Memphis Grizzlies reportedly looking to trade up in NBA draft
The Memphis Grizzlies currently have the 25th pick in the 2023 NBA draft. According to ESPN, Memphis looks to bolster its roster and is "aggressively looking for opportunities to trade up into the late lottery to the middle first-round portion."
Despite being the overall number two seed in the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Memphis Grizzlies lost to the seven-seed LA Lakers.
A major highlight from this series was the chatter surrounding Dillon Brooks. Brooks trash-talked LeBron James on several occasions to try and ignite the Grizzlies but failed to deliver any major punches himself.
Brooks shot 31.2% against the Lakers and was on the receiving end of a LeBron James game-winning layup. The Grizzlies are reportedly not looking to bring Brooks back for next season leaving their small forward position open.
The Memphis Grizzlies have informed pending free agent Dillon Brooks that he will not be brought back under any circumstances, league sources say.
Full story and details at @TheAthletic: theathletic.com/4481287/2023/0…
The Memphis Grizzlies will also potentially be missing their star point guard Ja Morant for some portion of the season. It is still unclear as to how long Morant will be suspended. While there have been rumors, there is no official news on this yet.
With two of their five starts out of the lineup, the Grizzlies will reportedly make an effort to climb higher in the upcoming draft. They will possibly look to add some scoring with the probable absence of Ja Morant.
Dillon Brooks' one-sided beef with LeBron James intensified during Memphis Grizzlies vs LA Lakers
The beef between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks flared up in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs between the LA Lakers (7 seed) and the Memphis Grizzlies (2 seed).
Before the game one even tipped off, Brooks had some words for LeBron James:
"I wouldn't mind playing LeBron in a seven-game series. The legacy is there. First time back in the playoffs, knock him out right away. They'll test us good. They got good pieces, good players. That'll be a good first-round matchup for us."
Brooks' attempt in his trash-talk was to help the Grizzlies take on a villain role and get ignited to win the series.
While the Lakers came out and won Game 1, the Grizzlies were quick to even the series in Game 2 at 1-1. This is when the beef really took off. After Game 2 of the 2023 NBA playoffs Round 1, Brooks had this to say:
"I don't care -- he's old. You know what I mean?... I poke bears."
Dillon Brooks going at Bron 👀 https://t.co/NkV8RszyFh
Despite these efforts by Brooks to get inside LeBron James' head, James seemed unphased. For James, this is not something new. He has faced trash-talkers of all kinds over his long and storied NBA career.
Dillon Brooks' final trash-talk attempt at LeBron James was when Brooks said:
"I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40."
While LeBron didn't drop 40 on Brooks, he did win the series 4-2 and put an end to Brooks' trash talk. LeBron did get the last laugh, as the Lakers beat the Grizzlies by 40 points. One way or another, Brooks got the 40 that he was so desperately looking for.