Jalen Green says he, Devin Booker will be 'deadly scoring duo' for Phoenix Suns
LAS VEGAS – Jalen Green took a moment to clear his throat and remind Dillon Brooks how they should feel about the Houston Rockets trading them to the Phoenix Suns.
“Motivation,” Green said.
Uhhh mmmm.
“Motivation. Motivation.”
It was a playful back and forth between the two during halftime of Phoenix’s 103-84 win over the Washington Wizards at Thomas & Mack Center to open NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas.
“Especially for you,” Brooks said to Green, who stood smiling behind the media scrum in the dock area of the arena.
Beneath the smiles are two players who helped Houston rise to second in the Western Conference last season only to have the Rockets trade them before the draft to the Suns for Kevin Durant along with the 10th overall pick that became 7-footer Khaman Maluach.
The Rockets are championship contenders with the all-time great Durant while the Suns are looking to build a new identity with Devin Booker leading the way.
Green admitted it “hurt” having the Rockets deal him.
He started his career in Houston as the second overall pick in the 2021 draft when the franchise was coming off a 17-win season.
Green called Houston his home, but he isn’t going to just accept this idea that the Suns are already done this upcoming season before they even play a game.
Not on his watch.
“I’m super excited,” Green said. “Great organization. Great people. It’s going to be fun. The position we’re in, I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people and make a lot of noise."
Green and Brooks like the idea of coming to Phoenix together and are excited about this opportunity to make an impact on the Suns.
“I love the challenge,” Brooks said. “I feel like this has been written in stone since my second year when I thought was I coming here and I didn’t end up coming.”
Brooks is referencing the 2018-19 season when the Memphis Grizzlies looked to send MarShon Brooks instead of Dillon Brooks to Phoenix in a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards.
Memphis backed out of the deal.
Then, interim general manager James Jones chalked it up as “miscommunication.”
Years later, Dillon Brooks is now in Phoenix.
“I love Phoenix," Brooks said. "I’ve been over there this summer. I love when I play there. The gym is amazing. People are great. I can’t wait to connect with the fans and bring that toughness, bring that urgency, and I’ll be ready for the journey."
Known for his passionate, intense style of play, Brooks didn’t shy away from that reputation that has boiled over a time or two.
“No (expletive),” Brooks on his mentality. "I don’t back down from anybody or anything. Everybody, to me, is the game. I can’t wait to get a technical foul in, is (the arena) still called ‘Sticks’?”
Try two names removed from Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Whatever it’ll be called, Brooks is already thinking about stirring the pot to the point a referee feels the need to blow the whistle and T him up.
“In the PHX so (the fans) can go crazy,” Brooks said.
As for Green, he brings a scoring mentality as he averaged a team-high 21 points for the Rockets last season. He now will share the floor with Booker, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, who averaged 25.6 points last season.
They’re both bucket getters who score off the bounce and play the same position.
Jalen Green #4 of the Houston Rockets defends against Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns during the first half of the game at Toyota Center on March 12, 2025 in Houston.
So how will this Booker-Green duo work?
“We are two people who are going to accept the double team and be able to play off each other,” Green said. “When you look at something like that, it’s like, we’re two people who know how to score the basketball. We’re two people who know how to attract the defense.”
Green averaged a career-high 22.1 points in his second NBA season.
“When we’re doing something like that, you got to pick who you want to score tonight,” Green continued. “He and I are going to be a deadly scoring duo.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jalen Green says he, Devin Booker will be 'deadly scoring duo' for Phoenix Suns
