The Suns have signed veteran forward Dillon Brooks to a three-year extension worth $73MM, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

Brooks had a career scoring season last year, his first with the club after coming over from the Rockets in the Kevin Durant trade. He averaged 20.2 points on 17.1 shots per game, both career highs, and helped establish a tough-minded mindset for a team looking to rebuild its culture following the departure of Durant.

Phoenix was able to have a surprisingly successful season last year despite the dramatic pivot in the offseason, finishing seventh in the Western Conference before ultimately being swept by the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. Brooks’ ability to step up and be the secondary scoring option on the team while stabilizing the wing depth as Jalen Green recovered from injury was a crucial part of that success.

While there’s a chance the deal ends up being a slight overpay in the last year, the Suns value his off-court leadership and culture-setting as much as anything he does on the floor, according to Suns After Dark’s Gerald Bourguet (Twitter link).

The deal amounts to around 13 percent of the salary cap, which should allow it to retain positive trade value, Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron adds (Twitter link). Due to being signed before August 11, Brooks will also be eligible to be traded at the February 11 trade deadline if the team decides to pursue that route.

The contract is fully guaranteed and contains no options, per Suns reporter John Gambadoro (Twitter link). The first year will start at just over $22MM.

The team also clearly valued continuity and the mindset displayed by the roster last season, as they emphasized bringing back much of the roster, including Collin Gillespie, Mark Williams, and Jordan Goodwin, Charania notes (via Twitter).

This extension further solidifies those efforts, keeping Brooks under contract through the 2029/30 season.