Dillon Brooks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Brooks, M. Williams, Hachimura, Sabonis

December 2nd, 2025 at 10:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns forward Dillon Brooks relished beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on Monday as well as the opportunity to trash talk LeBron James, Tim MacMahon writes for ESPN.com.

As MacMahon notes, Brooks infamously got under James’ skin during the first round of the 2023 playoffs with Memphis, only to see the strategy backfire — he struggled for the rest of the series while James dominated, and the Grizzlies were eliminated in six games. Ever the antagonist, Brooks poured in 33 points on Monday — one off his season-high — and “relentlessly” mocked James and the crowd.

“I love playing in this arena,” Brooks said. “They show me a lot of love in here, and I reciprocate it back. I’m a competitor, man. I don’t really like the smiling and the giggling and all that, so just letting them know that I’m here. And I’m still rising.”

Phoenix cruised to an easy victory on Monday despite missing Devin Booker (right groin injury) for the majority of the contest. Brooks was the driving force behind the result.

“Sometimes, I’m trying to tell him to chill out, but I think he just blacks out,” said point guard Collin Gillespie, who scored a career-high 28 points on Monday and whom Brooks has nicknamed “Villain Jr.” due to his tenacity. “That’s Dillon Brooks. It fuels us. Obviously, we love when he gets going. He’s the tone-setter for us. Consistent energy, brings it every night. He’s fearless. Doesn’t back down from anybody, and he will go toe-to-toe with anybody.”

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Now a member of the Suns, center Mark Williams admitted he’d have a “little extra” motivation facing the Lakers on Monday after L.A. traded for him in February — only to rescind the deal over to what the team said was a failed physical (story via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). Williams said he was never told exactly why the Lakers nixed the trade with Charlotte. “Not in real detail,” said Williams, who is averaging 12.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals through 18 games (25.4 minutes per contest). “I’m kind of past it now. Just moved on from it.” The ex-Duke center will be a restricted free agent in 2026.
Entering Monday, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura had scored in double figures in 14 of his 18 appearances. The 27-year-old had his worst outing of the season in Monday’s loss, going scoreless — he missed his lone shot attempt — and pulling down one rebound in 23 minutes. “I don’t remember when I had the ball this whole game,” Hachimura said, per Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation (Twitter link). “I mean, that’s happened. Playing with these guys, I signed up for that. I understand it… But with this, I think the whole team, everyone knows and understands, that’s not how we’re gonna win. Those games that we’ve been winning, we’ve been passing to each other, we’ve been trusting each other and playing for each other to win those games. So it’s a tough one for me, but it is what it is. It’s one of those games where I gotta just [forget it] and move on to the next game.”
Kings center Domantas Sabonis is likely at least a couple weeks away — if not more — from returning from a partially torn meniscus, but his injured left knee is progressing well and he’s traveling with the team on its three-game road trip, which will conclude next Tuesday at Indiana, as Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento relays (via Twitter). The Kings clarified that Sabonis is not yet practicing, which was expected given his initial return timeline. The Lithuanian big man has popped up in trade rumors this fall amid Sacramento’s poor start to the season.

Pacific Notes: Melton, Kuminga, Murray, Christie, Brooks

November 26th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors assigned a trio of players to the G League on Wednesday, with guard De’Anthony Melton and forwards Jonathan Kuminga and Gui Santos all joining the Santa Cruz Warriors in order to scrimmage, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. Santos was getting some conditioning work in, while Melton and Kuminga are in the final stages of injury recoveries.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Warriors are optimistic that Melton will be able to make his season debut following an ACL tear during the first week of December. The veteran guard is due to be reevaluated this weekend.

As for Kuminga, who has been sidelined due to bilateral knee tendonitis, the hope is that he won’t have any setbacks during his scrimmages with Santa Cruz. If that’s the case, there’s an expectation that the fifth-year forward could be back on the court at some point during Golden State’s current home stand, which wraps up on December 2, Siegel reports.

