Ad News Live
June 02, 2025
Austin Ainge: The Utah Jazz have made a new move. They hired Austin Ainge from the Boston Celtics. He will now serve as their president of basketball operations. The team shared this news on Monday.
Sources say that Justin Zanik, Utah's current general manager, will stay in his role. He will continue to work with Ainge. Both will now move forward together.
This is Utah’s second major off-court decision in recent weeks. Last month, the Jazz secured coach Will Hardy with a long-term contract extension. His deal now runs through 2031.
Ainge, who is 43 years old, joined the Celtics back in 2009. He started as the coach for their G League team. After two years, he shifted to a front office position.
READ ALSO
Paris Celebrations Turn Deadly: 2 Dead, Chaos in Streets
He stayed with Boston for 14 seasons. For the last six years, he worked as an assistant general manager.
He spent more than ten years working with his father, Danny, in Boston. Now, they will team up again in Utah. Danny left the Celtics in the summer of 2021.
Later that year, Jazz owner Ryan Smith hired him as CEO. Danny also took on the role of alternate governor in December.
Austin Ainge has spent 14 years helping build a strong Celtics front office. This group is widely recognized as one of the best in the NBA.
READ ALSO
Luka Modric Retirement: Real Madrid Exit Confirmed
The team won the 2024 NBA championship. Over nearly two decades, they made the playoffs almost every year.
In eight of the last nine seasons, they advanced past the first round.
Ainge is taking over a very different Jazz team. The roster is facing big challenges right now. Utah still has All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen locked in for four more years. But last season was rough.
The Jazz managed only 17 wins — the fewest in their franchise history. They ended up with the worst record in the NBA. Now, they’re counting on some draft lottery luck.
READ ALSO
NBA Draft 2025: Cooper Flagg Leads NIL-Era Shift
Their hope is to land Cooper Flagg with the number one pick in next month’s draft.
The Jazz missed out on the top four picks in the draft lottery. As a result, they slid down to the fifth overall pick.
Along with that, Utah holds the 21st pick from the Rudy Gobert deal with Minnesota. They also have two second-round picks to use.
Their roster is young and promising. It includes six players who were drafted in the first round recently. Plus, eight members of the team are under 23 years old.
Follow Us
AD News Live
