Grizzlies fire Dave Joerger

The Memphis Grizzlies have fired head coach Dave Joerger, the team confirmed Saturday morning.

The move came as Joerger was seeking permission from the Grizzlies to talk with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings regarding their vacancies, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski. Joerger was reportedly seeking a more lucrative contract. The Kings are believed to be particularly interested in the 42-year-old bench boss, who had coached the Grizzlies since 2013.

Joerger ruffled feathers in the organization and with owner Robert Pera two years ago when he almost departed for the Minnesota Timberwolves' head coaching vacancy.

General manager Chris Wallace said in a statement the Grizzlies needed a change to ''foster the strong culture required to achieve sustainable, long-term success.''

Joerger was two weeks removed from completing a challenging campaign in which the Grizzlies reached the playoffs despite being ravaged by injuries, suiting up 28 different players over the course of the season. The coach gave a tearful tribute to the team after being eliminated in four games by the San Antonio Spurs.

The Grizzlies are expected to strongly consider recently-fired Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel as a replacement. Joerger went 147-99 in three seasons in Memphis.

-With files from the Associated Press