Lakers: The Pesky Grizzlies Role Player Who Could Help Los Angeles In Free Agency
Your Los Angeles Lakers will have a variety of big decisions to make in free agency this summer, mostly pertaining to their new additions D'Angelo Russell, Mo Bamba, Rui Hachimura and Malik Beasley.
Today's opponent, the Memphis Grizzlies, will have most of their key contributors rostered for the 2023-24 season, provided it doesn't want to make big changes via trade.
But one name will be an unrestricted free agent, and he's one it would behoove LA to do its due diligence on (should there be money the team's budget for his services): pesky defensive-oriented swingman Dillon Brooks.
The 27-year-old is currently wrapping up the final season of a three-year, $35 million deal with Memphis.
Brooks, of course, most recently came onto the radar of Laker fans when he got into it with LeBron James super-fan/surrogate Shannon Sharpe at the end of the first half of LA's eventual 122-121 win over Memphis last month. Brooks had been doing what he could to defend James, though the 6'7" wing couldn't exactly contain the ageless Lakers All-Star.
Signing Brooks in free agency would only really make sense for LA if he came in at a big discount to be a reserve, or if LA wanted to move on from Malik Beasley. I'm not necessarily sure he's a "better" player than Beasley, but their strengths are quite different (Beasley is one of the most high-volume three-point shooters in the league, while Brooks is an above-average perimeter defender).
Fit-wise, for a Lakers team desperate for shooting around James and Anthony Davis, Beasley remains the cleaner fit. But certainly Brooks could be a fun addition as a defense-first sixth man.
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