LeBron James antagonist Dillon Brooks could be let go by the Grizzlies this summer, ESPN says

Grizzlies bad boy Dillon Brooks avoided suspension for hitting LeBron James’ groin in Game 3 of their first round, but his on-field antics could cost him his job in Memphis this summer.

“I don’t know if Dillon Brooks will be on this team after this series” said ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Briand Windhorst’s podcast. “We’ll see if the Grizzlies can come back and win.”

The second-seeded Grizzlies trail the Lakers 2-1 heading into Monday’s Game 4 in Los Angeles. Brooks, who recently called James “old,” will be a free agent this season, so unless Memphis finds a way to come back, he could be with the team in his final days.

“I’m not sure if he’s in this team this summer, but the problem is if he’s not, who’s guarding the best players? All the stars from the other teams?’ MacMahon asked about Brooks, who is considered one of the better perimeter defenders in basketball.

There are several things that work against Brooks, including his frequent run-ins with league officials and his lackluster shootings. The Canadian-born 27-year-old made just 32.6 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, allowing opposing defensemen to ignore him beyond the arc while focusing on Brooks’ high-scoring teammates such as Ja Morant.

Brooks recently called James “old” during a post-game interview with reporters last week

And according to MacMahon, Brooks’ tenure at Memphis nearly came to an end in February as the team actively attempted to trade him before the deadline.

“They tried to upgrade on the trade deadline,” MacMahon said. “They threw four picks at the Nets to get Mikal Bridges. They really weren’t able to get the Raptors into serious talks, but they would have given up a few choices to get OG Anuoby. They’ve already tried to get away from Dillon Brooks.

While the Grizzlies failed to acquire Bridges, they could potentially trade for another lanky perimeter defender from Brooklyn: Dorian Finney-Smith.

“If they let Dillon Brooks in [go]”They definitely need to get a really, really, really good defensive winger,” MacMahon said. “They can let him go for free, they just have to figure out how to replace him. Trust me, they’ve thought it through.’

Brooks recently told reporters that he believes his image as an NBA villain contributed to the decision to remove him from Game 3.

Ron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks to Dillon Brooks #24 of the Memphis Grizzlies

Brooks said Sunday that his flagrant foul #2 was an accident, and he believes his reputation in the media and with the basketball public were factors that contributed to his being ejected from the third quarter of Memphis’ 111-101 loss on Saturday night.

“The media makes me a bad guy, the fans make me a bad guy and that just creates a whole different persona for me,” Brooks told reporters after the Grizzlies’ shooting at USC’s Galen Center.

Brooks hit James just 17 seconds into the second half and he was ejected after a brief video review. Brooks’ teammates tried to argue after the game that Brooks’ blatant foul had been unintentional.

James averages 23ppg in this series while mainly defended by Brooks (left)

Brooks was ejected from a game for the third time this season, much to the delight of the Lakers home crowd who had booed his every move since the pre-game warm-ups. He was not suspended for the act.

He led the NBA in 18 technical fouls this season, earning a pair of one-game suspensions in the process. Last week, he described his own playing philosophy as, “I poke bears,” and made headlines across the league by disparagingly calling James “old,” even though 27-year-old Brooks is the oldest active player on his own roster.

Brooks and James have verbally pushed for the past two games of the series, but James hasn’t said anything about Brooks publicly.

Brooks was also thrown out for punching Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell in the groin in February. He was even thrown out of a playoff game last season for a flagrant foul on Golden State’s Gary Payton II, earning him another suspension.

Still, Brooks apparently believes he’s been miscast as a villain for the past two years, and plans to prove his opponents wrong by improving as a player. He’s struggled against the Lakers, going 3-for-13 with little defensive impact at the time he was ejected from Game 3.

“I don’t care,” Brooks said. “I’ll keep playing my game and get better and better every day as long as my career lasts.”

James works to gain position while being defended by Brooks in Game 3 of their series