Rockets' Dillon Brooks Nearly Signed with Mavs in Free Agency

Dillon Brooks almost signed with the Dallas Mavericks before agreeing to a deal with the Houston Rockets.

Dillon Brooks is happy to be part of the Houston Rockets after signing his four-year deal, but he nearly joined a Lone Star State rival.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Mavs were "seriously in the mix" to land Brooks in free agency. The Milwaukee Bucks were also mentioned as being a team that kept a close eye on Brooks' situation.

"To my knowledge, the Dallas Mavericks were said to be seriously in the mix for Brooks’ services," Iko wrote.

After creating enough room for the full non-taxpayer midlevel exception, the most they could have offered in the first year of a contract was $12.4 million — substantially less than what he will earn from the four-year, $86 million contract he signed to join the Rockets.

The Rockets also signed Fred VanVleet to a substantial contract in an effort to produce a more competitive season in 2023-24. Houston also signed Jeff Green, Jock Landale and Aaron Holiday for veteran leadership.

Last season, Brooks averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 73 games. He struggled to find his footing in the playoffs and made headlines for trash talking LeBron James in what proved to be an early playoff exit. 

Now, Brooks looks to redeem himself as he gets a fresh start in Houston with the Rockets.

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Grant Afseth is an NBA reporter primarily covering the Dallas Mavericks, but also the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic for FanNation, as well as the league at larger for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group.

Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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