One day, Dillon Brooks is going to get the love he deserves for all he has achieved with the Phoenix Suns, but it clearly won't be happening anytime soon. That's because a pair of media members think he is still only worth a single first-round pick on the open market.
Brooks clearly means more to Phoenix than anywhere else
That's according to Yossi Gozlan on his Third Apron Podcast, as he had cap expert Sam Quinn on in the wake of the L.A. Clippers getting punished severely for their Kawhi Leonard shenanigans.
When discussing which franchise has a worse future between the Clippers and Suns (they chose the Suns, by the way...), Gozlan asked Quinn who had the most trade value on the roster after Devin Booker. Khaman Maluach received some consideration before Quinn chimed in with, "Probably Dillon Brooks you could get a good first for; it's bleak."
Gozlan didn't agree, however, going a step further by claiming that "not a good first; a first of some sort (for Brooks)." This, despite the Canadian international having a career year in Phoenix last time out, being their best performer in the playoffs, and signing a totally acceptable three-year, $73 million extension, is a wild claim.
Suns fans have loved him from the jump, yet he continues to be talked about as a negative asset or a player who does not move the needle.
When he arrived in The Valley, the roster and fanbase had been decimated after the departure of Kevin Durant. Most predicted the team would finish at the bottom of the Western Conference. Brooks doesn't deserve all the credit for their eventual playoff appearance, but his sheer force of will helped get them there.
Suns can never trade Brooks in this climate
It feels like both Gozlan and Quinn are being too harsh in their assessment of the forward. Any team that could afford to trade for him and is in need of adding a final piece to push for a title would surely give up more than a single first-round pick for his services.
Then there are the other organizations out there who are floundering like the Suns were 12 months ago. Think of all the good he could bring overnight; it would cost more than a pick.
The Sacramento Kings are crying out for somebody to care about the regular season in a way we haven't seen in 20 years, and Brooks would fit that bill as well. All of which is to say, there are many scenarios in which he would excel, just as he did in the past with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.
If Gozlan and Quinn choose to look the other way when presented with Brooks' body of work, they are the ones who are missing out. We can all agree his trade value has actually never been higher.
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