Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies have plummeted in the standings after losing 17 of their last 20 games. As a result, they will reportedly listen to trade offers for Marc Gasol and Mike Conley Jr. leading up to the NBA's Feb. 7 trade deadline.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the news Tuesday, noting it is the "first time" the franchise will seriously consider offers for the two "cornerstone" pieces. He noted the Grizzlies have "reached a crossroads," and moving one or both players would allow them to jumpstart a rebuild after a disappointing past two months.

Wojnarowski added, "Gasol and Conley met with owner Robert Pera in Memphis recently, but neither expressed a desire to be traded, league sources told ESPN."

Conley and Gasol have never played an NBA game for a different franchise. Memphis selected Conley with the No. 4 overall pick out of Ohio State in 2007, and it brought Gasol over in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2008. 

This is the duo's 11th season together, and Memphis went to the playoffs seven straight times from 2010-11 through 2016-17. Conley and Gasol even led the Grizzlies to the 2013 Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

However, that playoff streak ended last season largely because Conley played only 12 games due to injuries. After a promising 12-5 start to the 2018-19 season, the wheels have come off for the Grizzlies again, which suggests the playoffs are a long shot.

Moving Gasol or Conley could help the Grizzlies to land draft assets and/or young players in return and accelerate a rebuild centered around Jaren Jackson Jr., the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 draft. Memphis' hand may be somewhat forced, too, as Gasol can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines his $25.6 million player option for 2019-20 and Conley has an early termination option for 2020-21. 

Either player would be a valuable addition for a contender eyeing the playoffs or a championship run this season.

Conley is averaging 19.8 points, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season and is a career 37.5 percent shooter from three-point range. He can hit from the outside, facilitate when defenders collapse and penetrate off the bounce.

Gasol is still a nightly double-double threat and is averaging 15.3 points, 8.5 boards and 4.7 assists per game this season. The 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year could bolster any prospective suitor's frontcourt depth and rim protection.

The Memphis Grizzlies are providing furloughed government employees free tickets to their Monday home game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Grizzlies offered details on how workers can obtain the tickets in a Friday tweet:

Thousands of federal workers are not being paid due to the United States government shutdown that began Dec. 22. While they will be provided back pay at the end of the shutdown, they are not being compensated at this time.

Free basketball tickets won't erase the financial hardships many workers are facing, but the Grizzlies' goodwill gesture is still noteworthy. They're also providing tickets to an exciting matchup, as Memphis will take on Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Davis is averaging 29.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game and looks well on his way to a spot on the All-NBA First Team. The Pels are an entertaining team that runs up and down the court and averages the third-most points in the league.

Game time Monday is 5:30 p.m. ET.

The Memphis Grizzlies are "working on a potential trade destination" for Chandler Parsons, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. 

The 30-year-old forward has been struggling with a knee injury that kept him out for two months. As Charania noted, however, Parsons was placed on the inactive list on Dec. 21 despite being deemed healthy enough to play. He has been away from the team ever since.

Parsons has taken part in just three games for Memphis this season. He averaged 5.7 points in 15.3 minutes per game.

Parsons signed a four-year, $94 million contract with the Grizz in the 2016 offseason, but a series of injuries has kept him off the floor more often than not. He's played just 73 games since the 2016-17 season and has averaged 7.0 points on 40.2 percent shooting during that span.

When healthy, however, Parsons has proven to be a viable asset. In his final two years with the Rockets (2012-2014), the ex-Florida forward scored 16.0 points on 47.9 percent shooting and knocked down 37.8 percent of his threes. He also averaged 1.1 steals per game.

Parsons signed an offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks in 2014, but knee and ankle injuries forced him off the court for 36 games in two years there. He did shoot a career-high 49.2 percent from the field in 2015-16, though, and that efficiency could have played a part in Memphis' decision to sign him.

While the deal did not work out for Memphis, Parsons could be a viable bench contributor to another team at a much lower cost. He had an above-average player-efficiency rating for four straight seasons, which is an encouraging sign for teams who think Parsons can return to his old form.

Several teams have reportedly been monitoring the availability of Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol this season.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Grizzlies have resisted overtures because of their desire to compete for a playoff spot after missing out on the postseason in 2017-18.

The Grizzlies are five games out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference at 19-25.

