NBA Rumors: Dillon Brooks made quite a name for himself last season with the Memphis Grizzlies. The 27-year-old embraced his role as a villain, and to some extent, it worked well for him. It did backfire against Brooks and the Grizzlies in the West Semis, though, with LeBron James and the Lakers making him pay for his slanderous disrespect.
Love him or hate him, Brooks got the job done. He got paid well too, with the Houston Rockets opting to give him a four-year deal worth a whopping $80 million. As it turns out, at least three other teams were also eyeing the 6-foot-7 swingman before he agreed on a deal with Houston.
NBA Rumors: Dillon Brooks Coveted By Multiple Teams Before Signing Massive Deal With Rockets
Apparently, Dillon Brooks was a very wanted man in NBA free agency. According to NBA insider Kelly Iko of The Athletic, at least three other teams apart from the Rockets also showed interest in the enigmatic forward. This included the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Mavericks.
Interestingly enough, LA met with Brooks before he decided to accept Houston’s offer. Apparently, he left quite an impression on the Lakers. However, given LA’s cap situation, Iko reports that they had “no smooth pathway to acquiring him.”
The Mavs were also “seriously in the mix” for Brooks. After signing Kyrie Irving to a $126 million extension, though, they probably couldn’t give the former Grizzlies stud the money he wanted. In the end, Houston’s offer was just too good to turn down from him.
NBA Rumors: Bucks Had Dillon Brooks As Contingency Plan
According to Iko, the Bucks were also “keeping close tabs” on Brooks’ free agency situation. It doesn’t sound like they were very serious, though — at least nowhere near how much the Rockets wanted his services. According to Iko, Brooks was sort of a Plan B for Milwaukee if Khris Middleton decided to take his talents elsewhere. Ultimately, the Bucks and Middleton were able to arrive at an agreement that came out to $102 million for three years. That development effectively ended Milwaukee’s pursuit of Dillon Brooks.
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