Author: Monojit Mandal
NBA reporter Marc Stein suggests that Brooks’ time with the Grizzlies may be coming to an end this offseason. Teams across the league seem to share the sentiment that the Grizzlies aren’t too interested in renewing Brooks as he becomes a free agent.
Brooks was with the Grizzlies for six seasons, becoming a viable scoring option as a reserve. He had a career average of 18.4 points per game in 2021-22, but his effectiveness declined the following season. He averaged 14.3 points per game and hit 39.6% of his shots, down from 43.2% last season. He continued to help defensively, but the Grizzlies want more effective pitchers to take advantage of the space offered by Ja Morant’s tireless drives.
During a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooks became somewhat infamous for taunting LeBron James during the playoffs. Regardless of his reputation as an agitator on the court, his post-game comments, which showed disrespect for James, received more attention. Brooks committed a flagrant-2 foul on James and was ejected from the game, resulting in the Grizzlies losing the series in six games. For not participating in the team’s post-match media accessibility, he was also penalized $25,000.
When asked about Brooks, general manager Kleiman didn’t seem interested in having him back. He mentioned that there were distractions during the playoffs and that the team would adopt a different approach next season. Kleiman avoided answering questions about Brooks and suggested discussing Dillon at another time, possibly implying that Brooks now needs to find a new team during the offseason.
We still have to see which teams are interested in signing Brooks, but several other suitors could be out there. He’s still a young and talented player who has proven to be his best when it comes to goals and defending, despite the difficulties he had last season. He may be seen by some teams as a player who could benefit from a change of environment and a fresh start.