The Grizz got off to a hot start this season. They were 12-5 in late November but have gone 7-20 since then and faded significantly in the Western Conference playoff race.

Per Charania, Grizzlies owner Robert Pera met with Gasol and point guard Mike Conley this week to discuss the state of the team.

Despite the team's struggles, the 33-year-old Gasol has been solid with 15.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.

The three-time All-Star and 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year is the co-face of the franchise with Conley, but the veteran duo haven't received much help from their teammates in recent weeks.

Gasol has a $25.6 million player option in his contract for next season, meaning he could opt out and sign elsewhere if Memphis doesn't trade him prior to the Feb. 7 deadline.

The Grizzlies are the only team Gasol has played for during his 11-year NBA career, but it appears as though the team needs to rebuild.

Even though the West appears to be more wide-open than in recent years, it looks like the Grizzlies' odds of making a run in the playoffs are slim even if they manage to qualify.

Losing Gasol for nothing in free agency would put the franchise in a precarious position, but if the Grizzlies can trade him for a package of draft picks and young players, they will have some pieces to put around 2018 No. 4 overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr.

If the Grizzlies do part with the versatile center, he could be a landscape-changing addition for a team that is looking to compete for a playoff spot or even a championship.

Marc Gasol's days with the only NBA team he's ever played for may be winding down.

The Memphis Grizzlies fell to 19-24 overall and 3-13 in their last 16 games with Monday's loss to the Houston Rockets, dropping them four games behind the Utah Jazz in the race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, there has been a "whisper" around the league the Grizzlies may trade Gasol as they fall further out of contention. The big man has a player option on his contract for 2019-20, and Stein said the "growing belief around the league" is he will exercise it and become a free agent this coming offseason.

That means the Grizzlies could be facing a situation where they may need to trade Gasol to ensure they don't eventually lose him without getting something back in return.

Gasol is a three-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection and the 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year who has helped lead the Grizzlies to the playoffs seven times during his tenure with the team dating back to the 2008-09 campaign.

The franchise went to the playoffs three times in its history prior to his arrival.

He and Mike Conley have become franchise institutions at this point, but Stein's report was a reply to a tweet from Zach Lowe of ESPN hinting at a potential move. "If the hole gets much deeper as the deadline approaches you at least have to investigate some unpleasant things," Lowe wrote.

The Grizzlies selected Jaren Jackson Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 draft, and moving Gasol in a possible deal could net them young assets and draft picks in return as they eventually turn their attention toward rebuilding around the Michigan State product.

Memphis is staring at a difficult path back to contention in the daunting Western Conference, especially with the team's next three games against the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. The Grizzlies could find themselves staring at a significant hole in the standings in the immediate future, which may spur a Gasol trade and franchise reboot.

The Memphis Grizzlies will could be without swingman Dillon Brooks for the rest of the 2018-19 season as the team announced he is expected to undergo surgery on a toe injury this week.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium first reported Brooks will "likely" miss the remainder of the campaign with the injury. Despite the setback, the Oregon product is expected to be healthy by summer workouts, per Charania.

Brooks has dealt with injury concerns already this season and missed time in November and December with a knee sprain. He appeared in just 18 contests and averaged 7.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per night behind 40.2 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent shooting from three-point range.

It was a drop-off from his rookie campaign in 2017-18 when he played all 82 games and posted 11.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per night.

Brooks is a young playmaker and has shown flashes of potential, but Memphis is accustomed to playing without him.

It will likely turn toward the combination of Garrett Temple, Kyle Anderson, Justin Holiday, Omri Casspi and JaMychal Green on the wing while Mike Conley and Marc Gasol serve as the primary playmakers at point guard and center, respectively.

The Grizzlies are 3.5 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and will be back in action Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs as they look to snap a six-game losing streak.

Chandler Parsons and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a separation, with the team seeking trades to move the veteran forward, and Parsons released a statement on the matter, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

"I am extremely disappointed that I didn't get to finish this season alongside my teammates and the Memphis coaching staff. Unfortunately that option wasn't presented to me.

"The Grizzlies training staff medically cleared me to play 5-on-5 in mid-December and I have been practicing with the team ever since. I will continue to work out and train until my agent and the team reach a resolution. I am ready to play and committed to getting back on the court."

According to Woj, Parsons and the Grizzlies "couldn't agree on a G League assignment plan that would assure Parsons of his return to the active NBA roster this season" as the veteran forward recovers from another knee ailment.