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The Kings have won two of three games since Keegan Murray made his season debut, and the fourth-year forward was especially effective in Monday’s overtime victory over Minnesota, with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Teammate DeMar DeRozan spoke after that win about what Murray’s return means to the team, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter). “It’s everything,” DeRozan said. “Keegan is the key to this team. It’s his team. He’s one of those guys who’s going to be very, very special in this league and he’s showing it.”
While there have been some questions about Doug Christie‘s job security in Sacramento, Kings general manager Scott Perry told Sam Amick of The Athletic this week that he has “complete confidence” in Christie to “lead this team into better times.” Sacramento’s head coach appreciated the public show of support, according to Anderson. “His backing, the alignment from him, is huge,” Christie said. “He hasn’t said anything to me differently, so I’m glad that he said that (publicly). More than anything, it’s about us playing a style and a brand of basketball that Sacramento Kings fans can be proud of. On the path to that, there are a lot of steps to that, but first things first. I appreciate that from Scott. Obviously, when the boss speaks highly of you, it’s a good thing.”
Playing against the Rockets on Monday for the first time since Houston traded him to Phoenix over the summer, Suns forward Dillon Brooks talked trash to his former teammates and accused them of flopping, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. However, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka took it in stride, telling reporters that Brooks’ impact during his two years in Houston was “invaluable” and he doesn’t mind the forward’s tendency to push boundaries. “To bring in a veteran, like him and Fred (Van Vleet), to change the culture and environment, the competitiveness on a nightly basis,” Udoka said. “You’ve seen that happen here. I don’t mind at all. We both toe the line I guess at times, but he’s a guy that I love and have a ton of respect for.”

Suns Notes: Gillespie, Allen, Green, Brooks

November 22nd, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns pulled off a thrilling win over Minnesota on Friday night — overcoming an eight-point deficit in the final minute — but the comeback wasn’t complete until Collin Gillespie drove to the basket and sank a short jumper to give his team the lead. It marked the latest in a series of big moments for the third-year guard, and coach Jordan Ott didn’t hesitate to run the deciding play for him, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic.

“He’s growing,” Ott said. “He’s in situations like tonight that he’s probably never been in at the NBA level. But he’s going to continue to get better. He’s finding solutions out there on the fly.”

Haller notes that Gillespie has constantly been in situations where he’s had to prove himself to doubters, first at Villanova and now in the NBA. He spent his first two seasons on two-way contracts with Denver and Phoenix before signing a one-year standard deal with the Suns during the summer. Injuries to teammates have given him a larger-than-expected role, and he has responded by averaging 11.1 PPG and scoring in double figures the past four games.

Gillespie’s heroics on Friday didn’t end with the game-winning shot. Ott was also impressed by his defensive effort on the Wolves’ final possession as he provided help on Anthony Edwards and forced him to give up the ball.

“CG, he’s a hooper,” Dillon Brooks said. “And he battles every day.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

The Suns view Gillespie as their version of Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). Gambadoro says the team has tried several times to trade for McConnell, but now wouldn’t consider swapping Gillespie for him.
A right quad contusion will cause Grayson Allen to miss his third straight game as the Suns host San Antonio on Sunday, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Ott provided a brief update on Allen’s condition after Saturday’s practice, saying, “He hasn’t done anything full court yet because today is a day after a game. He did do a workout today. This thing could speed up real fast, and he’d be fine, but it’s still the same contusion, bruise on the quad. Nothing long-term.”
Jalen Green said his injured right hamstring is “getting better,” Rankin adds in the same piece, but he won’t be reevaluated until sometime in December. Green has been dealing with the injury since the start of training camp, and he has only appeared in two games this season. “I don’t even know what I did to be honest,” he said. “Freak accident. I really didn’t do nothing too explosive.”
Brooks has been fined $35K for “confronting and directing inappropriate language toward game officials” during Friday’s contest, Rankin states in a separate story. Brooks was also fined $25K for “making a lewd gesture on the playing court” in a November 13 game, and he leads the league with four technical fouls, which each result in a $2K fine.

