The Boston Celtics are headed to a pivotal offseason that will shape the franchise's future. Forced into big moves following Jayson Tatum's devastating injury and the looming salary cap crisis, the Celtics will need to make tough decisions on a few key players.
Those decisions will have to be made without a top front office executive, according to the latest report by ESPN's Shams Charania. Celtics assistant GM Austin Ainge is reportedly headed to the Utah Jazz after spending 14 years in Boston. Ainge will join the Jazz to become the franchise's president of basketball operations.
Celtics Assistant GM Joining Danny Ainge in Utah Before Offseason
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Austin will join his father, Danny Ainge, [who has been the CEO of basketball operations](https://chowderandchampions.com/celtics-have-perfect-trade-opportunity-with-danny-ainge-before-nba-draft-01jwbqxwt1kf) for the Utah Jazz since December 2021. The father-son duo will continue the rebuilding process that Danny started in Utah.
Despite rebuilding for the past few seasons, the Jazz are nowhere near contending in the stacked Western Conference. They had awful luck in the draft lottery, ending up with the No. 5 overall pick despite having the worst record in the league. This will likely force them to trade their All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen at some point this season.
The Celtics, on the other hand, will have to replace him in the front office. Ainge has held his current role for the past six years and has been working alongside Brad Stevens, helping him pull off masterful trades for Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis over the last couple of seasons.
How Ainge's departure will impact the Celtics' decision-making remains to be seen, but the fan base should not be too worried. Stevens has established himself as one of the best front office minds in basketball, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
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