After their first round defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dillon Brooks and the Memphis Grizzlies continue to make headlines. Brooks’ antics were a consistent talking point down the stretch of the season and were only amplified in the playoffs after he made the curious choice to poke LeBron James in the media. Furthermore, Brooks was ejected from Game 3 after hitting James in the groin area during a Grizzlies loss.
This summer, Brooks will enter unrestricted free agency hoping for a big pay day, but the Grizzlies have apparently decided they will not be retaining him under any circumstances. A wing defender of Brooks’ caliber would typically have many suitors in free agency, but Shaquille O’Neal went on “The Big Podcast” to explain why he thinks Brooks’ time in the NBA may be coming to a close.
"He didn’t play well enough to be acting like that… Who’s gonna sign him?” @SHAQ talks Dillon Brooks on #TheBigPodcast: https://t.co/uzGI6OY5zd pic.twitter.com/5RT2lEwIXa
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 2, 2023
Despite shooting 13.6 times a game, Brooks only posted a 49.4 true shooting percentage in the postseason, which would be second worst among all players with 10 field goal attempts per game this season. If Brooks could find a way to fit within the structure of an offense, he would be a great fit on a number of teams. But during his exit interview, Brooks stated he wanted to be more than a three-and-D guy. It will be interesting to see if another NBA team sees Brooks the way he sees himself.
