Dillon Brooks had a terrible postseason and saw his reputation take a hit. But he certainly hasn't lowered his expectations for his next contract.
According to Marc Stein, Dillion Brooks' contract goals haven't wavered despite his postseason struggles — the role player wants the full mid-level exception from a team this offseason. More than a few fans may balk at the idea of paying Brooks more than $12 million per year considering his shooting struggles and the problems his behavior caused last season.
Despite all the controversy that Brooks caused the last couple of months, he is still a very solid defender in this league who does well in an offense when he isn't overdoing it with his shot selection.
The full mid-level exception is usually reserved for a player who will be a no-question good player on the bench. Usually, these players are one of the best players on the bench on teams that are contending for a title. Sometimes, these players can be starting-level players but take a bit of a discount due to the fact that they want to contend for a title.
What teams could be interested in giving Dillon Brooks this type of contract?
The only real team that could offer Brooks more than this type of contract would be the Houston Rockets. They reportedly view Brooks as a free-agent target and would have to offer him more money due to the fact that they do not have a shot to win a title. Even though Brooks has his faults, he could be useful to a contending team on a very low contract.
If they were to miss on their other free agent targets, they may talk themselves into overpaying for Brooks due to the fact they can compensate for this with the cheap contracts that they have their young core on.
The Dallas Mavericks could also offer him a type of deal that is similar to this. Still, the team will probably not be looking to offer Brooks the full mid-level exception he isn't a good 3-point shooter and could disrupt the offensive flow with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
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