we scouted him as the head of the snake.”

Prather is coming off a stellar NBL25 campaign where he earned All-NBL Second Team honours after averaging 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

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Adams can’t wait to join forces with the gun American forward to create one of the NBL’s best one-two punches.

“I hope to come in and elevate some of the pressure on Casey and make his job even easier,” he said.

“I look forward to getting on the court with him and building a connection.”