The Memphis Grizzlies had an excellent 2022-23 NBA regular season. They earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and were oozing with confidence heading into the postseason. However, it turned out to be overconfidence and too much bravado as they were handled with relative ease by the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis handled business against Memphis, seemingly fueled by the consistent trash-talking coming from the Grizzlies. Leading that charge was none other than Dillon Brooks, who has garnered quite an ugly reputation around the league.
While he believes the villain tag that has been bestowed on him is a media creation, he has brought a lot of that attention upon himself. He provided the Lakers with endless bulletin board material constantly poking at James and it ultimately caught up to him.
Now heading into free agency, it will be interesting to see what kind of market that Brooks has. He is a top-shelve defender on the wing, but an erratic offensive player. His reputation precedes him, which will likely take some teams out of the running as well.
One team you can count on him not signing with is the Grizzlies. According to Marc Stein on his Substack, he has heard there is growing doubt that Brooks will re-sign in Memphis.
“Memphis made unsuccessful runs at the trade deadline to acquire Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges or Toronto’s OG Anunoby and will presumably try again to trade for a top-shelf wing player after such a disappointing ending. There is also a growing doubt league-wide about the Grizzlies’ appetite to re-sign Brooks as he heads to free agency.”
That growing doubt has turned into a reality. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Grizzlies have informed Brooks that they will not be bringing him back under any circumstances this offseason.
It is easy to see why the Grizzlies would believe a change and fresh start is best. Brooks embodied the quote “Don’t write checks with your mouth your ass can’t cash” with his performance in the first round against the Lakers.
He was always the first to say something to the media, but when it came to performing on the court, he came up woefully short. Los Angeles would routinely leave him open, daring him to shoot as they sent all of their attention to Ja Morant and Desmond Bane.
It was a winning strategy as Brooks shot 31.2 percent from the field and 23.8 percent on 3-point attempts. If the Grizzlies can find a bonafide two-way wing upgrade this offseason, they will be even more dangerous next season.
