NBA Free Agency: Mavs Could Sign Dillon Brooks; Worth Discounted Contract?

The Dallas Mavericks have had their fair share of run-ins with Dillon Brooks when he was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, but they can afford his price point in free agency if they want to go that route.

Dillon Brooks has the ability to be a good NBA player. In fact, he is a good player when his head is in the right place. He’s shown it before with the Memphis Grizzlies, and given that he’s only 27 years old, he can continue to show it for a long time to come if he can control his antics on the court and in the media.

After teasing LeBron James about his age and boldly saying he wanted his Grizzlies to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, Brooks got his wish, and James’ Lakers disposed of the Grizzlies in six games.

Late in the regular season, when the Dallas Mavericks played the Grizzlies three times in a two-week period, Brooks chirped about Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. And when Brooks tried to swap jerseys with Irving after one of those games, Irving let Brooks take his jersey, but he didn’t return the favor.

Kyrie didn’t even take Dillon Brooks jersey 😅 pic.twitter.com/USvpPtIVUq

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 21, 2023

Now, with free agency on the horizon, Brooks is poised to find a new home, and he’s reportedly seeking a contract somewhere in the neighborhood of $12 million per season — which would line up perfectly with the Mavs’ Mid-Level Exception. Brooks would certainly fit the trend of Dallas looking to rebuild its defensive identity, but would he be worth the potential headache?

Brooks is coming off a season where he averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting a career-low 39.6 percent from the field. One could argue that a change of scenery would be good for him, and that the Mavs’ culture could have a positive impact there as well.

But again, at what price point is it worth the gamble? A contract starting at $12 million per year seems reasonable based on what Brooks can bring to the table if fully engaged and not ‘poking bears,’ but it’ll be up to GM Nico Harrison and the rest of the Mavs’ front office to decide where that line is. 

Owner Mark Cuban has had a “one knucklehead per roster” policy for years, so it might come down to whether or not the Mavs think they already have one of those type of players already.

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