LeBron James praises Dillon Brooks as ‘worthwhile’ trade to Rockets

Dave McMenaminESPN Staff WriterNovember 8, 2023 03:31 pm ET3 min read

HOUSTON — Dillon Brooks may have paid off big time for the Houston Rockets in the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, but his playoff opponent LeBron James said, Brooks earned every penny he earned.

Asked Wednesday whether Brooks could increase his market value by establishing himself as a Lakers star, James said: “I think every player that gets a contract is there for a reason and they deserve what they get. Contract.” Frustrated.

“So I think as far as he’s concerned, he deserves the contract he got. He’s put in the work since he came out of Oregon and that’s the value that Houston found and he’s here. So no, I think that’s It doesn’t matter, just go on, then.”

Brooks signed a four-year, $80 million contract to join a revamped Houston team that also added coach Ime Udoka and veteran guard Fred Fred VanVleet, joining a young, talented core of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun .

Brooks infamously called James “old” during the Grizzlies’ first-round game against the Lakers, and he ended up having a terrible year as both an analyst and a contributor, averaging 10.5 points per game on 31.2 percent shooting from three-point range. 23.8% shooting from the field) and 3.0 rebounds. 1.8 assists in six games. At the same time, James averaged 22.2 points per game, shooting 48.6% from the field, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists, leading the seventh-seeded Lakers to an upset victory over the second-seeded Grizzlies.

When asked about James and the Lakers on Tuesday, Brooks welcomed the game but didn’t make any slurs this time.

“Get ready to lock him up,” Brooks said. “He shoots the ball well. He’s been playing well. So I just kind of tire him out and get him into the fourth quarter early.”

James said he won’t reflect too much on playoff history as Brooks heads into Wednesday night. Los Angeles faces other issues after losing the first two games of a four-game road trip and falling to 0-4 on the road this season at Crypto.com Arena.

“I think it’s just the game itself,” James said. “It’s always great to go out and compete, so he’s one of those guys that enjoys competing with a lot of other guys in our league.

“But I haven’t dwelled on the past too much…over the years, I’ve kind of left it in the past and found a way (to think): ‘How can we get our first road win? ’ Of course, that’s my mindset.”