Suns’ Dillon Brooks Fined $25K By NBA

November 14th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns forward Dillon Brooks has been fined $25K for making a lewd gesture on the playing court, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter link).

The incident occurred late in the second quarter during Thursday’s blowout win over Indiana, according to the league. Brooks was knocked to the floor while attempting a shot and made a crotch chop gesture while laying on his back after the ball fell through the net (Twitter video link).

Brooks had arguably his best game as a Sun on Thursday, pouring in a season-high 32 points (on 12-of-18 shooting) in just 28 minutes. The former second-round pick is in the third season of a four-year, $86MM contract, so the fine won’t impact him much financially.

Brooks, who played his college ball at Oregon, is no stranger to fines, having been suspended several times during the course of his nine years in the NBA. The 29-year-old Canadian in his first season with Phoenix after being traded Houston over the summer as part of the Kevin Durant blockbuster.

Suns Notes: Ighodaro, Booker, Brooks, Allen

November 14th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Oso Ighodaro put his name in the Suns’ record book Thursday night by posting a plus-52 in a win over Indiana, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The second-year big man put up the gaudy number in 26 minutes off the bench as Phoenix pulled away and led by as many as 46 points.

“I thought it was a typo,” coach Jordan Ott said as Ighodaro recorded the highest single-game plus-minus rating in franchise history and the third best in the NBA’s play-by-play era. He finished with a career-high 17 points, along with seven rebounds, three assists and a career-best three steals.

“Felt like I was going after winning,” Ighodaro said. “That’s been my focus the last four, five games. Not worrying about stats. Not worrying about anything like that. Just trying to impact the game in a positive way.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

The Suns are one of the league’s early-season surprises at 8-5, but the schedule has been somewhat grueling with 13 games in 23 days, Rankin adds in the same piece. Devin Booker, who posted his seventh 30-point game of the season on Thursday, admits he was feeling worn down, but he got a lift from his teammates. “It’s been tough,” Booker said. “I know I didn’t have a lot of juice coming in, but I was looking around the locker room and everybody was ready to go. Kind of revived me.”
Dillon Brooks, who has helped to spark the Suns’ revival after arriving in an offseason trade, was asked after the game about the last time he hasn’t felt confident on the court. He pointed to a 2023 playoff series against the Lakers when he was still with the Grizzlies, Rankin tweets. “I couldn’t shoot the ball. The GM (Zach Kleiman) is telling me to only shoot six shots,” Brooks recalled. “Not giving me the confidence I needed and you can feel that energy coming from front office and coaches. Never the players, the players want to win, but you feel that energy. Even if you’re working and put in the time, it’s not falling. Probably that was the last time.”
Ott is getting the most out of Grayson Allen by trusting him as a ball-handler, observes Fred Katz of The Athletic. He notes that Allen had already run 160 pick-and-rolls this season going into Thursday’s game, which is already more than halfway to his previous career high. He’s also averaging 3.2 pull-up three-point attempts per game and is sinking 45% of them.

Suns’ Jalen Green Aggravates Hamstring Strain

November 9th, 2025 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns fear that Jalen Green could miss multiple games after aggravating his right hamstring strain in Saturday’s win over the Clippers, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Green felt a sharp pain after passing the ball to Ryan Dunn for a corner three-point shot late in the first quarter, Rankin writes. Green hobbled toward the team’s bench while grabbing at the hamstring and had to be helped off the court by two staff members. He was declared out for the game shortly afterward.

Green was playing for just the second time since being acquired from Houston during the summer as part of the seven-team Kevin Durant trade. After missing the season’s first eight games due to the hamstring, Green scored 29 points on Thursday in his debut.

“That’s tough,” teammate Dillon Brooks told reporters. “Injuries suck, but he’ll work hard. He’ll be diligent with it.”

Medical imaging on the hamstring will likely be conducted when the Suns return home, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who estimates that Green could sidelined for another four-to-six weeks.

