Rockets May Have Overpaid Dillon Brooks

Dillon Brooks might not match the value of his Houston Rockets contract.

Dec 11, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) and Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) attempt to get control of the ball during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets are one season into a four-year contract from Dillon Brooks, who signed a four-year, $86 million deal last summer.

However, Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus believes the Rockets may have given Brooks a little too much money.

"Last summer, the Rockets pivoted from rebuilding to competing (or at least aspiring to compete). They didn't make the playoffs, but they made real progress," Pincus writes. "Brooks was part of the veteran group of players brought in to help change the culture, but the Rockets paid a price that was a bit high and long. Houston doesn't have much else on its books locked in beyond 2023-24, but that may change soon with extensions due for Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green."

The Rockets have a lot of mouths to feed over the next few years with seven draft picks since 2021 still on their rookie contracts.

Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green are on the final year of their rookie deals, and at least one will need to be paid this summer. Ideally, the Rockets would like to bring back both, but Brooks' deal is part of the reason why Houston cannot afford both players.

It will only get more difficult as the years go on with Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason due for a payday in the summer of 2026, followed by Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore in 2027. By then, Brooks' contract may be more tradable, but it does create an obstacle in the here and now for the Rockets.

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