The Memphis Grizzlies traded away the final piece of the franchise's best years on Wednesday, sending veteran point guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for a trio of players, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.The Grizzlies swapped Conley for Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver and Grayson Allen, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither Memphis nor Utah has announced the trade.Conley confirmed the trade on Twitter, thanking Memphis for making him the man he is and being his home."Time for another chapter! Excited to give all I have to The Jazz ...!" Conley tweeted.ESPN.com first reported the deal, which it says also includes Utah's No. 23 pick overall in Thursday night's draft.Conley was the final piece of the core that led the Grizzlies to seven consecutive playoff berths, including the 2013 Western Conference Finals. Zach Randolph and Tony Allen left in 2017 as free agents, and Memphis traded Marc Gasol to Toronto in February, splitting... [More]

A person with knowledge of the decision says the Memphis Grizzlies have traded veteran point guard Mike Conley, who has played the most games in franchise history, to the Utah Jazz.The person says the Grizzlies swapped Conley for Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver and Grayson Allen. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither Memphis nor Utah has announced the trade.ESPN.com first reported the deal, which it says also includes Utah's No. 23 pick overall in Thursday night's draft.Conley was the final piece of the core that led the Grizzlies to seven consecutive playoff berths, including the 2013 Western Conference Finals. Zach Randolph and Tony Allen left in 2017 as free agents, and Memphis traded Marc Gasol to Toronto in February, splitting up a duo that had been the NBA's longest-tenured teammates. Gasol went on to help the Raptors win their first NBA title.___AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylor Jenkins feels confident that Memphis' new front office will give him enough time to turn around the Grizzlies.Jenkins is the Grizzlies' fourth head coach since Memphis reached the 2013 Western Conference. The 34-year-old coach said Wednesday at a news conference that he learned a lot about the Grizzlies during the interview process and the front office's vision."We know there's going to be ups and downs," Jenkins said. "We're going to have our successes. We're going to have our mistakes. We want to be perfect, but we know it's going to take a team to do that, and that's what made me excited about this opportunity and there was no concern whatsoever."This is the first NBA head coaching job for Jenkins, who was Mike Budenholzer's assistant in Milwaukee this season and was with him in Atlanta for five seasons. Jenkins started in the NBA as an intern with the San Antonio front office before going into coaching with the Spurs' G League team, coaching the Toros for... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies finally filled their coaching vacancy by hiring Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins.The Grizzlies will introduce Jenkins at news conference on Wednesday."Taylor has an excellent coaching pedigree, and we are confident he will lay the groundwork of developing the young players on our roster while having the elite basketball acumen and forward-thinking positive vision to be a high-level NBA head coach," Zachary Z. Kleiman, the Grizzlies' executive vice president of basketball operations, said in a statement Tuesday.Memphis became the sixth and final NBA team to hire a new coach after firing J.B. Bickerstaff following the end of the season in April.Jenkins, 34, was Mike Budenholzer's assistant in Milwaukee this season and in Atlanta for five seasons. Jenkins becomes Memphis' fourth head coach since the Grizzlies chose not to renew Lionel Hollins' contract in 2013 after he led them to their lone Western Conference final appearance.The new Grizzlies coach started in... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies finally filled their coaching vacancy by hiring Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins.Jenkins is expected to be introduced at news conference on Wednesday, a person told The Associated Press Tuesday on condition of anonymity because Memphis has not publicly announced the hiring.The Grizzlies have been looking for a new coach since firing J.B. Bickerstaff the day after the season ended in April. Jenkins, 34, was Mike Budenholzer's assistant in Milwaukee this season and in Atlanta for five seasons. Jenkins becomes Memphis' fourth head coach since the Grizzlies chose not to renew Lionel Hollins' contract after leading them to their lone Western Conference final appearance in 2013.ESPN.com first reported the Jenkins' hiring.Jenkins started in the NBA as an intern with the San Antonio Spurs' basketball operations department during the 2007-08 season. He then was an assistant coach with the Spurs' G League team, the Toros, and worked under both Quin Snyder, now head