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Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.
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In a season where the Phoenix Suns have surpassed all preseason expectations, forward Dillon Brooks has proven to be a major piece to the puzzle.
His vital role in the team’s surprising jump from the draft lottery to playoff contention since joining the team last summer has led to ESPN NBA reporter Zach Kram including the Suns’ trade for Brooks on his ranking of the 10 best deals since the 2025 NBA offseason.
Brooks was one of nine assets Phoenix received in the historic seven-team deal that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. In his first year on a Suns team that ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave a 34.7 projected win total, the nine-year veteran forward is setting several career-highs with 20.9 points per game on 44% shooting and an 85.6% mark from the free throw line.
Paired alongside 2026 All-Star Devin Booker, Brooks’ role in the Suns reaching a record of 32-23 and firmly entering the Western Conference playoff picture heading into the All-Star break is enough for Kram to put his acquisition at the No. 6 spot.
It seemed like Brooks was included in the Rockets’ trade for Kevin Durant primarily for salary-matching purposes. But the veteran wing has had a much greater impact in Phoenix, where’s he spearheaded the Suns’ turnaround from lottery team in 2024-25 to playoff hopeful in 2025-26.
This move makes the “best” list not only because of Brooks’ play on the court — he’s averaging a career-high 20.9 PPG — but because of his off-court influence on the Suns’ culture.
However, any chance for the move to climb up the list further was dampened when Brooks fractured his left hand on Feb. 21 and hasn’t returned since.
Since then, the Suns have lost eight of their last 15 games, including a five-game losing streak that they just broke out of on Sunday in a 120-98 win over the Toronto Raptors.
That’s not to mention that Brooks is facing two misdemeanors after being cited for reckless driving and exceeding the speed limit on Jan. 12.
He was also arrested on March 6 for suspicion of driving under the influence.
The reevaluation period for Brooks’ injury is set to begin on Tuesday, meaning that an update on his status is imminent.
Phoenix currently sits as the conference’s seventh seed at 40-32 with 10 games left on the schedule. The return of a fully healthy Brooks at a similar pace of play either at the tail end of the regular season or at the start of the postseason means that there’s a chance for him to prove that his acquisition has been more fruitful than a sixth-best ranking.
Brooks hasn’t played since Feb. 21 due to a broken hand, though his projected four-to-six-week absence means he could return in time for the postseason. The Suns need a healthy Brooks to make any noise in the playoffs, as he ranks second on the team in points and minutes.
Royce O’Neale (left knee soreness) is questionable for the Phoenix Suns’ matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
The Suns listed several players as out for Sunday’s contest, including Grayson Allen (left knee injury management), Amir Coffey (left ankle sprain) and Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management).
Mark Williams (left foot third metatarsal stress reaction) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) also remain out.
O’Neale, who has missed the last two Suns games after previously not missing a game this season, is averaging 9.9 points on 41.6% shooting and 40.3% from 3-point range, while registering 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
For the Raptors, forward Collin Murray-Boyles is questionable for Sunday’s game with a left thumb sprain.
Suns-Raptors tips off from Mortgage Matchup Center at 6 p.m. as Phoenix looks to snap a season-high five-game losing streak.
Listen to the game on 98.7, ArizonaSports.com or the Arizona Sports app.
SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced his starting rotation entering the 2026 season on Saturday beyond Zac Gallen getting the Opening Day nod.
The rotation goes as follows:
Merrill Kelly will open the year on the 15-day injured list, which he hopes will be a minimum stint.
The D-backs can backdate his IL designation by three days to start the year, so he could return after the first 10 games of the campaign. What happens in the rotation when Kelly returns is to be determined.
“It’s gonna be Gallen, Nelson, E-Rod, Soroka and Pfaadt. … Merrill will start on the IL.”
Torey Lovullo announces the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation to start the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/fDntaMVl0R
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 21, 2026
“It’s clear that Merrill Kelly just doesn’t have enough time to build up and start the season on the active roster,” Lovullo said. “Whatever his buildup is, it will continue. I don’t know what the timeline is on that.”
Soroka, who signed with the D-backs this offseason, will get the nod in Arizona’s home opener against Detroit. He will make his final spring start on Tuesday in Arizona’s exhibition game against the Cleveland Guardians at Chase Field.
Pfaadt will hang back in Arizona when the team travels to Los Angeles to make a backfields start in preparation for Game 2 against the Tigers.
Rodriguez will throw a backfields start on Monday.
The Diamondbacks opted for continuity in the rotation this offseason by bringing back Kelly and Gallen as free agents. Soroka is the sole newcomer — excluding Kelly, who was traded to Texas before free agency — and staff ace Corbin Burnes hopes to return in July.
“We feel really good about the five guys that we have there,” Lovullo said. “We know there’s a sixth with Merrill. Thank goodness we have that depth. … I love the experience that group has. They’re going to go out there and they’re going to be ready to compete.”
The club is counting on internal improvements to avoid another lackluster season on the mound. Gallen and Rodriguez were much better over the final two months of last season, while Pfaadt had some stellar outings but struggled with consistency. The three finished bottom 12 in ERA among 70 pitchers with 150 innings.
Gallen found some answers with his delivery late last year and has been throwing harder this spring, although he allowed three home runs in his final start Friday.
Rodriguez is coming off the performance of his life, tossing 4.1 shutout innings in the World Baseball Classic title game against the U.S., as Venezuela won the championship. Pfaadt has allowed one run in 10 Cactus League innings this spring, as he is working on tightening his slider, a strength in 2024 that turned into a weakness last year.
Nelson was excellent last season after moving into the rotation from an early long relief role, and Kelly remained a consistent presence in the rotation before getting traded last year. Nelson and Kelly were both top 25 pitchers in ERA among those with 150 innings.
The Diamondbacks will face World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. Yamamoto has a 1.93 ERA in six starts against Arizona.
The Tigers will start Justin Verlander on March 30, Opening Day at Chase Field. It will be Verlander’s first start for Detroit since the summer of 2017 when he was dealt to Houston. The 43-year-old made two starts against the D-backs last year for San Francisco, allowing two runs in 13 innings.
Casey Mize will get the second game at Chase Field with two-time Cy Young winner and Arizona native Tarik Skubal in line for the series finale.
