According to reports, Dillon Brooks spoke with the Los Angeles Lakers during free agency before signing with the Houston Rockets
Dillon Brooks allegedly met with the Los Angeles Lakers during free agency, but NBA writer Mark Medina predicts that they would have only given him a veteran’s minimum contract.
Los Angeles Lakers news – Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks gained notoriety during the NBA playoffs, but more for his insults directed at LeBron James than for his on-court performance. Brooks disappeared for the playoffs after labeling the 19-time All-Star as “old,” and his No. 2 ranked Memphis Grizzles lost to the No. 7 seeded L.A. Lakers in the opening round after six games.
According to recent sources, the Oregon grad spoke with the Lakers during the off-season when he was an unrestricted free agent.
The Grizzlies forward visited with a number of organizations during free agency, including the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers, according to Francisco Rosa of Bleacher Report, but the two parties were unable to establish a “smooth pathway” for him to join with the Purple and Gold.
In addition, if the Lakers had been serious about signing Canadian-born Brooks, Kelly Iko of The Athletic claims that they would have likely had to negotiate a sign-and-trade, just like the Houston Rockets did to secure his services.
He has now signed a four-year, $86 million contract with the Ime Udoka-led Rockets, where he will play alongside another high-profile free agent signing in Fred VanVleet. The Rockets are trying to improve their record after another unsuccessful campaign last year in which they missed the playoffs for the third straight year.
Mark Medina comments on Dillon Brooks’ meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, Medina notes that it’s normal for numerous clubs to visit with free agents to scout them, so it’s possible that they simply met with him and didn’t necessarily give him a contract of any kind. Despite rumors that the Lakers met with Dillon Brooks, Medina feels that their interest was genuine.
The journalist told GIVEMESPORT: “I believe that to be true. The background of that, in my opinion, is the frequent meetings or at least conversations free agents have with teams. That doesn’t always indicate that there will be a deal; sometimes it’s only a preliminary check-in to see whether they might be available at a discount.
“I believe that there was a perception that Dillon Brooks’ market value may have been affected because of his inconsistency during the playoffs, both with his shooting and the ironic way that he was more preoccupied with the trash talk with LeBron James and the Lakers than actually being that dependable defender that he carved himself out to be during the regular season.”
“Now, the Rockets generously extended an offer to him. The Lakers wanted to be very disciplined with their cap space, so I don’t believe they would have chosen that path. They probably wouldn’t have wanted to sign him if there wasn’t a veterans minimum deal.
How did Dillon Brooks fare in the previous campaign?
Even though his numbers decreased previous season, he continued to provide the Memphis Grizzlies with quality minutes, scoring, and wing defense, earning him a spot on the second team of the All-Defensive last year.
According to StatMuse, the 27-year-old averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 30.3 minutes per game. He missed his career average of 34.2% from three-point range and shot a career-low 39.6% from the field. Again falling short of his 113.3 lifetime average, he got a defensive rating of 114.4.
In order to begin molding their youthful core into a viable playoff challenger, the Rockets will be looking to Brooks, who is now a senior player of a talented but young squad, for experience and leadership both on and off the court.
