Yesterday, the Houston Rockets made the announcement t hat they had signed Dillon Brooks, the outwardly outspoken 27-year-old star, to join their quest. With a sign-and-trade with Memphis, which also included Oklahoma City, the L.A. Clippers, and, Atlanta, Brooks was acquired.
In the framework of the agreement, the Rockets received two prospective second-round choices from Los Angeles as well as the rights to the French-Guinean skilled basketball player Alpha Kaba from the Hawks. Dillon was also selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last year.
Ja Morant’s reaction to Dillon Brooks exit
The Memphis Grizzlies made the signing and trading of Dillon Brooks official on Saturday, and on Sunday, the franchise formally said goodbye to the seasoned forward. Even though neither party expected the situation to conclude the way it did, Brooks and the Grizzlies remain very close. The Grizzlies organization might have been prepared to let the candid athlete go, but his teammates still care deeply about and support him. Ja Morant responded to the news of Dillon’s formal departure by tweeting the Grizzlies’ parting message for him:
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) July 9, 2023
Brooks spent his entire career with the Grizzlies and had many memorable experiences there, including his final season when he was named All-Defensive. Interestingly, Brooks (6-7, 225) was selected by Houston as the 45th overall choice in the 2017 NBA Draft before Memphis regained his rights. In 345 games, 318 of which he started, ‘Dillon The Villain’ played for the Grizzlies over the course of six seasons, averaging 14.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.94 steals in 28.7 minutes per contest.
He was tied for fourth in defensive rating among players who averaged at least 30.0 minutes and participated in 30 or more games. Dillon Brooks was sixth among players with at least 30 games of experience and at least 12.0 shots defended per game.
When will Ja Morant return from suspension?
Ja Morant, a two-time NBA All-Star, plans to have a strong start for the Memphis Grizzlies this season after serving a suspension to begin. The 23-year-old Morant will be absent for a minimum of the first 25 games of the NBA season of 2023–24 after receiving a suspension for behavior that was “detrimental to the league.” The Grizzlies guard was spotted posing with what seemed to be a gun on social media.
It had happened twice in the previous two months when Morant had acted inappropriately during a live video. The 2020 Rookie of the Year was suspended for eight games following the initial incident, which happened in a nightclub near Denver. With the most recent punishment meted out to the athlete, that penalty was more than tripled.
This limits Morant to a maximum of 57 professional appearances during Year 5. With 150 or more games played over the past four seasons, Dillon the master of defense was one of only five players to average at least 16.0 points in less than 30.0 minutes per game.
Also, he averaged making 1.9 three-pointers during that time. The Memphis institution, by all means, is ready to get rid of Dillon Brooks, but his buddy Joe Morant’s post shows that he still supports and cares for him a lot.
