After Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium last week reported that the Memphis Grizzlies would not be bringing back Dillon Brooks “under any circumstances,” it led to tons of discussion among the Cleveland Cavaliers fan base, and others around the league.
From a Cleveland standpoint, it wasn’t so off-base for some fans and media to point to Brooks as a possible free agency target for the Cavaliers. The Wine and Gold were bodied, outworked and looked timid at various points in their first round loss in just five games to the New York Knicks. With that in mind, among other things, the discourse surrounding Brooks as a target came to the forefront.
Further, an anonymous NBA GM recently said the following to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, and that may have added more fuel to the fire for some, even with it still being just a hypothetical at this stage.
"“There will be tax teams hoping to get him in on a one-plus-one (one year with a player option for a second) deal—come to us, we have a good culture, help us win, clean up your reputation, and then go back on the market next year. He’ll be in demand.” “He can get $7 million for next year that way. The Heat would be a team like that, they could even start him and they can sell him on the culture there. The Celtics depending on what happens with Grant (Williams), that would be a good spot. Phoenix, they will be looking for role players and Brooks could be a starter there, too. Same with Cleveland, they need a wing.”"
Brooks is a talented and versatile defensive wing, and his toughness and physical style has been part of the reasoning for some Cavaliers fans being sold on the team maybe bringing him in.
To that, though, many seem to be missing the mark on the Brooks-Cavs talk. Yes, he could give them more juice defensively, but he is rumored to be seeking a bigger offensive role than recently with Memphis, and the dude wouldn’t likely provide much of an offensive boost.
With Dillon Brooks as a potential Cavs target, there’s too much uncertainty. It’s tough to forecast if he’d actually make a significant difference, let alone with the possibility for headaches.
He could definitely be a meaningful defensive addition; part of the issue is the offensive questions, and whether or not he’d fill in where the Cavaliers need help.