MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dillon Brooks is reportedly on the outs with the Memphis Grizzlies following a tumultuous first-round series that saw him get ejected, clash with the legendary LeBron James, and shoot just 31 percent from the field.
A report Tuesday morning from The Athletic indicated that Grizzlies leadership let Brooks know at his end-of-season exit interview that they would not be re-signing him heading into unrestricted free agency this summer. The report said Memphis is looking for a “fresh start.”
Locked On Grizzlies hosts Joe Mullinax and DaMichael Cole discussed Brooks’ future with the team in a Tuesday edition of the Locked On Grizzlies podcast, as well as why it would make sense for the Grizzlies to move on from their veteran wing defender.
“The trash talk and all that stuff was fun, but there was a time,” Cole said. “Now as they get to the next level, gone are the days that 50 wins is an achievement. … Now it’s about getting to that next level, and this is part of it. There is some change that has to happen.”
Brooks will hit unrestricted free agency after six successful seasons in Memphis after the franchise drafted him in the second round in 2017.
The Grizzlies have several young wing options behind Brooks on the roster, including first-round picks Ziaire Williams, David Roddy and Jake LaRavia.
“There is a need somewhere in the NBA for what Dillon Brooks provides,” Mullinax said. “This is a second-round draft pick who has made himself through tenacity, the way he defends, his mentality.”
Wing defense is a premium skill in the NBA, and with more teams expected to have cap space across the league this summer than did in 2022, there will likely be a market for Brooks.