The Memphis Grizzlies emphatically separated themselves from Dillon Brooks following the team’s first-round playoff disappointment against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Depending on who you talk to, the real reason for the messy split varies.
Whatever the root cause, though – the end result remains the same.
Brooks’ time in Memphis is done.
Where will the polarizing star go from here? According to NBA insider Chris Mannix, the Miami Heat are a team to watch.
“Every time you see kind of Duncan Robinson running around there defensively or Tyler Herro before him, you know they could use a defensive-minded wing,” Mannix said on The Bill Simmons podcast this week.
“And I could see him finding his way down there and the Heat being aggressive and trying to get a guy at a relatively bargain basement price. That, to me, that feels like a frontrunner right now.”
It will be interesting to see if Miami ends up being a real player for Brooks over the offseason.
According to ESPN NBA insider Ramona Shelburne, Brooks is looking for something in the $25 million per year range.
The Heat would not be able to afford him for that.
Between Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro, Miami is already on the hook for doling out more than $134 million 2023-24.
That said, if Brooks alters his expectations to something more reasonable, he could prove to be an excellent fit with the Heat.
Obviously Brooks has become something of a villain, what with him not being unable to walk down the street without getting harassed, but as a three-and-d ballplayer he is pretty solid.
The Knicks continue to impress in this year’s playoffs. https://t.co/wIR1v2H730
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 5, 2023
There is no way he will be out of the NBA come next season, despite what social media would have you believe.
Is a looming union between Brooks and the Heat in the stars? Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
