PHOENIX - In one of the most bizarre scenarios the NBA has had to offer this year, a three-team trade involving the Phoenix Suns was reportedly killed after confusion about which "Brooks" the Suns were getting from the Memphis Grizzlies in the deal.
Okay, I'll start from the beginning.
In the deal first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN at 8:21 p.m. Friday, the Suns dealt away Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards.
The Suns received Wizards point guard Austin Rivers and two role players from the Memphis Grizzlies: Wayne Selden and MarShon Brooks.
In summation, per Woj:
Suns receive:
- Austin Rivers
- Wayne Selden
- MarShon Brooks
Wizards receive:
- Trevor Ariza
- 2019 Memphis conditional second-round pick
- 2020 Grizzlies second-round pick
Grizzlies receive:
- Kelly Oubre
Austin Rivers is a 26-year-old point guard who played for Duke in college and is the son of Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers.
In a backup role to John Wall, Rivers is averaging 7 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 23 minutes per game this season.
The 2017-18 season was the best of his career when he averaged 33 minutes per game with the Clippers scoring 15 points and dishing out 4 assists per contest.
The 6-foot-4 point guard likely WOULD* HAVE stepped his way into the starting lineup for the Suns.
Also supposedly acquired by the Suns were shooting guards Wayne Selden and MarShon Brooks from Memphis, who both average around 7 points per game in limited roles.
BUT, none of this went through.
Why?
Because Memphis has two players with the last name Brooks on their team.
And it appears, per reports via national writers on Twitter, the Suns thought they were getting the younger (and better) Brooks: Dillon.
This was further evidenced by Arizona Sports radio host John Gambadoro insisting it was Dillon NOT MarShon in the early stages of the deal. By "early stages of the deal" I'm referring to, like, 15 minutes of time.
Apparently, the third team in the deal, Washington, was the one doing all the talking to both sides and there was, er, some miscommunication.
DILLON Brooks has been injured for most of this season, but the 22-year-old guard out of Oregon had an impressive rookie year with Memphis last season averaging 11 points per game.
Then, just 45 minutes after it manifested, the deal was dead.
UNLESS, Washington and Phoenix can find a new third team or make a direct deal involving Ariza and Rivers. Woj is reporting that the Grizzlies are out.
Needless to say, NBA Twitter has had a field day with this so far:
The infamous Dillon Brooks weighed in:
So, yeah, I guess I don't know whether to put MarShon Brooks in the winner or loser category here. Positive: he doesn't have to go to the worst team in the NBA. Negative: the worst team in the NBA doesn't want him.
To be continued, probably.
UPDATE:
And, I was right.
At 10:12 p.m. Arizona time, The Athletic's David Aldridge tweeted that it WAS DILLON Brooks discussed between Suns owner Robert Sarver and Grizzlies owner Robert Pera but the deal was still killed.
Not even for narrative sake, I'm still betting somewhere, at some point, there was miscommunication on which Brooks was involved, but this is interesting.
And now, according to Aldridge, we have the Grizzlies not just denying, but vociferously denying DILLON Brooks was mentioned and said the two owners DID NOT talk to each other about the trade.
I love this.