Dillon Brooks‘ time as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies is reportedly going to come to an end. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Brooks and the Grizzlies discussed the unrestricted free agent’s future in an exit meeting following their opening round loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, where Brooks was informed that “he will not be brought back under any circumstances.”
The news comes one day after Marc Stein reported that the belief around the league was that the Grizzlies weren’t interested in bringing Brooks back. Per Charania, the conversations the two sides had during their meeting revolved around the need for something new.
After his tumultuous end to the season, Brooks was told about the Grizzlies‘ decision to move on in exit meetings with team officials in recent days, those sources said. Memphis and Brooks discussed in exit meetings that it’s best for both sides to have a fresh start, sources added.
A second-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, Brooks was traded on draft night to Houston and has spent his entire professional career as a member of the Grizzlies. While he is considered one of the peskiest defenders in the NBA, Brooks has been a mercurial player on offense, gaining a reputation for being an inefficient chucker. This season, Brooks averaged 14.3 points per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field.
He’s garnered plenty of attention over the years for the way he’s carried himself on and off the court, with Draymond Green saying earlier this season that Memphis won’t be able to win anything until he’s no longer a member of the team. He was under an especially bright spotlight during the series against the Lakers, as he took it upon himself to challenge LeBron James on and off the court. One particular quote from Brooks in which he said he “pokes bears” led to a post from James on Instagram after the series.