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SPORTS Thursday 20 June 2019

Continued from Page 17 and would seem to bolster more due over the next
"Time for another chapter! Utah's chances in a rapidly two seasons.
Excited to give all I have to changing Western Confer- He leaves with a handful of
The Jazz ...!" Conley tweet- ence. franchise records, including
ed. The move also could make most games played (788)
ESPN.com first reported the Memphis a major player in over his 12 seasons in Mem-
deal, which it says also in- free agency for 2020, al- phis. Conley, who turns 32
cludes Utah's No. 23 pick though much of that space on Oct. 11, played only 12
overall in Thursday night's hinges on what the team games in 2017-18 because
draft. does to fill out a roster this of a painful left heel that
Conley was the final piece summer. needed season-ending sur-
of the core that led the It's the second major trade gery. But Conley returned
Grizzlies to seven consecu- in the West since the NBA this last season to play 70
tive playoff berths, includ- Finals ended last week, the games and scored a ca-
ing the 2013 Western Con- first being the move send- reer-best 21.1 points per
ference Finals. Zach Ran- ing Anthony Davis from game. He was just off his
dolph and Tony Allen left New Orleans to LeBron career highs with 6.4 assists
in 2017 as free agents, and James and the Los Angeles per game and averaged
Memphis traded Marc Ga- Lakers. And the five-time 1.3 steals per game.
sol to Toronto in February, defending Western Con- Mike Miller, Conley's former
splitting up a duo that had ference champion Golden teammate and now an In this March 11, 2019, file photo, Utah Jazz forward Jae Crowder
been the NBA's longest- State Warriors won't have assistant coach with the (99) directs his team in the second half during an NBA basket-
tenured teammates. Gasol Klay Thompson or Kevin Memphis Tigers, wrote on ball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, in Salt Lake City.
went on to help the Raptors Durant for much, if not all, Twitter that the FedExForum Associated Press
win their first NBA title. of next season because of won't be the same without
The move almost certainly injuries — and it remains a the Grizzlies' all-time lead- they hold the No. 2 pick
means that Ricky Rubio will possibility that both will sign ing scorer. overall for Thursday night's
be elsewhere next season, elsewhere this summer as "Mike's 12 years in Memphis draft, which is likely to be
even after he averaged well. exceeded all expectations point guard Ja Morant of
12.7 points and 6.1 assists The Grizzlies tried to trade and has been full of count- Murray State as Conley's re-
for the Jazz this season. Conley before the dead- less memories for the city!!" placement. Memphis hired
Pairing Conley with rising line but couldn't, with the Miller wrote. its new coach, Taylor Jen-
star Donovan Mitchell fig- guard's pricey contract The Grizzlies are busy re- kins, last week with what
ures to give the Jazz one complicating deals. Con- building after drafting Jaren management called a
of the best backcourts in ley signed a max contract Jackson Jr. with the fourth "significant" and "long-term
the league next season in July 2016 with $67 million overall pick last year, and commitment."q