Dillon Brooks is playing the best ball of his career. After bouncing around a few teams, it seems like the forward has settled into a comfortable role with the Phoenix Suns. Brooks is a dark-horse All-Star candidate this season, and Phoenix is sitting in seventh-place with 30 wins in a hyper-competitive Western Conference.
Before Brooks ended up in Phoenix, the forward had stops in Memphis and Houston. However, it seems like Brooks almost went in a different direction. In a recent appearance on a livestream, the Suns forward said that he was almost traded to the Golden State Warriors from the Grizzlies.
“Funny part is when I was on Memphis they were trying to trade me to the Warriors,” Brooks said. “That’s what was shocking about the hate. Fans don’t know that”
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Brooks was drafted by the Rockets in 2017, but he ended up making his debut with the Grizzlies. There, the forward built a reputation as a hard-nosed defender who also had a knack for getting under his opponent's skin. After six seasons with Memphis, Brooks was moved to the Rockets (when he supposedly was almost traded to the Warriors). He then was traded to the Suns this past offseason as part of the Kevin Durant trade.
Brooks has made the most of his opportunities as a member of the Suns. He's averaging 21.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game starting for Phoenix, all while still managing to annoy his opponents to no end. His All-Star case is slim, but the fact that Brooks is getting fringe consideration is a massive win for the team.
Despite losing an All-Star this offseason, Phoenix is still squarely in the hunt for a playoff spot. Their 7th-seed position is deceiving, as they are in a log-jam with a couple of teams with around 30 wins this season.