After a first-round exit in the 2023 NBA playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies decided not to bring Dillon Brooks for the next season under any circumstances. This prompted a harsh reaction from Shaquille O’Neal, claiming that the player would be out of the league. In the podcast, ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq,’ he talked about Brooks playing with Dwight Howard in Taiwan. However, the guard has now bagged a 4-year, $80,000,000 deal with the Houston Rockets.
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Dillon Brooks had been portraying the ‘Bad Boy’ role in the league; trash-talking his opponents and playing with an edge on the court. During the playoffs, he stirred the pot with LeBron James by challenging him to score 40 points on him. However, LeBron had the last laugh after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Grizzlies in six games.
Dillon Brooks proves Shaquille O’Neal wrong
The Memphis Grizzlies team was young, had supreme confidence, and had no tutelage. Dillon Brooks, one of the more experienced players, worsened the situation with his antics on and off the court.
Eventually, the organization decided to end the saga. This prompted a strong reaction from O’Neal, who predicted the player would not last in the league. Here is what he said in his podcast:
“He didn’t play well enough to be acting like that. So now he is either going to be out the league or he is going to check himself before he wreck himself. Who is going to sign him? He is not athletic, he ain’t jumping out the gym and his jumper ain’t like that. I have seen a lot of memes that say him and Dwight are going to be dominating in Taiwan.”
Brooks, however, managed to get himself a deal with the Houston Rockets worth 80 million dollars over four years. Unlike Dwight Howard, who found himself playing for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League in Taiwan, Dillon remains to be a part of the NBA.
Meanwhile, Howard has been having the time of his life recruiting NBA players who aren’t performing well to come to Taiwan. He even went as far as to say he doesn’t want the Grizzlies guard.
What does the signing mean for the Houston Rockets?
Houston Rockets have been in rebuild mode since the departure of James Harden. Over the last few years, they have drafted multiple players through the top five picks in the NBA lottery. With the signing of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, this seems to be the year the NBA franchise wants to start competing again.
Dillon Brooks has agreed to a four-year, $80M contract with the Rockets, per @wojespn 🚀 pic.twitter.com/78hgyicV6f
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2023
With players like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, Kevin Porter Jr, and the latest recruit Amen Thompson, they have a talented roster. However, the teams seem to be guard heavy and would need more versatility in the wing position. Kenyon Martin Jr. and Jae’Sean Tate are capable players but may not prove enough to make a deep playoff run.
