The Rockets Just One Upped The Worst Signing Of The Offseason
On July first, I released an article chastising the Rockets for the terrible choice to pay Fred VanVleet so heavily. I called it "The Worst Signing Of The Offseason," and they proved me wrong. Normally, when a take like this gets proven false, it is much later. But they proved me wrong by making an even worse move. That move was the signing of Dillon Brooks. The Rockets brought Brooks to the team on a four-year, 80 million-dollar deal. There are so many things wrong with this signing; let's jump in.
Why Would The Rockets Make This Signing?
I don't know. I am still trying to understand why the Rockets brought in Brooks. First, you drafted Cam Whitmore to run your small forward position and have other players like Jabari Smith Jr, who can also slot over to fill that position. The only thing Brooks has over either of those two would be purely age, but he doesn't even act it. There is a reason he was told he "would not be brought back under any circumstances" by his former team. There was no positional need for Brooks at all.
Now let's talk money. The Rockets will pay Dillon Brooks 20 million dollars annually for the next four years. That is a ridiculous amount of money for the talent that Brooks brings. He was abysmal in his last playoff series versus the Lakers and has not proven anything that would warrant an upgraded payday for himself. He must be more efficient and accurate and make up for it with half-tiered defending. The money is a massive overpay for a rotational player.
Now the attitude. The Grizzlies were building a young core and chose to let one of the key pieces go. After the Warriors proved how important chemistry for a team could be, this should show just how bad it must have had to have been. First, he nearly got into a fight with Shannon Sharpe during the season, then come the playoffs, he said he didn't respect LeBron, called him old, and defended it all by saying, "I poke bears" Brooks is negative on the court, being immature and taunts when you need him to be on his best. There is no upside.
What Does The Future Look Like For The Rockets After This?
I couldn't tell you. The only benefit is that this alleviates some of the pressure from Whitmore and that younger core, but it does not make sense. I expect to see Brooks traded out of Houston within two years and out of the league afterward.
Brooks is more of a negative to NBA teams than a positive, and for this money, he should be getting it in Yen. Dwight Howard is calling Dillon to pick up the phone.