Jazz owner Ryan Smith declared during a Monday press conference that his new president of basketball operations, Austin Ainge, will have final say on personnel decisions.
“This is Austin’s show,” Smith said, per Sarah Todd of the Deseret News.
After spending 17 years with the Celtics, Ainge was chosen to head the Utah front office. His father, Danny Ainge, has been the franchise’s CEO and alternate governor since 2021.
The younger Ainge served as the Celtics’ director of player personnel and scouting until 2019 and had been their assistant GM for the past six years. Smith wanted to clear up any confusion regarding his team’s front office hierarchy.
“I’m sure there’s probably a lot of questions around organizational structure and design, and I’ve learned in business and also in the NBA, that every organization is set up a little different,” Smith said. “For us, Austin will be running the program. He’s got final recommendation to myself on any decisions that need to be made. I think it’s the job of both Justin (Zanik), Danny and myself to kind of plug into him. So hopefully that alleviates quite a few questions as to who has the final decision on roster and management and personnel.”
As for Zanik, the team’s general manager, Smith claimed his role hasn’t changed.
“If you think about the skill set that Austin has, and JZ’s skill set, they actually work really well,” Smith said, per Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
The hiring of the younger Ainge came together very quickly. Smith spoke with Ainge and told him that he wanted him to be president of basketball operations, according to Todd. Ainge called Smith back the next day and said that if he was going to hire him he wanted it to happen right away, noting that big offseason decisions were upcoming regarding the franchise’s rebuild.
“The biggest challenge for me was I had to call Danny, who was not in town, and say, ‘I hired your son,’” Smith said. “Danny and I built a lot of trust over the last 15 years, and I didn’t know at that point whether I completely lost all trust or he was going to say that it was the right move. Well, here we are, and so I couldn’t be more excited.”
Utah owns two first-rounders (fifth and 21st) and two second-rounders in this year’s draft, plus numerous extra first-rounders in future drafts acquired in trades.
“We have a ton of optionality, a lot of future picks, a lot of things we can do,” Austin Ainge said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but I can’t wait to get started.”
I feel like every news I read regarding this it gets worse
Danny Ainge’s tenure has been a disaster so far. He should be on his last season here. Clearly him & Ryan Smith got a relationship that goes well beyond basketball bc you obv don’t go hire a guy’s son after he’s done what Ainge did to this team.
It hasn’t been terrible stop it. The ping pong balls haven’t went the Jazz way and some of their young guys haven’t panned out yet but they got decent returns on their trades and they weren’t going far with the Rudy/Mitchell group. Jazz have to build through the draft to develop players since they obviously are a small market and cannot attract star free agents
Terrible is putting it mildly. They’re the worst team in the league. When he got there they were 1 of the best teams in the league. Blaming ping pong balls is a dead giveaway that you’re defending a loser. They went from winning to losing not bc they had to but bc they chose to & they’ve drafted terribly & made bad personnel moves back to back during the rebuild. You say there weren’t going far with Spida & Rudy. Both of those guys are future HOFers, if you can’t figure out how to build a team around them how do you expect to build a team around Lauri & Walker Kessler? You say they have to build through the draft & it’s hard to build a team in Utah. Then why would you dump the best 2 draft day acquisitions you’ve got in decades? Credit due on the Tatum trade but gotta be some type of expiration date on the pass Ainge got from that. He famously missed on numerous 1st rd picks in Boston & it’s continued in Utah. Now he gets an extension by hiring his son to be the face of this mess. They truly have 1 of the easiest picks in the draft at 5. It should be Tre Johnson unless Ace drops somehow. If they mess that up then that’ll be a sign of things continuing to go poorly for the Jazz.
“When he got there they were 1 of the best teams in the league. Blaming ping pong balls is a dead giveaway that you’re defending a loser. ”
Four of the five 1st round picks he got for Gobert haven’t even happened yet. All five of the 1st round picks he got for Mitchell haven’t happened yet. The 1st they got in the Beasley/Westbrook deal hasn’t happened yet. It’s silly to call his tenure terrible when so many of his moves haven’t come to fruition yet. And he still has players he got via trade like Lauri, Kessler, and Sexton, who could be moved as well.
“You say there weren’t going far with Spida & Rudy. Both of those guys are future HOFers, if you can’t figure out how to build a team around them how do you expect to build a team around Lauri & Walker Kessler?”
Would love to hear how you reacted when the Thunder did the same thing by tearing down their squad. Rebuilds take time. It’s way too early to judge Ainge’s tenure in Utah.
smh 1st off your facts are way off. Jazz got 3 1sts for Spida, not 5. And 4 1sts for Rudy, not 5.
2ndly it’s def not too early to say his tenure has been terrible SO FAR, which is what I said & is undeniably true. Like I said they went from being one of the best teams in the league to the actual worst. And not only are they the worst team in the league but they have no young guys that you can look at as anything close to a rising star in the league. Obv he has guys who he can trade but he doesn’t have anybody who he can win with. Y’all get way too hung up on guys trade value. Their value as winning basketball players is what matters.
Utah & OKC’s rebuilds could not be any more different. OKC started their rebuild off by grabbing Shai. Utah started theirs off by grabbing Lauri. I loved Lauri as a baller before y’all knew his name but it’s been obv for a long time that he’s not the guy that’s gonna lead a team to NBA glory.If Ainge & co were so set on a rebuild they should have understood that if they didn’t acquire an elite player in their Spida trade they would struggle to get that type of guy otherwise. Tbh choosing to move on from Spida & Rudy in the 1st place was probably the wrong decision but the way they did it plus the draft mistakes they’ve made since have put them in a really bad place as a franchise rn.