coach... [More]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies started the offseason Thursday with plenty of questions to answer, then controlling owner Robert Pera added to the to-do list by firing coach J.B. Bickerstaff as part of a front-office shake-up that demoted general manager Chris Wallace to scout.The Grizzlies announced the moves after both Bickerstaff and Wallace spoke to reporters following a second straight season outside the playoffs. After a 12-5 start, Memphis plummeted and finished 33-49, tied with New Orleans and Dallas.Wallace had said earlier that Bickerstaff would be returning after doing a "terrific job." But Pera didn't agree and restructured the front office a few hours later."In order to put our team on the path to sustainable success, it was necessary to change our approach to basketball operations," Pera said in a statement. "I look forward to a re-energized front office and fresh approach to Memphis Grizzlies basketball under new leadership, while retaining the identity and values... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Paul George will miss the Thunder's game against Memphis on Sunday night with a sore right shoulder, and Grizzlies guard Mike Conley will sit out with general soreness.George was injured during a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 26, and Oklahoma City has lost both games since without him. He is the league's No. 2 scorer with 28.6 points per game and leads the league with 2.29 steals per contest.Thunder coach Billy Donovan said George has been able to do more each day, but a return date is unclear.Oklahoma City has lost four straight overall.Conley leads Memphis with 20.0 points and 6.3 assists per game. He scored 12 points in Saturday night's win over the Dallas Mavericks.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):10:30 p.m.Oklahoma City's Hamidou Diallo is the NBA's slam dunk champion.Going over Shaquille O'Neal in the first round, then getting a boost from rapper Quavo in the finale, Diallo soared to the crown by topping New York's Dennis Smith Jr.Diallo topped Smith 88-85 in the finale. Charlotte's Miles Bridges and Atlanta's John Collins went out in the first round.Smith leapfrogged Miami's Dwyane Wade and took a lob from Stephen Curry to give himself a chance with his last dunk, getting a perfect score from the judges — and a round of boos from the crowd, many of whom weren't that impressed.That left Diallo as the night's final participant.Diallo pulled off a dunk that will be talked about for years in the first round — dunking over O'Neal, hanging on the rim by his elbow, then tearing open his jersey to reveal a "Superman" shirt underneath. And then he plucked the ball from Quavo as he went airborne for the dunk that... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):9:35 p.m.Brooklyn's Joe Harris held off Golden State's Stephen Curry to win the 3-point contest at All-Star Saturday night.Harris made 12 consecutive shots at one point in the final round on his way to a score of 26 points. Curry was second with 24 in the finals, and Sacramento's Buddy Hield was third with 19 points.The Warriors' star made his first nine shots of the final round, then missed three of five shots from the top of the key.Stephen Curry won the first round with 27 points out of a possible of 34. Hield was second with 26 points, and Harris finished with 25 to grab the last spot in the finals.There were 10 players in the event, and seven went out in the first round.Defending champion Devin Booker made his final seven shots but was eliminated in a tie for fourth with Danny Green with 23 points. The other competitors who did not advance: Dirk Nowitzki and Damian Lillard (17), Seth Curry (16), Kemba Walker... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):9:35 p.m.Brooklyn's Joe Harris held off Golden State's Stephen Curry to win the 3-point contest at All-Star Saturday night.Harris made 12 consecutive shots at one point in the final round on his way to a score of 26 points. Curry was second with 24 in the finals, and Sacramento's Buddy Hield was third with 19 points.The Warriors' star made his first nine shots of the final round, then missed three of five shots from the top of the key.Stephen Curry won the first round with 27 points out of a possible of 34. Hield was second with 26 points, and Harris finished with 25 to grab the last spot in the finals.There were 10 players in the event, and seven went out in the first round.Defending champion Devin Booker made his final seven shots but was eliminated in a tie for fourth with Danny Green with 23 points. The other competitors who did not advance: Dirk Nowitzki and Damian Lillard (17), Seth Curry (16), Kemba Walker... