The NBA announced on June 30 that the Phoenix Suns will compete in West Group A of the 2026 Emirates Cup. Their group mates are the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. At the same time, Dillon Brooks is set to rejoin the Canadian national team for a FIBA World Cup Americas qualifier against Puerto Rico on July 3 in Hamilton, Ontario.
Phoenix closed the 2025-26 regular season at 45-37, earning the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Brooks averaged 20.2 points per game last season, ranking second on the team behind Devin Booker, and he surged to 26.1 points per game in the playoffs, becoming the Suns’ leading scorer in that stretch. The franchise’s most lopsided defeat came on Dec. 10, 2025, when Oklahoma City routed Phoenix by 49 points in the NBA Cup quarterfinals , the widest margin in Suns history.
Brooks carries the reputation of a "villain" on the court, a label that fuels his competitive edge against elite wing players. His ability to create his own shot eases the load on Booker, while his physicality on defense gives the Suns a tool to contain the Nuggets’ interior threats, the Rockets’ pace-driven guards, the Jazz’s disciplined ball movement and the Mavericks’ transition attack.
The group draw arrives on the heels of a four-game sweep by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2026 first-round playoffs, a series that underscored Phoenix’s need for additional scoring depth and defensive versatility. The Kevin Durant trade that delivered Brooks in June 2025 signaled a willingness to sacrifice future assets for immediate impact. The Emirates Cup schedule features knockout rounds on Dec. 4-5 (quarterfinals) and Dec. 8-9 (semifinals), with the championship at Butler University’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 11. All knockout games will be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Canada’s 97-81 victory over Jamaica in the World Cup qualifiers on March 1 highlights the caliber of talent Brooks returns to the Suns with. The Suns must navigate a diverse group stage to secure a favorable seed for the December knockout phase, where higher-seeded teams host the quarterfinals and semifinals. A strong showing could earn Phoenix a home-court advantage that eases the path to the championship.
If Phoenix can translate Brooks’ playoff scoring surge into consistent regular-season production while maintaining the defensive intensity that defined their late-season push, the Emirates Cup could become a springboard rather than a distraction. The group’s composition forces the Suns to confront a spectrum of styles, and how they adapt will likely dictate whether they remain a mid-Western contender or break through to a deeper playoff run.
Phoenix Suns