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 Tuesday, citing league sources.
Grizzlies officials told Brooks of the decision in exit meetings following their first-round NBA playoff defeat, with the two parties deciding “it’s best for both sides to have a fresh start,” per Charania.
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 then was ejected from Game 3 after hitting James in the groin area and later was fined $25,000 after choosing not to speak to the media following 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 percent overall and 23.8 percent from 3-point range.
The 27-year-old has a history with the Warriors, too -- he was ejected from Game 2 of last season's Western Conference semifinals after a Flagrant 2 foul on Gary Payton II, which broke Payton's elbow and was described by coach Steve Kerr as breaking "the code."
This season, Brooks and Draymond Green engaged in many a back-and-forth, and Klay Thompson chimed in with quite the prediction.
Golden State Warriors
"When he retires, I don't think anyone will ever talk about Dillon Brooks again," Thompson said after a March loss to the Grizzlies. "I promise you. It's sweet right now, but wait 10 years."
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 contract extension with Memphis in February 2020 that makes him an unrestricted free agent this summer.
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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.