“When You Traded Brooks”: Paul Pierce and Danny Green Outline the Demise of Grizzlies’ Camaraderie

It has been a tragic fall from grace for the Memphis Grizzlies. Once the darlings of the NBA, the Grizzlies are on the precipice of potentially losing the face of their franchise, Ja Morant.

The Grizzlies entered the 2025-26 season with postseason aspirations. Although they traded away one of their core pieces in Desmond Bane, that didn’t change the goals of the organization. With the talent of Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. at their core, they believed it was still possible to compete in the West.

That plan hasn’t gone as they would’ve hoped, as they currently hold the 10th seed. To make matters worse, there seems to be friction among teammates.

Before the Grizzlies’ matchup against the Orlando Magic in Berlin, Germany, footage was released of Morant and Vince Williams Jr. getting into a heated exchange. Nothing like this would’ve taken place three years ago.

Ja Morant gets into a heated argument with his teammate Vince Williams Jr.

(via @songulsoysall, h/t @ClutchPoints)pic.twitter.com/BoTMdaiHs8

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 14, 2026

Pierce has evaluated the situation in Memphis for quite some time. He believes to know the real reason the chemistry within the team has crumbled.

“I think their culture started to have chinks in the armor when you traded [Dillon] Brooks,” Pierce said on the No Fouls Given podcast. “I felt like he brought the culture there.”

It’s ironic considering the Grizzlies essentially cast Brooks aside following their disappointing elimination in the 2023 postseason. However, the impact Brooks had on the team was larger than the Grizzlies must have taken into consideration.

Brooks has been with the Houston Rockets and now the Phoenix Suns following his tenure with the Grizzlies. Unsurprisingly, he has been a culture shifter in both environments.

Green shares the same sentiment as Pierce but believes the final nail in the coffin came in the form of a couple of moves following Brooks’ departure.

“I think the last straw was Taylor Griffin and [Desmond Bane] going. Once Taylor got fired and Dez was gone, [Morant is] like, ‘Alright, my time is up. I really hope something happens,'” Green proclaimed.

This is not how the Grizzlies envisioned the state of the team after the 2022-23 season. But that’s just how fast the NBA can change. The writing on the wall is that Morant will be the next member of the Grizzlies to find a new home. Hopefully, this ushers a better future for both parties.