Grizzlies tell Dillon Brooks he is done after miserable playoff exit

The Memphis Grizzlies have left a star player unemployed in truly savage fashion after their disastrous playoffs capitulation.

Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant are on holidays. Photo by RONALD MARTINEZ / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP.

Dillon Brooks might’ve poked the wrong bear.

The Grizzlies are reportedly done with the 27-year-old wing after a rocky season that ended with the team falling to the seventh-seeded Lakers in six games in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, The New York Post reports.

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Brooks, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, was informed by the Grizzlies that he “will not be brought back under any circumstances,” The Athletic reported.

Memphis informed Brooks of the news within the last few days, as it was discussed in exit meetings that it’s best for the two parties to part ways, per the report.

Brooks’ first-round series against the Lakers was reportedly considered to be a breaking point, with a number of incidents playing a factor in the Grizzlies’ decision — including the guard’s comments about Lakers star LeBron James.

During the series, Brooks called the NBA’s all-time leading scorer “old” and “tired,” and suggested he isn’t as good as he previously was.

Dillon Brooks is now unemployed. Photo by RONALD MARTINEZ / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP.

Brooks also chose not to speak to the media after three of the losses in the series, resulting in a $25,000 fine by the NBA.

Brooks, who was selected by the Rockets in the second-round (45th overall) out of Oregon in the 2017 NBA Draft, has spent his entire six-year career with the Grizzlies.

He was Memphis’ longest-tenured player.

On Monday, Grizzlies executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman told reporters that the franchise will be “very aggressive” in the off-season, and that the team dealt with “self-created distractions” during the postseason.

After the Grizzlies won Game 2 to tie the series against the Lakers, Brooks called James “old.”

“I poke bears,” Brooks said. “I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40, so I pride myself on what I do on defence and taking on any challenge that’s on the board.”

Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images.

Brooks was ejected from Game 3 after hitting James in the groin early in the third quarter with the Lakers holding a large lead.

Before that game, James confronted Brooks on the court in full view of the public.

Brooks was in the final year of a three-year, $35 million contract.

The Grizzlies made multiple contract extension offers to Brooks early in the season that he rejected, the Athletic reported.

During the playoffs, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said his team was lacking in “maturity.”

Late in the regular season, Memphis star Ja Morant was away from the team after flashing a gun at a strip club in an Instagram Live video.

Morant also faced allegations that he punched a teenager after a pick-up basketball game at his house last year.

The Athletic reported in March that veteran Steven Adams held a players-only meeting before Morant’s video, telling players they needed to be more disciplined during road trips.

— This story originally appeared on nypost.com and has been republished with permission