That would be a tremendous loss for a Suns team that has gotten off to a promising 5-5 start after last year’s disappointing season. However, new head coach Jordan Ott made it clear that his expectations won’t change.

“This team will have no excuses,” Ott said. “We lace them up, go out and play.” He also expressed sympathy for Green, adding, “You just feel for him. He worked so hard to get back.”

Dunn and Grayson Allen may see more playing time while Green is unavailable.

Phoenix got some positive injury news on Saturday as Brooks returned to the lineup after missing six games with a core muscle strain. He had 16 points, two rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes, including a late three-pointer that helped to quell a Clippers comeback.

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, Achiuwa, Brooks, Leonard, J. Green

November 7th, 2025 at 10:48pm CST by Rory Maher

Behind a 23-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist triple-double from Russell Westbrook, the shorthanded Kings dispatched the shorthanded Warriors on Wednesday, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN.com.

“Humbly speaking, I’m the best rebounding guard ever,” Westbrook said post-game. “So if the ball come across the rim, I’m going to get it.”

According to Slater, the nine-time All-Star made that comment before discovering that he had made NBA history during the win by passing Jason Kidd for the most career rebounds for a guard.

“Oh,” Westbrook said. “Honestly, I didn’t even know that. I’m going to need the game ball.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

The one-year, minimum-salary contract that Precious Achiuwa signed with the Kings on Tuesday is non-guaranteed, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The 26-year-old forward/center recorded four points, three rebounds and one block in nine minutes in his debut with Sacramento on Wednesday.
Suns forward Dillon Brooks is questionable for Saturday’s rematch against the Clippers in Los Angeles, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Brooks has missed the past six games with a core muscle strain. Kawhi Leonard will miss his third straight game for the Clips as he continues to battle a right ankle sprain, Murray adds.
The Clippers have gotten off to a rocky start — they hold a 3-5 record after being dominated by the Suns on Thursday. Head coach Tyronn Lue is preaching patience with some new faces on the roster, as Janis Carr of The Orange County Register relays. “We really haven’t had the chance to get to our full potential as far as lineups and things like that,” Lue said. “So, we just gotta be patient, let our guys get healthy and then we’ll see.”
After missing the first eight games of 2025/26 with a right hamstring strain, Jalen Green had an impressive Suns debut on Thursday, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former No. 2 overall pick scored a game-high 29 points (on 10-of-20 shooting) while chipping in three rebounds, three assists and two steals in just 23 minutes during the blowout victory. “Body wise, I felt really good,” the 23-year-old shooting guard said. “Overall, I was just really excited to get out there. I was telling the guys I couldn’t even sleep. Usually I take a pregame nap. I couldn’t even get my nap in. I was so excited.”

Jalen Green Probable To Make Suns Debut Thursday

November 5th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Suns guard Jalen Green has been upgraded to probable for Thursday’s matchup against the Clippers, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). If he is able to suit up, it would mark both Green’s season and Suns debut.

Green came over to Phoenix in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets and was expected to be a major part of the Suns’ new-look offense, but a right hamstring strain has kept him on the sidelines since early in training camp.

He missed all of camp as well as the first eight games of the season — the Suns are off to a 3-5 start without him. First-year head coach Jordan Ott has experimented with different starting lineups while Green and fellow former Rocket Dillon Brooks have been out with injuries, but Green’s return should help provide stability to the team’s backcourt rotation.

The fifth-year shooting guard holds career averages of 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 307 career regular-season games, but he struggled with consistency in terms of shot selection and defensive focus. He expressed excitement this summer about playing off of Devin Booker, with whom he believes he can form a two-headed scoring and play-making attack.

The Suns will still have to wait to see their team at full strength, as Brooks continues to be listed as out due to the core muscle strain that has caused him to miss the last five games.

Suns Notes: Green, Brooks, Livers, Williams

November 1st, 2025 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Green won’t be active when the Suns host San Antonio on Sunday night, but he appears to be getting closer to making his season debut, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix was counting on Green to help carry the scoring load after acquiring him from the Rockets as part of the Kevin Durant trade, but he has been out of action with a strained right hamstring. He took an important step toward returning on Saturday by participating in five-on-five drills.

