Austin Ainge is joining the Utah Jazz, following in the footsteps of his father.:format(jpeg)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46585958/GettyImages-72665880.0.jpg)
Ainge, who spent the previous 14 years in the Boston Celtics’ front office, was hired Monday as Utah’s new president of basketball operations.
Danny Ainge has been the Jazz’s CEO since 2021 following nearly two decades as the executive director of basketball operations in Boston. He also played for the Celtics from 1981-89 and was a part of two NBA title teams.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Austin Ainge as our new president of basketball operations,” team governor Ryan Smith said in a statement. “Austin is one of the brightest minds in the NBA — his 17 years with the Celtics have given him incredible insight into every part of an organization.”
The Ainges Previously Worked Together with the Celtics
Austin Ainge joined the Celtics in 2011, where he was brought on by his father as the director of player personnel, and spent the last six seasons as assistant general manager. Ainge also played four seasons at BYU (2002-07).
Danny Ainge served as Boston’s executive director of basketball operations from 2003-21. He was named the NBA’s top executive during the Celtics’ 2008 championship season.
Ainge’s departure figures to be the first of several changes for the Celtics, who were surprisingly eliminated by the New York Knicks in six games in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs following a 61-win regular season.
Boston’s payroll is expected to exceed $220 million next season, and when factoring in a projected tax bill of almost $280 million, its payroll commitments could approach half a billion dollars.
That’s with six-time All-Star Jayson Tatum expected to miss a significant chunk of the season recovering from an Achilles tear.
Why did Austin Ainge Leave Boston for Utah?
The younger Ainge views Utah as the logical next step in his career arc.
“Kind of done a lot in Boston and we’ve had a lot of success over the years, and the chance to run my own team is a big part of it. And the Jazz have a lot of potential, man,” he told the Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “It’s a lot of work, but a lot of potential.”
The Jazz set a new franchise record for futility in 2024-25, finishing with the Western Conference’s worst record at 17-65. Prior to that, they’d never lost more than 59 games in a single season.
Despite that, they signed coach Will Hardy to a six-year extension in May. Hardy, who also previously spent time in Boston, owns an 85-161 record in three seasons with the Jazz.