My facts aren’t way off. I was going off memory but checking, for Mitchell the Jazz got three unprotected 1sts, Agbaji (who had just been drafted in the 1st, and was traded for a 1st in Collier, which could pan out), two 1st round pick swaps, Lauri, Collin Sexson. None of the unprotected 1sts have happened yet. Neither have the two pick swaps (which may not happen but who knows). Still have Lauri and Sexson (lmao at you thinking I’m “hung up” on their value when I didn’t offer an opinion on their value). Still haven’t used any of the Rudy picks. Still haven’t used the Beasley/Westbrook pick.
Way, way, WAY too early to judge Ainge. You are hammering the qualifier “so far” but you literally said this should be his last season. They’re loaded with picks that haven’t happened yet. Again, look at OKC and how they were torn down and how bad they were before righting the ship. It takes time, bro.
wait did u say HOFers ?! on what planet it was a good point til then
both have had some great years but are we just putting anybody in the hall of fame now ?? seriously
gobert maybe because of his cupcake dpoy awards but that’d be the only reason why
@ryrochak Utah fans are too nice. Danny Ainge has been the worst GM in any sport this century
Danny Ainge destroyed this franchise. He broke up a winning team with young superstars 4 years ago and it just keeps looking worse.
Ainge didn’t tank when he was supposed to. It’s that simple. Now the Jazz will suck for at least 3 more seasons, and probably more.
And if the ping pong balls got him Cooper Flagg, everyone would be praising him.
What was so bad about what he did to the team? They needed to rebuild and he got a ton of picks. Only bad deal I can think of was the Westbrook one.
@fishy He got a ton of picks 4 years ago by trading two young superstars plus the rest of a winning roster.
Ainge promised they’d be better than before in 3 years. It didn’t happen. The team is still moving backwards.
How to rebuild? You tank in year 1 and 2. Not 3 and 4.
Superstars? lol
Donovan Mitchell.and Rudy Goberr were both multiple time All-Stars, in their primes. That’s my definition of superstar.
Gobert had won multiple DPOY’
Mitchell was scoring 25 ppg
Team had beat record in NBA the year before.
Nepo babies must be stopped. It should be illegal to have the same job or in the same field as the job your mom or dad had.
Your dad is ex-NBA? Go be a doctor or librarian.
I bet there won’t be anywhere near the amount of “crying” about this as there was with Bronny being the 55th pick (as if that’s where teams usually find their gems… at the end of the 2nd round)
Bronny is not an NBA player, nor a prospect and should have never been drafted.
Ainge was on a Team that won the NBA championship. He has experience. Bronny has none and the Lakers have no excuse why they drafted him.
Other teams in the NBA could hire Ainge. NOBODY is dumb enough to draft him OTHER than the Lakers.
WOW!! Really Davey. Kinda bonkers. What is wrong with someone pursuing what makes them happy? The world would be a better place.
This just shows you how screwy Davey’s brain is. Does Davey realize who Wardell Stephen Curry Sr’s son is? Do you really want to throw his son in jail? On second thought, you would not be able to post anymore.
> Does Davey realize who Wardell Stephen Curry Sr’s son is? Do you really want
> to throw his son in jail?
Nepotism is the unjustified reward of an undeserving relative. Steph is not undeserving, so it’s not a case of nepotism.
Nobody is critical of the children of successful people when those children make it on their own.
“I’ve been a warriors fan since the YEARS”. – DaveyJ
If you were, (which I highly doubt because it’s laughable that you don’t know the father of the player that you admire and deem as the GOAT, being shown in stands during the dynasty years from 2015-2019).
I’m gonna steal his patent line….but touch it up a bit.
“You never knew ball lil bro.”
Step aside and let the grown ups talk. Baby J
The people defending Babey J (aristotle) also does not know ball.
@ Davey….Nepotism or not, yours definitely should be.
Oh Aristotle, this is what Davey said:
“Nepo babies must be stopped. It should be illegal to have the same job or in the same field as the job your mom or dad had.”
He didn’t nuance his statement in any way. It is a pretty clear declaration. Dell Curry’s children should not be allowed to play basketball. They should be librarians, according to Davey. Why not let them follow whatever path they want.
Of course, Davey thinks Steve Kerr is a Nepobaby. Which is weird. Kerr’s father, and grandfather, were Academics. No basketball in his family tree.
aristotle twisting the facts again to better fit their narrative and protect his own kind.
Giants74 Thats just deliberate misrepresentation. Nobody suggested Steph Curry has benefited from nepotism. You’re playing yourself.
Utah’s rebuild is slower than expected. None of Ainge’s picks have turned into studs but they have all shown flashes of being starters. Mitchell choked Rudy Choked. Many picks are still coming. Minny is going to lose many players this summer. Cleveland has cap issues coming. Those picks are out there. Kessler and Lauri have value in trades. Gel thus coming year and then go for the playoffs in 2027. Boston fans thought nesmith abd pritchrd were busts. Cody Williams is a freak athlete. Hendrick is tough.
Oh Aristotle, what did I misrepresent? Davey’s blanket statement is pretty clear. Children can’t work in the same field as their parents. I just applied facts to his rule.
Danny has been retired.
Can’t do ish without riding the wave of his dad.
Danny Ainge may be the most overrated exec in sports.