NBA Rumors: Memphis Grizzlies ready to move on from Dillon Brooks?
NBA Rumors: The Memphis Grizzlies may be ready to move on from Dillon Brooks this offseason.
The Memphis Grizzlies have their hands full in their first-round NBA playoffs series against the Los Angeles Lakers but there are some big questions that await them in the offseason. And short of winning the NBA Championship, there is one big question that won’t be easy to answer for the Grizzlies.
That question revolves around the future of Dillon Brooks, the team’s do-it-all glue guy that has suddenly become one of the biggest villains in the NBA. Coming off a season in which he averaged 14 points on 40 percent shooting from the field this season, deciding whether to pay him the big-money contract that he’s likely going to command on the open market won’t be easy.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Grizzlies may be ready to finally pull the Brooks bandaid off this offseason. Brooks is an expiring contract after the season and is widely expected to command a healthy-sized free-agent contract. The question is, will it come from the Grizzlies or another team?
What is Dillon Brooks worth on the open market?
Heading into free agency, the Grizzlies will be rolling the dice on Brooks. He’s not a restricted free agent and he’ll be free to sign with whichever team he wants, without having to give the Grizzlies an opportunity to match. While this report may in fact be accurate and perhaps the Grizzlies are prepared to let Brooks walk, I’m not sure they’re 100 percent ready to do so. If that was the case, they probably would’ve traded him at the NBA Trade Deadline.
They didn’t which leaves you to believe that they at least want to see what his potential market looks like this offseason. And if it does end up being too rich, they can let him walk. I just have a hard time believing they’re going to push him out the door.
Maybe I’m wrong and that is what ends up happening this offseason. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see what this team does in response. For as polarizing of a player as Brooks is and has been for the Grizzlies, he also has been an important one.
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If Brooks does move on from the Grizzlies, they will certainly have to figure out a way to replace him. And it will be interesting to see how they attempt to do that.