With the offseason officially underway, speculation surrounding the Suns’ offseason will begin. Many fans just wrapped up watching the Suns’ exit interviews with Brian Gregory and Mat Ishbia and are now excited to see where this team is headed.
That being said, there was some news that dropped recently from the Marc Stein Substack. This was tailored around one of the two players on the roster who could see an extension this offseason. That player is Dillon Brooks.
Brooks came over this year from the Houston Rockets in the Kevin Durant trade and was viewed as a positive asset, but not in all the ways many perceived. See, he has this villainous attitude, one he certainly embraced here in Phoenix, and many were uncertain how that would translate there. Well, he proved those doubters wrong and had a great year in Phoenix.
The wing this year averaged a career-high in points and rebounds, with 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1 steal, and44/34/84 from the field. For someone whose role has fluctuated in different situations, he rose to the occasion with Jalen Green missing most of the season. Brooks was tasked with being the second-best offensive player most nights and succeeded in that role.
This is where it makes sense for both parties to want to keep him long-term. The fit seemed to work, and not only does he represent the culture the Suns want of hard work, hustle, and heart over everything, but the fans really bought into this villain mentality that rubbed off in a good way on his teammates.
Per Stein:
The Suns, I’m told, indeed want to secure a long-term stay for Brooks after role in establishing them as the West’s foremost regular season surprise tea but sources say that Phoenix is also mindful of the fact that an extension would kick in for Brooks’ age-32 season since there is currently only one season left on his contract in 2026-27 at $21 million.
The max extension that Brooks can command is a four-year deal in the $125 million range but the expectation is that a new deal will not reach that upper threshold.
As we can see from the snippet via Stein’s Substack, the Suns want Brooks back. We know he makes $21 million next year and $22 million this year. With him able to get an extension of up to 4 years and $125M, that would price him at $31.25 million a year, which is a big pay raise. Luckily, though, they may be able to generate a team-friendly deal, one that is still a pay raise but not completely limiting the Suns’ future financial abilities.
Looking at the future and knowing that guys like Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, Rasheer Fleming, and Khaman Maluach in a few seasons will need paydays could make them hesitant about the max for Brooks. Especially with how this team is shaped up, with $20+ million+ in dead cap from the Bradley Beal sign-and-trade last year, they cannot handicap themselves too much.
That is why I think a 4-year, $100 million deal is perfect for a guy like Brooks. A little bump up in money with the salary cap rising since he signed his last deal is good for a guy who embodies everything the team wants him to be. At age 30, this allows him to grow alongside Devin Booker and remain on the same timeline as the star the franchise remains committed to.
What do you think, though? Should the Suns retain Brooks or maybe even look to move off him? If they do extend him, what deal would you like him brought back on?
