JJ Redick Defends Dillon Brooks Amid Criticism Over Contract With Rockets

“I want a Dillon Brooks on my team.”

NBA fans have not hid their true feelings regarding Dillon Brooks’s four-year, $80 million contract the forward signed with the Rockets in free agency this offseason.

Following his exit from the Grizzlies, fans joked that Brooks would be out of the league before long. Instead, he secured a brand new deal in Houston.

Not all the conversation surrounding Brooks has been negative, however.

JJ Redick addressed Brooks’s situation on his podcast, The Old Man and the Three, during which he claimed he’d love to have the 27-year-old on his team.

“I saw all the tweets and memes about him needing to learn Mandarin... Motherf***er just signed for $80 million,” said Redick. “Said it many times, I’ll say it again. I want a Dillon Brooks on my team.”

Brooks flamed out in Memphis following the Grizzlies’ early playoff exit at the hands of the Lakers. During the series, Brooks became infamous for talking trash to LeBron James that ended up ringing hollow.

After the series, Brooks was reportedly informed by the Grizzlies that he would not be brought back “under any circumstances” in 2023-24, paving the way for him to sign with the Rockets on the lucrative deal this offseason.

In addition to Brooks, the Rockets added the likes of former All-Star Fred VanVleet, ex-Suns center Jock Landale, and veteran guard Patty Mills. 

While he’s amassed plenty of haters during his NBA career, it appears Brooks has a fan in Redick, who came to bat for him in his latest podcast episode.