AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Danny Ainge's retirement was brief.
The former Boston Celtics president of basketball operations joined the Utah Jazz as alternate governor and CEO on Wednesday.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, who first reported the news, Danny Ainge will be in charge of Utah's basketball operations.
Adrian Wojnarowski is a reporter for the Boston Globe.
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Ryan Smith and Ainge were friends when Ainge was a player. After last season, Ainge stepped down as Celtics GM, but is back with the Jazz to oversee basketball operations and work closely with Zanik.
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The 62-year-old stepped down from his post with the Celtics in June as part of an organizational shuffle that saw Brad Stevens move away from coaching to serve as the new head of basketball operations.
Stevens' transition to the front office was seen as a major shock by basketball fans.
The NBA Executive of the Year in 2008, Danny Ainge, was the person in charge of basketball operations for the Celtics since 2003 and helped form a championship-winning squad by acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. His tenure in Boston was defined by shrewd, team-first moves that always put the long-term health of the franchise over loyalty.
The Brooklyn Nets got a franchise-changing haul of draft picks when he traded Paul and Garnett. The move was praised as one of the best trades in NBA history, but his calculated roster-building angered some.
When Ainge traded beloved star Isaiah Thomas months after he played through a hip injury, the move damaged the executive's reputation with some players and agents.
In recent seasons, the Celtics have been unable to retain talent. Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, and Terry Rozier all left in the last few years. Kemba Walker, the biggest free-agent signing of Ainge's tenure, was a disappointment due to injuries that limited him to 99 games over the previous two seasons.
Stevens took over for Ainge in June and immediately traded Walker, along with the No. 16 overall draft pick in 2021, and a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Utah will be relying on the positive impact of Ainge's time in Boston to be a bellwether of good times.
The Jazz should use Ainge in a prominent role in order to give their front office a smart voice.
There is a strong foundation of talent in Utah that Ainge doesn't have to change. The Jazz are third in the Western Conference with a 19-7 start.
