Much has been said about Dillon Brooks. The Memphis Grizzlies forward put himself in the spotlight during the team's first-round matchup against the Lakers. Primarily, Brooks angled himself as beefing with LeBron James. However, Brooks struggled to back up his words on the court. The Grizzlies would be eliminated in six games by the Lakers. Brooks averaged 10.5 points per game versus the Lakers, even while being frequently left open on the perimeter. His three-point shooting sat at a dismal 23.8%, going 10-for-42 from behind the arc.
Brooks' trash-talking and other off-court behaviors appear to have cost him his future in Memphis. Reports suggest that Brooks, who has played for the Grizzlies since a draft day trade in 2017, will be allowed to explore free agency. During the playoffs, Brooks also told the media that he felt that they had turned him into a "villain". Now his representatives are taking that one step further.
Brooks' Agent Says Shams Charaina Is Spreading "Fake News"
Shams Charaina is a very well-respected basketball reporter who has been with The Athletic since 2018. However, he appears to have drawn the ire of several people for initially breaking the story that the Grizzlies were allowing Brooks to walk in the offseason. Specifically, people point at Charaina as "scapegoating" Brooks for the Grizzlies' first-round exit. Notably, Brooks' comments during the Lakers series do appear to have impacted his future with the team. "We're going to take a different approach as it pertains to [trash talk] next season," Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said Sunday during the team's exit interviews. "You'll see a different approach from this team, but at the same time, confidence is important. … There's a line there, certainly."
This sentiment was echoed by Brooks' agent, Mike George. George spent most of May 3 retweeting media clips of people criticizing the Grizzlies for their decision. As former NBA pro, and well-known beef haver, JJ Reddick sounded off on First Take, George added his thoughts to Reddicks' defense of his client. "@ShamsCharania the leader of spreading false news and attacking players. Why any player in the league talks to this guy blows my mind. #weirdo". George is obviously going to defend his client, who will likely find a landing spot in the NBA next season. However, while there is a valid argument for a negative media narrative around Brooks, he still said the things he said while playing poorly in crucial games.
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