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):8:40 p.m.Boston's Jayson Tatum hit a 3-pointer from just beyond midcourt to beat Atlanta's Trae Young in the final round of the skills competition at All-Star Saturday night.Tatum defeated Memphis' Mike Conley in the first round, then topped Denver's Nikola Jokic in the semifinals.Tatum was slightly behind Young going into the 3-pointer, the final shot of the event, and decided he needed to try the long shot to get one in before Young could shoot for the title.Tatum says the trophy will go to his mother's home. He says he was "just out here trying to have fun. I threw one up and it went in."Jokic defeated Orlando's Nikola Vucevic, Young beat Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox and Dallas' Luka Doncic topped the Los Angeles Lakers' Kyle Kuzma in other first-round matchups. Young beat Doncic in the semifinals.___7:30 p.m.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he's pleased with the level of competitive balance that currently exists... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tobias Harris drove the lane, tossed up a runner and buried the winner in what turned out to be his final shot for the Los Angeles Clippers.His packed bags needed a new destination. Next stop, Philadelphia.The 26-year-old Harris is headed to the 76ers as part of a late-night deal that suddenly gives the team the best starting five in the Eastern Conference and stamped them as legitimate title contenders.Harris is ready for the move — he tweeted early Wednesday a GIF from the opening credits of the 1990s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" showing Will Smith's character playing basketball.The Sixers can only hope this trade turns into a story all about how the East got flipped-turned upside down.They paid a steep price for the free agent: Sensational rookie guard Landry Shamet and four draft picks are headed to the Clippers. Philadelphia traded forwards Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala to Los Angeles, too.The Sixers also acquired center Boban Marjanovic and forward Mike... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tobias Harris drove the lane, tossed up a runner and buried the winner in what turned out to be his final shot for the Los Angeles Clippers.His packed bags needed a new destination. Next stop, Philadelphia.The 26-year-old Harris is headed to the 76ers as part of a late-night deal that suddenly gives the team the best starting five in the Eastern Conference and stamped them as legitimate title contenders.Harris is ready for the move — he tweeted early Wednesday a GIF from the opening credits of the 1990s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" showing Will Smith's character playing basketball.The Sixers can only hope this trade turns into a story all about how the East got flipped-turned upside down.They paid a steep price for the free agent: Sensational rookie guard Landry Shamet and four draft picks are headed to the Clippers. Philadelphia traded forwards Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala to Los Angeles, too.The Sixers also acquired center Boban Marjanovic and forward Mike... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Devin Booker is ready to take on the Curry brothers.The Phoenix Suns guard will look to defend his NBA All-Star 3-point championship from a year ago against brothers Stephen and Seth Curry on Feb. 16 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stephen Curry, who plays for the Golden State Warriors, won the event in 2015 while brother Seth, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, is competing in his first 3-point contest.Charlotte's Kemba Walker, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Portland's Damian Lillard, Milwaukee's Khris Middleton, Toronto's Danny Green, Brooklyn's Joe Harris and Sacramento's Buddy Hield round out the 10-player field.The 3-point contest will held on the same night as the dunk contest and the skills challenge at the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets.The dunk contest features Charlotte's Miles Bridges, Oklahoma City's Hamidou Diallo, Atlanta's John Collins and New York Knicks' Dennis Smith Jr.The skill challenge includes first-time NBA All-Stars Nikola Jokic... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tobias Harris drove the lane, tossed up a runner and buried the winner in what turned out to be his final shot for the Los Angeles Clippers.His packed bags needed a new destination. Next stop, Philadelphia.The 26-year-old Harris is headed to the 76ers as part of a late-night deal that suddenly gives the team the best starting five in the Eastern Conference and stamped them as legitimate title contenders.Harris is ready for the move — he tweeted early Wednesday a GIF from the opening credits of the 1990s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" showing Will Smith's character playing basketball.The Sixers can only hope this trade turns into a story all about how the East got flipped-turned upside down.They paid a steep price for the free agent: Sensational rookie guard Landry Shamet and four draft picks are headed to the Clippers. Philadelphia also traded forwards Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala to Los Angeles.A person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press the... