Jazz Hiring Danny Ainge To Oversee Basketball Operations

The Jazz are hiring former Celtics president/GM Danny Ainge as alternate governor and CEO, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.Danny Ainge” width=”300″ height=”169″>

Ainge will oversee Utah’s basketball operations, while Justin Zanik remains in his current role GM.

Ainge, of course, was at the helm as the Celtics turned into a regular Eastern Conference contender. They won a championship with Ainge as the top basketball executive in 2008.

Ainge, 62, stepped down from his role running the Celtics at the end of last season and was replaced by former coach Brad Stevens, hired by Ainge.

Utah Jazz are adding to their front office pic.twitter.com/1xW4QCL4Tf

— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) December 15, 2021

Being a native of Oregon, Ainge was recently linked to the Trail Blazers’ vacancy, though the Blazers reportedly have not contacted him.

The Jazz finished with the NBA’s best record last season and currently sit at 19-7 (through Tuesday), good enough for third in the Western Conference behind only the Warriors and Suns, respectively.

“Ainge replaces Dennis Lindsey, who moved into a consultant’s role this summer after building the franchise into a Western Conference championship contender,” Wojnarowski wrote. “Lindsey drafted All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and hired coach Quin Snyder.”