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Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal brutally destroyed Memphis Grizzlies small forward Dillon Brooks on May 2.
O’Neal told Nischelle Turner and Spice Adams on “The Big Podcast with Shaq” that Brooks could be out of the NBA after playing terribly against the Lakers in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
“He didn’t play well enough to be acting like that,” O’Neal said. “So now he’s either gonna be out the league or he gonna have to check hisself before he wreck hisself. … Who gonna sign him? He’s not athletic. He ain’t jumpin’ out the gym. And his jumper ain’t like that. … His jumper ain’t like that.”
The Lakers defeated the Grizzlies in the first round of the postseason in six games. Brooks, who called LeBron James “old,” struggled mightily in the series, averaging just 10.5 points while shooting only 31.2% from the field and 23.8% from beyond the arc. The swingman was ejected in Game 3 after hitting James in the groin and got fined $25,000 by the NBA for not speaking to the media following Games 3 and 4.
Brooks, who has career averages of 14.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists, becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. The 27-year-old has played his last game with the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies Will Not Re-Sign Dillon Brooks
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Grizzlies will not re-sign Brooks this summer once free agency starts. The Ontario native was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 45th overall pick in the 2017 draft and traded to the Grizzlies on draft night.
“The Memphis Grizzlies have informed pending unrestricted free agent Dillon Brooks that he will not be brought back under any circumstances, league sources tell The Athletic,” Charania reported on May 2. “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.”
Brooks is represented by Mike George of One Legacy Sports Management.
Dillon Brooks to the Lakers?
Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report wrote on May 2 that Brooks is a player the Lakers could use next season. That would be a wild move since Brooks and James are rivals.
“Admittedly, the Lakers are here in part because it’s the funniest possible outcome. Brooks coming hat in hand to James’ doorstep for a job would put him on a long list of foes-turned-friends, joining Lance Stephenson and Stanley Johnson, among others. But it’s also a potentially strong basketball fit,” Conway wrote. “James is, as Brooks put it, old. He’ll turn 39 in December and be playing in his 21st NBA season. The guy limping through these playoffs is not the one who averaged nearly 34 points per game in January. King James may have the longest prime of any player in NBA history, but he’s still Father Time’s son—the dip in play will only continue. Brooks is a strong defender who can help out on the perimeter, combining with Rui Hachimura (presuming he’s re-signed) and Jarred Vanderbilt to lessen the load for James on that end of the floor.”
Conway thinks James, arguably the greatest player in NBA history, could help Brooks become a player better.
“On the offensive end, James can open up the floor for Brooks in ways not even Ja Morant could,” Conway wrote. “Brooks wouldn’t be the first or last player to have his best shooting season playing with one of the greatest passers and gravitational forces basketball has ever seen. The Lakers’ cap situation is also significantly cleaner than Golden State’s, making it almost certain they’ll be able to offer at least the taxpayer mid-level exception—if not the full mid-level. If Brooks is willing to set his pride aside—both on a personal level and in terms of his role—he could be a good fit.”
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