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns will look to defend his 3-point contest title at the NBA All-Star game against brothers Stephen and Seth Curry on Feb. 16 in Charlotte, North Carolina.Charlotte's Kemba Walker, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Portland's Damian Lillard, Milwaukee's Khris Middleton, Toronto's Danny Green, Brooklyn's Joe Harris and Sacramento's Buddy Hield round out the 10-player field.The dunk contest features Charlotte's Miles Bridges, Oklahoma City's Hamidou Diallo, Atlanta's John Collins and New York Knicks' Dennis Smith Jr.The skill challenge includes first-time NBA All-Stars Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Nikola Vucevic of the Magic and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks. Atlanta's Trae Young, Memphis' Mike Conley, Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox, Los Angele Lakers' Kyle Kuzma and Boston's Jayson Tatum will also compete.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol was a late scratch for Tuesday night's home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as trade chatter for the veteran accelerated.Gasol was not listed on Memphis' injured list earlier in the day, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff announced he would not play. Asked to elaborate on the reason for Gasol's absence, Bickerstaff declined.But shortly before Bickerstaff addressed the media in his pregame availability, The Athletic reported that the Grizzlies were in talks with the Charlotte Hornets regarding a possible trade involving Gasol.The Grizzlies told Gasol and point guard Mike Conley two weeks ago that the organization would begin listening to offers for the two longest-tenured teammates in the NBA. Conley was drafted fourth in the 2007 NBA draft, and Gasol joined the organization after he was part of a trade that sent older brother Pau to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, 2008.Gasol is averaging 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol was a late scratch for Tuesday night's home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as trade chatter for the veteran accelerated.Gasol was not listed on Memphis' injured list earlier in the day, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff announced he would not play. Asked to elaborate on the reason for Gasol's absence, Bickerstaff declined.But shortly before Bickerstaff addressed the media in his pregame availability, The Athletic reported that the Grizzlies were in talks with the Charlotte Hornets regarding a possible trade involving Gasol.The Grizzlies told Gasol and point guard Mike Conley last week that the organization would begin listening to offers for the two longest-tenured teammates in the NBA. Conley was drafted fourth in the 2007 NBA draft, and Gasol joined the organization after he was part of a trade that sent older brother Pau to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, 2008.Gasol is averaging 15.7 points and 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists this season.___More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/NBA and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Marc Gasol forgot his cellphone overnight on the Grizzlies' team bus over the weekend, giving himself some stress-free time in New York."I'm like, if I get traded then so be it," Gasol said.He and Mike Conley won't be able to hide quite so easily the next few days.The NBA trade deadline is Thursday afternoon, and Memphis has told the franchise mainstays it is listening to offers for both . Conley acknowledges it will be an emotional week envisioning the end of an era."Before I would have said no, it wouldn't have been on my mind, not having been in this situation," he said. "But I'm not going to lie, it's going to creep in because you know that it's possible that one or both will be gone, and either way it'll be the last time we're playing together with him, or for the team, or whatever."The Grizzlies have fallen out of the playoff race, but teams who are in it might be interested in adding one of the respected veterans. During games or at home with the family, Gasol said... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Marc Gasol forgot his cellphone overnight on the Grizzlies' team bus over the weekend, giving himself some stress-free time in New York."I'm like, if I get traded then so be it," Gasol said.He and Mike Conley won't be able to hide quite so easily the next few days.The NBA trade deadline is Thursday afternoon, and Memphis has told the franchise mainstays it is listening to offers for both . Conley acknowledges it will be an emotional week envisioning the end of an era."Before I would have said no, it wouldn't have been on my mind, not having been in this situation," he said. "But I'm not going to lie, it's going to creep in because you know that it's possible that one or both will be gone, and either way it'll be the last time we're playing together with him, or for the team, or whatever."The Grizzlies have fallen out of the playoff race, but teams who are in it might be interested in adding one of the respected veterans. During games or at home with the family, Gasol said... [More]