featured-image

Suns Extend Qualifying Offer To Brooks

Posted: June 23, 2011

The Phoenix Suns have extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Aaron Brooks, the team announced today.

The 6-0, 161-pound Brooks was acquired by the Suns from the Houston Rockets at the 2011 trade deadline on Feb. 24 in exchange for Goran Dragic and a 2011 first-round draft pick. The 26-year-old Brooks appeared in 25 games (five starts) for Phoenix, averaging 9.6 points and 4.2 assists following the trade.

An established NBA point guard who owns career averages of 12.5 points and 3.6 assists in 272 games (129 starts), Brooks was originally selected by the Rockets with the 26th overall pick (first round) of the 2007 NBA Draft. The former Oregon Duck was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2009-10 after averaging career highs of 19.6 points and 5.3 assists while starting all 82 games for Houston. Brooks garnered the honor after registering the largest scoring increase of any NBA player (+8.4 points), and leading the NBA in three-point field goals made (209). The sharpshooting playmaker became just the sixth player in league history to tally at least 200 three-pointers and 400 assists in a single season.

A four-year pro, Brooks has made two playoff appearances in his first three NBA seasons, appearing in 19 postseason contests (13 starts), and averaging 12.8 points and 2.5 assists. Brooks started all 13 playoff games for the Rockets in 2009, as Houston won its opening round series and pushed the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the semifinal round. Brooks averaged career playoff highs of 16.8 points and 3.4 assists in 2009.

A four-year performer at the University of Oregon, Brooks earned Second-Team All-America honors as a senior, and was a member of the Wooden Award All-American Team and the All-Pac-10 First Team as a senior when he led the conference in scoring (17.7).