The Phoenix Suns have numerous decisions ahead of them this upcoming offseason, including multiple restricted free agents, unrestricted free agents, and players with trade value. The following series will examine those decisions as our writing team presents both a point and a counterpoint for each.
Dillon “The Villain” Brooks arrived in the Valley this year with a mix of emotions from fans. Some saw him as a solid role player who could help out; others thought he was just a bad throw-in from the Kevin
Durant trade. One thing is for sure, though, is that no one saw him rising to the man he did just in his first year here in Phoenix. Brooks showed not only that he can be that defensive guy everyone buys into, but also a viable offensive option when injuries come into play.
This was seen from day one, even though no one knew what role he would truly hold; they saw he had gotten along well with the team in training camp. There was some hype around the team, even if they were not the best, that they would be a fun product to watch. Luckily for us, it was the best of both worlds, and Brooks was a huge part of that.
Brooks embodied the “Villain” persona he has stuck by in the league, really bringing out the best in these guys in the locker room and on the court. His aggressiveness and determination to leave it all on the court inspired teammates to give that same effort. This was the mold that a coach in Jordan Ott wants in his first year: guys who will buy in and leave it out there every single night.
This season, Brooks not only showed he could be better than anticipated, but even had fans clamoring for him to make the All-Star game.
He then suffered a broken wrist, which kept him out of 18 games for the Suns.
This definitely put a wrench in his great year, but when he returned, he bounced back to his average: 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks, while shooting 44/34/84 from the field in 30.2 minutes per game. This led him to a career-high in points and rebounds, which was another positive for Brooks.
In a season where he saw his role fluctuate a bunch with injuries to others and himself, he proved that he was one of the top options on both ends for Phoenix. In Houston, he had taken a bit of a backseat role, but when tasked with a larger workload, he rose to the occasion.
Brooks on the defensive end was also a positive, where he truly brought it together. His aggressiveness and mental toughness to always be hunting, not be the hunted, led him to make multiple big plays for Phoenix throughout the year. He did have a bit of a technical foul issue, but, as we saw, he was being targeted throughout the year, with many of those rescinded.
All of these points make the decision easy. The Suns should make this a priority, and it seems the ball may already be rolling on it. A few weeks ago, Marc Stein of The Stein Line Substack reported that the Suns and Brooks could work on this extension. The max Brooks can receive is a 4-year, $125M extension, but it is reported that the new deal will not reach that level.
That is a good sign, as not only is Brooks getting older, but the Suns have over $20 million in dead cap each year for the foreseeable future. They cannot keep extending the team and tightening the window, so locking him up at a respectable number is a good deal. Since Brooks is everything the Suns wanted in a player who represents this hard work and hustle culture, they should bring him back on a 2-3-year deal worth at least $20-25 million per season. With him making $21 million this year, it would be either at his pay rate or a bit higher, which he has deserved.
Ultimately, they should not prolong this. Brooks has won the hearts of fans and many in the locker room with his great play and character. Even if he is “the villain” we all know off the court, he is a great guy, and Phoenix cannot lose this. Especially with how their identity has looked in the past, if you get someone who fits it to a tee, you cannot lose them.
What do you think, though? Is this the right move for the Suns to extend Dillon Brooks and keep him in the Valley, or should they wait and potentially move off him?
