Inside The Suns

Dillon Brooks Might Be Suns' Best Trade Acquisition

The Phoenix Suns are getting an important player in Dillon Brooks.
Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks defends.
Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks defends. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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The Phoenix Suns made a massive trade earlier in the offseason, sending Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for three key pieces.

Out of those three players, Jalen Green is the headliner as a former No. 2 overall pick and Khaman Maluach — the No. 10 overall pick in this year's draft — is a long-term building block for the team.

However, the player that could end up being the most valuable is Dillon Brooks, who will bring a defensive toughness to the Suns that they lacked last season.

“If you’re giving a scout, you could ask Dillon about the best player,” Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Blake Ahearn said via The Athletic insider Doug Haller.

“You could also ask him about the 13th player — Dillon will be able to give you a full scouting report on everybody. His attention to detail and how he prepares in order to guard guys is special. … I just respect the heck out of him that night-in and night-out he wants that matchup, and he’s not going to back down from it.”

Brooks has the chance of being one of the best perimeter defenders in the league for the Suns and they need him to be someone who can set the tone on that end of the floor. He does that with the chip he plays on his shoulder.

“What he did was, he raised the level of competition,” Former Grizzlies coach Scoonie Penn said via Haller.

“He got angry … but at the same time it lifted everybody up. Because, obviously, it’s a long season. You have times when it’s up and down. It might be dead. You need that extra. Dillon brings that extra.”

During his time in the league, Brooks has always played with a bit of an edge, and that will need to come with him to Phoenix in order for the Suns to succeed.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.