Dillon Brooks has wasted no time putting himself in the middle of the Suns’ trade chatter, even if Phoenix would probably prefer to keep him out of it.
While Head Coach Jordan Ott tries to sort through a rough start, Brooks has been one of the few steady constants. He’s bringing the same edge every night, and that usually means he’s either getting tossed or picking up a flagrant foul along the way.
Some of it makes sense. Some of it, less so.
Still, that kind of player tends to draw attention when a team starts looking shaky. Brooks signed a three-year, $73 million extension this offseason, and if the Suns keep stumbling toward a postseason fight, rival teams are going to circle him as a piece that could push them forward. There are already admiring looks coming from Rip City Project on the FanSided network, and it’s easy to see the appeal.
Brooks showed last season that he can lift the floor of a roster. He can give a team 20 points a night, and he was the best player in a playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder last time out, even with Devin Booker alongside him. His former team in Houston may have started this season well, but last year’s Rockets badly underachieved without him.
Defense is still where Brooks makes his money. Even with the whistles going against him this season, he keeps taking on elite scorers and seems to enjoy the fight as much as anyone in the league.
From a buyer’s standpoint, the Suns’ situation only adds to the intrigue. Phoenix doesn’t have a clear direction right now and badly needs draft capital to make the future look brighter. Brooks wouldn’t come cheap, but when a team’s starting lineup needs a shake-up, he looks like the kind of target contenders would chase.
At the same time, Phoenix has every reason to value him more than anyone else would. Brooks has found a place where he can lean into his aggression, and the Suns embraced that identity last season too. That hasn’t fully carried over in 2026-27, but there’s still time for this group to find its edge again.
With owner Mat Ishbia saying Booker will never be traded, and with Miles Bridges’ value at its lowest point, Brooks stands out as the Suns’ most realistic trade candidate. Even so, he shouldn’t be put on the market. At least not yet.
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For Phoenix, the intrigue is less about Chicagos direction than about how a player like Powell might fit into a broader market that could include teams such as Miami and Charlotte. The Hornets are among the clubs being floated in possible scenarios, but for now it is still a waiting game, with the real decision still ahead and no deal yet on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Starting Lineup Suddenly Looks Like A Serious Problem
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The Athletics recent breakdown pointed to the same issue from multiple angles, especially the way opponents have been able to hurt the Suns from three-point range. It also singled out uneven play from starters Jalen Green, Devin Booker and Miles Bridges, which is why the conversation has shifted so quickly toward whether Phoenix needs to rethink its opening five before the defensive problems get even harder to dig out of. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Have Two New Reasons To Watch A Team Letting Leads Slip
The Warriors have found an early bright spot in a rookie who was supposed to need time, but has already looked more polished than expected in the opening stretch. Joe Lacobs praise for the former Michigan standout adds another layer to a start that has given Golden State reason to feel better about its draft haul, especially with a young player already forcing his way into the conversation through his play rather than his pedigree.
For the Suns, the bigger picture still comes back to the Western Conference race and the teams around them trying to steady themselves. The Clippers are dealing with their own moving parts, from Kobe Sanders adjusting to a new role to Max Strus working back into the mix after injury, while Luka Doncics rescinded technical foul is another small but notable development in a crowded field of contenders. It all feeds into a conference where leads are fragile, margins are thin, and every team watching the standings has reason to keep an eye on what else is changing. [Read more 🡒]