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Austin Ainge is joining his dad in Utah. (Photo by Angela Rowlings/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images via Getty Images
The Utah Jazz are turning to the son of an NBA champion to stabilize their front office. Austin Ainge, son of Danny Ainge, will reportedly be hired as the Jazz's new president of basketball operations, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Austin Ainge spent the last six seasons with the Boston Celtics, where he served as the team's assistant general manager. He previously was brought on as the team's director of player personnel in 2011, when his father was the team's executive director of basketball operations.
Danny Ainge served in that role in 2021, when he retired from the Celtics. A few months later, Danny Ainge joined the Jazz as the team's CEO of basketball operations and alternate governor. He still holds that role, and will now be reunited with his son in Utah.
The Jazz are coming off a rough season, in which the team finished with an NBA-worst 17-65 record. Despite that record, the team secured the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
While the team struggled last season, the front office believes its on the right path. The Jazz committed to head coach Will Hardy in May, signing him to a six-year extension. Hardy also briefly spent time in Boston, serving as an assistant with the Celtics during the 2021-22 NBA season.
Danny Ainge experienced plenty of success in his years running the Celtics. He was successful in that role, turning the team back into a contender and winning the NBA championship in 2008. Ainge's fingerprints were present on the team's 2024 championship roster as well, though he had already left the organization at that point.
Monday marks the second time Ainge has hired Austin to a front-office role. The team experienced success in Boston, albeit with Austin in a lesser position. The Ainges will now try and run it back with one of the worst teams in the league.
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