"We met with Chandler and spoke with him and his representation numerous times during his rehab process, laying out a number of options to help integrate a healthy and effective Chandler back on to the floor," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace noted.

Once Parsons abstained from going to the G League, "the organization preferred that Parsons leave the team until a resolution on his future could be worked out with his agent," according to Woj.

Per that report, the Grizzlies have not been willing to give up a first-rounder to move Parsons and the $38 million he's still due between the end of this season and next year, though they are willing to take on a long-term contract to facilitate a trade and still think he'll hold value as an expiring contract on the market, even if they don't trade him until the summer.

It's hard to imagine any team willingly absorbing that contract, however. Contenders won't want to absorb the cap space. Younger rebuilding teams will want draft assets in return for taking that contract off the Grizzlies' books.

Parsons' career has been marred by knee injuries, as he's appeared in just three games this season and has played in just 73 games over the past three seasons. The 30-year-old went from averaging 14.1 points per game in three seasons with the Houston Rockets and 14.8 PPG in two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks to just 7.0 PPG with the Grizzlies.

His strong play earlier in his career convinced the Grizzlies to sign him to a four-year, $94 million contract ahead of the 2016-17 season, a move the team likely would love to reverse.

"Obviously, Chandler had done some interesting things as a player during his time in Houston and Dallas, and his skill set fit what we needed," Wallace said Monday, per David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "He was by far the best option at that time, so we took him. Unfortunately, he's been injured since then, and it's where we are today after those injuries."

Memphis Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons will take an indefinite leave of absence from the team, ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon reported Sunday.

According to the report, both the Grizzlies and Parsons agreed to part ways, and his agent, James Dunleavy, is working with Memphis on the specifics regarding his potential departure.

Along with the prorated portion of his $24.1 million salary for this season, Parsons is owed $25.1 million for next year as well. He's in the third year of a four-year, $94.4 million contract he signed in Memphis ahead of the 2016-17 season.

Even though he'd inevitably leave some money on the table, Parsons has plenty of incentive to agree to a buyout.

The 30-year-old has played just three games this season while battling knee problems. According to Wojnarowski, Parsons received medical clearance to return on Dec. 21, but he hasn't suited up since Memphis' 92-84 win over the Utah Jazz on Oct. 22.

Speaking with the Commercial Appeal's Mark Giannotto, Parsons said he wanted to get back on the court: "The most confusing part for me is I'm healthy. I'm medically cleared by the people I work with every single day, that are experts at this kind of stuff, so it's frustrating to watch a team struggle and I'm sitting there on the bench healthy, dying to play."

After injuries limited him to 70 games in his first two years in Memphis, Parsons' frustration is understandable. By finalizing a buyout the Grizzlies, he'd seemingly improve his odds of becoming a regular rotation player again.

Parsons shot 42.1 percent from three-point range and is a career 37.6 percent shooter from the perimeter. Plenty of teams would likely be open to signing the eight-year veteran to a short-term contract to see if he can make an impact during the second half of the season.

The Memphis Grizzlies fell to 3-10 in their last 13 games thanks to Wednesday's 101-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons, and the losing is apparently taking its toll on the team.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Grizzlies held an "emotional team meeting" in the locker room following the game, but it "turned physical in an altercation between veterans Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi."

Charania added more details, noting players were "questioning each other about their effort and what each can do to improve" before Casspi became defensive when "a perceived lack of enthusiasm" from the bench was raised. That led to the physical altercation.

Neither had much impact on the game. Temple finished with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field despite starting, and Casspi played a mere five minutes off the bench and missed both field-goal attempts in a scoreless effort.

"I think addressing larger issues was the conversation that we needed to have," head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game, per David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "Right now, it's not X's and O's that need to be resolved. I think we resolved some of those issues tonight."

Cobb noted only veterans Mike Conley and Marc Gasol remained in the locker room by the time reporters were granted access, with the rest of the team clearing out following the reportedly heated exchange.

"We were openly sharing our thoughts and trying to fix the situation and getting back into being a really good basketball team together and doing the things we need to do consistently to win games," Gasol said of the meeting.

It is another concerning headline for a Grizzlies team that is trending in the wrong direction after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.

They are now 2.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs in the race for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference following the recent slump and will be in action again Friday against the Brooklyn Nets.