Under any circumstances, the Grizzlies made it clear that they would not be bringing Dillon Brooks back. You’ll realize why once you hear his demands regarding free agency.
If the Memphis Grizzlies required more justification for their position, which states that Dillon Brooks will not be brought back “under any circumstances,” their first-round matchup with the Lakers provided more than enough. He provoked LeBron James, was flagrantly fouled for striking him below the belt, was fined $25,000 for not speaking to the media after three defeats, and all of this while shooting just 31.2 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc.
All of that happened after a regular season filled with ineffectiveness and similar shenanigans. 18 technical fouls, the most in the league, and two suspensions. endless beef and fodder for opponents’ whiteboards.
To put that in context, that yearly salary is roughly what Jalen Brunson, Andrew Wiggins and DeMar DeRozan make on their current deals.
The second detail is that Brooks wants a much bigger role than the Grizzlies can offer him.
The idea of Brooks being much more successful in a larger offensive role is, honestly, laughable. Especially considering how completely ineffective he was in his current role. Of the 111 players who were on the court for at least 750 minutes last season with a usage rate above 21.0, he ranked 108th in effective field goal percentage. I mean, he was less efficient as a scorer than Russell Westbrook, a hobbled Victor Oladipo or a massively regressed second-year Jalen Green.
