Dillion Brooks Extended By Phoenix Suns Utilizing Larry Bird Exception

Aug 16, 2026 03:37 AM - 1 hour ago 1

HOENIX – Mat Ishbia, the mostly proprietor of the Suns and Mercury, precocious recovered himself successful a precarious financial business because of multi-millions of dollars mislaid and recouped done his company, United Wholesale Mortgage.

That didn’t extremity the Suns from utilizing the NBA’s celebrated Larry Bird objection to widen guardant Dillon Brooks by 3 years, $73 million, moreover though the nine is good supra the league’s net headdress of $165 million. The Suns, according to Spotrac, are astatine $240.9 million, $80 cardinal above the cap and good beyond what the convention calls its 2nd financial apron.

Because the Suns obtained Brooks from Houston past twelvemonth successful the last play of his just-expired contract, they held his Bird authorities and could widen him astatine up to 140% of his erstwhile woody without clearing abstraction nether the cap.

Good for Brooks, who became the bosom and psyche of the squad past play because of his on-and-off the tribunal activity and gritty play. Management responded, pairing him pinch franchise cornerstone Devin Booker for astatine slightest 3 much seasons.

“It makes you consciousness comfortable,” Brooks said during a Friday media convention aft his caller woody was announced. “It gives you a consciousness of trust. From the opening erstwhile the waste and acquisition happened I felt that trust. That’s why I played truthful hard. That’s why it was easy to motion this hold and beryllium portion of specified a awesome organization.”

Mat Ishbia Has Significant Financial Issues

There ever seems to beryllium thing going connected pinch Ishbia, who’s embroiled successful changeless lawsuits, either internally basketball-wise aliases successful his owe business. This clip UWM suffered a ample derivatives loss, losing a stake that liking rates would drop. The institution announced a $2.05 cardinal superior raise to offset the losses.

The evident mobility is really this mightiness impact operations of the Suns and Mercury. UWM released a connection to Bloomberg saying not astatine all, which is good and bully until it does. See Mark Walter, under financial scrutiny, conscionable trading the Lakers.

“Trying to usage this woody to propose Mat’s financial business pinch UWM aliases the Phoenix Suns is threatened intelligibly ignores the facts. Furthermore, Mat is finalizing an statement to bargain retired the remaining Suns and Mercury shareholders bringing the Ishbia's full ownership to almost 99% of the teams.”

Let’s hold for that footwear to drop. Meanwhile, backmost to the Brooks’ deal.

Because of their punishment situation, connected July 6, 2025, the Suns finalized a waste and acquisition of Kevin Durant to the Rockets for Brooks and Jalen Green, and it had to beryllium a switch for an adjacent magnitude of money. Durant was earning $54.7 cardinal from the Suns while Green and Brooks were making a mixed $55.5 million.

Brooks was traded pinch $22.1 cardinal remaining connected the last play of a four-year, front-loaded $86 cardinal contract, which made him a cleanable campaigner for the Bird objection and a cap-less extension.

Bird, the erstwhile Celtics’ star, was allowed to stay pinch Boston aft the 1983-84 play erstwhile the first net headdress was negotiated successful the NBA corporate bargaining agreement. The Celtics were capable to re-sign Bird moreover if his caller woody exceeded the cap, which was launched for the 1984-85 play astatine $3.6 cardinal per team, immoderate of which besides had the correct to clasp their prima players for arsenic galore arsenic 4 seasons supra the cap.

Thus, the Bird exception, which the Suns and Brooks took afloat advantage of. Brooks’ headdress deed is $22.5 cardinal this season, $24.3 cardinal for 2028-29, and $26.1 cardinal for 2029-30. He’ll beryllium a free supplier aft that erstwhile he’s 35 years of age.

“Dillon’s toughness, competitiveness and activity ethic epitomize our Suns’ DNA,” Suns wide head Brian Gregory said aft the extension. “He plays pinch a thrust and strength that sets the reside for our squad and raises the level of everyone astir him. Dillon was an important portion of what we accomplished past season, and we’re excited to spot him proceed to turn arsenic a subordinate while building connected the relationship he’s established pinch our fans and the Phoenix community.”

The Suns Are In The Second Season Of A Rebuild

The Suns won the 2nd of 2 play-in games defeating the Warriors astatine the conclusion of this past regular season, but were swept by the then-defending NBA champion Thunder successful the first information of the playoffs. They’ve mislaid 8 consecutive postseason games making love backmost to 2024, and didn’t make the playoffs astatine the extremity of the 2024-25 season.

That nonaccomplishment led to Ishbia firing his wide manager, James Jones, successful lieu of Gregory, and his coach Mike Budenholzer, successful favour of Jordan Ott. Gregory and Ott had nary erstwhile acquisition successful those jobs.

Gregory past gutted the team, trading Durant and buying retired the often-injured Bradley Beal. The Suns still prolong a dormant headdress deed connected the existent Clippers defender of $19.4 cardinal per play for the adjacent 4 seasons.

Still, pinch a novice caput coach and a caller lineup, the Suns surprised the pundits, finishing 45-37 and making the playoffs moreover for conscionable a moment.

“We wanted to get to the playoffs and we did,” said Brooks, contempt missing 18 consecutive precocious play games aft he fractured his near hand. “That’s going to thief america a lot. Even though we added 2 caller guys, we’re building the 2nd guidelines of this transition. Once we get started, we’ll get that chemistry and camaraderie going.”

The 2 caller guys are guardant Miles Bridges and defender Luke Kennard. They came astatine the costs of Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, 2 bully shooting constituent parts of past season’s team.

“We’ll miss Royce, we’ll miss Grayson,” Brooks said. “Those guys were the building stones of this. We’re going to miss that shooting. We’re going to miss that seasoned savvy. We show them, bully luck connected the adjacent portion of their journeys. And erstwhile they play us, we conscionable dream they play their worst games.”

Let’s dream Brooks remains patient and that Ishbia is capable to protect his liking successful the teams.