“It was full-court before practice,” coach Jordan Ott said. “So that part is good. We’ll have to take a look tonight after this and into (Sunday).”

Green was extremely durable during his time in Houston, playing in all 82 games the past two seasons, but he’s been dealing with the hamstring issue since early in training camp. He reaggravated it in early October when the Suns traveled to China for two games against Brooklyn.

There’s more from Phoenix:

Dillon Brooks will miss his fourth straight game on Sunday, Rankin states in the same piece, and his diagnosis has been changed from right groin soreness to a core muscle strain. “The soft tissue piece to it,” Ott told reporters before Friday’s game. “His pain tolerance being super high and trying to put a timeline on when Dillon Brooks can physically get out there. We know he’s going to step out there. That’s the thing we’re learning (about) Dillon in this process as he returns back.” Brooks was averaging a career-high 19.3 PPG before getting hurt.
Two-way player Isaiah Livers sat out the second half Friday with a right hip contusion and is considered doubtful for Sunday, Rankin adds. Livers missed all of last season with an injured right hip, but Ott said there’s no cause for concern. “Just got hit on his hip,” he explained. “Sounds like he’ll be day-to-day. It’s nothing from his surgery. Just an unlucky spot.”
Ott plans to build up Mark Williams‘ minutes as the season progresses, Rankin tweets. Williams, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, is averaging just 24.4 minutes per night through five games. “We’re going to be smart. We know it’s an 82-game season,” Ott said. “It’s going to continually be a talking point with our group based on how he played that night and physically how he feels the next day. Ideally, it continues to go up to where it’s lifted. We’re going to be pretty strategic in how we use him because we want him healthy, want him to play game after game after game.”

Suns Notes: Fifth Starter, Backcourt, Key Dates, TV Deal

September 21st, 2025 at 2:16pm CST by Rory Maher

First-time head coach Jordan Ott will be faced with some difficult decisions this fall as the Suns prepare for training camp, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link).

In addition to managing Devin Booker‘s workload and discovering if Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea can contribute as rookies, Ott and his staff will also have to determine Phoenix’s starting lineup. According to Rankin, Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams will likely be four of the five starters, but the fifth is less certain.

Rankin views second-year wing Ryan Dunn as the most logical candidate to be the fifth starter, assuming he was able to improve his three-point shot over the summer. If Dunn’s offensive efficiency is still lacking, Royce O’Neale would be a more proven option as a small-ball four.

Second-year forward/center Oso Ighodaro is another player who could receive starting consideration if Ott experiments with two-big lineups, Rankin adds.

Here’s more on the Suns:

Although pairing Booker with Bradley Beal didn’t turn out very well, the Suns are optimistic about the backcourt duo of Booker and Green, Rankin writes in another story. “We are two people who are going to accept the double team and be able to play off each other,” Green said during Summer League in Las Vegas. “When you look at something like that, it’s like, we’re two people who know how to score the basketball. We’re two people who know how to attract the defense. When we’re doing something like that, you got to pick who you want to score tonight. He and I are going to be a deadly scoring duo.”
In a third article for The Arizona Republic, Rankin lists several key dates to monitor ahead of the regular season. Phoenix’s media day (Sept. 24) and training camp (Sept. 25) are set for next week due to a preseason trip to China (Oct. 10-12).
Owner Mat Ishiba has agreed to a two-year extension with Gray Media to broadcast Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury games free over the air throughout the state of Arizona, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who reports that the deal is worth $30MM+ annually. Both teams’ local ratings have skyrocketed over the past two years since they switched to the free model. “It’s been a win-win,” Ishbia told ESPN. “It was do right by the fans and get the games more accessible. And when you grow your fanbase, good things happen.”
In case you missed it, Kevin Durant recently offered his perspective on his trade saga with the Suns. Durant was eventually dealt to Houston in the deal that brought back Green, Brooks and the rights to the No. 10 pick (Maluach).