NBA rumors: Before he put pen to paper on a massive $80 million contract with the Houston Rockets, Dillon Brooks was a wanted man in free agency. The Milwaukee Bucks were rumored to be one of the 27-year-old’s suitors, but obviously, nothing came to fruition on that end.
One team that did not want Brooks, however, was the Memphis Grizzlies. As it turns out, they had one very compelling reason as to why they decided not to extend his deal.
NBA Rumors: Primary Reason Behind Dillon Brooks’ Grizzlies Exit Was His Shot Selection
In the end, the Grizzlies were probably unable to match Houston’s mind-numbing offer. However, money was not the biggest issue for Memphis. According to ESPN’s NBA insider Tim MacMahon, the Grizzlies were already more than willing to part ways with the 6-foot-7 forward:
“I think the reasons the Grizzlies were ready to move on from him are misunderstood,” said MacMahon on The Lowe Post (h/t RealGM). “The nonsense was kind of like at a point where culturally it was time. That was not the primary reason. The primary reason the Grizzlies were trying to replace Dillon Brooks for a full two years, repeatedly going after players that would have replaced him in the trade market, and he probably would have been sent out, was because of the shot selection issue. Dillon did not want to be a fourth or fifth offensive weapon.”
Well, Brooks will definitely get his chance now that he’s with the Rockets. He won’t be the first option on offense, but at least he’s going to be higher in the pecking order than he was alongside Ja Morant and Co.
MacMahon also noted that new Rockets head coach Ime Udoka also played a significant role in recruiting Brooks to Houston:
“Ime Udoka wanted him,” added MacMahon. “He valued him. He’s in Houston a large part because of that. It’s on Ime Udoka to deal with that stuff and get the best version of Dillon Brooks that also creates the best possible scenarios for these young guys to grow.”
Needless to say, the Houston Rockets have a very interesting season ahead.
NBA Rumors: Bucks Picked Their Battles Well
Now that we know how much money Dillon Brooks demanded in NBA free agency, it would be safe to say that the Milwaukee Bucks were never really in the race. They may have done their due diligence, but ultimately, they just wouldn’t be able to come anywhere near what the Rockets paid Brooks.
The Bucks picked their battles well, though. It would have been nice to bring in a guy like Dillon Brooks to the team, but there’s no denying that they made the right call in prioritizing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. Combined, the pair commanded $150 million in salaries over the course of the next few years. That’s a whole lot of money, and obviously, a significant chunk of Milwaukee’s salary cap. All in all, though, the majority of Bucks fans would probably agree that they would much rather keep either of these two as opposed to adding Dillon Brooks.
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