Dillon Brooks might’ve poked the wrong bear.
The Grizzlies are reportedly done with the 27-year-old wing after a rocky season that ended with the team falling to the seventh-seeded Lakers in six games in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.
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Brooks, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, was informed by the Grizzlies that he “will not be brought back under any circumstances,” The Athletic reported on Tuesday.
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MORE COVERAGE ‘No way you lose that … EVER’: ‘Pathetic’ Celtics roasted as NBA contenders suffer injury blow The ‘epic’ clash of titans set to trigger ’tough’ shake-up that would change landscape of NBA ‘Basketball god’: Steph makes NBA history in 50-point explosion as epic LeBron test awaits On Sunday, Grizzlies executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman told reporters that the franchise will be “very aggressive” in the offseason, and that the team dealt with “self-created distractions” during the postseason. After the Grizzlies won Game 2 to tie the series against the Lakers, Brooks called James “old.” “I poke bears,” Brooks said. “I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40, so I pride myself on what I do on defence and taking on any challenge that’s on the board.” Brooks was ejected from Game 3 after hitting James in the groin early in the third quarter with the Lakers holding a large lead. Before that game, James confronted Brooks on the court in full view of the public. Brooks was in the final year of a three-year, $35 million contract. The Grizzlies made multiple contract extension offers to Brooks early in the season that he rejected, the Athletic reported. During the playoffs, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said his team was lacking in “maturity.” Late in the regular season, Memphis star Ja Morant was away from the team after flashing a gun at a strip club in an Instagram Live video. Morant also faced allegations that he punched a teenager after a pick-up basketball game at his house last year. The Athletic reported in March that veteran Steven Adams held a players-only meeting before Morant’s video, telling players they needed to be more disciplined during road trips. This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
