Report: Grizzlies won’t bring Dillon Brooks back ‘under any circumstances’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Dillon Brooks quickly went from poking bears to leaving the Memphis Grizzlies.
The team informed Brooks that it will not bring him back “under any circumstances,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday.
Grizzlies officials told Brooks of the decision in exit meetings following their first-round playoff defeat with the two parties deciding “it’s best for both sides to have a fresh start,” Charania reported.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Brooks’ time in Memphis took a turn for the worse after he called Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James “old” following the Grizzlies’ Game 2 victory on April 19. He was then ejected from Game 3 after hitting James in the groin area and was later fined $25,000 after choosing not to speak to the media after the Grizzlies’ final three losses in the series.
Across the six games, Brooks averaged 10.5 points on nearly 13 shots per game while shooting 31.2% overall and 23.8% from 3-point range.
Brooks has been with the Grizzlies since the team selected him in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. He signed a three-year, $35 million extension with Memphis in February 2020 that makes him an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Grizzlies made extension offers to Brooks early in the season, but talks stopped after those offers were rejected, Charania reported.
Brooks is the only unrestricted free agent for the Grizzlies heading into the offseason. The only other player who could hit the market is Xavier Tillman, but the Grizzlies have a 2023-24 club option for him worth just under $2 million with a June 27 deadline.
