Celtics lose front office member to Jazz
It’s officially an Ainge-less front office in Boston.
Feb 28, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen on the court beofre the game between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
The first loss of what expects to be a busy offseason for the Celtics has come in the front office, with assistant general manager Austin Ainge off to the Utah Jazz to become the club's president of basketball operations.
Ainge's departure was first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.
Ainge, who has been working with the Celtics for the last 15-plus years, had spent the previous six years as Boston's assistant general manager after serving in a player personnel and scouting role prior to that. In Utah, Ainge will (obviously) be reunited with his father, Danny Ainge, who currently serves as the CEO and alternate governor of the Jazz.
“Ownership is awesome and it’s just kind of the next progression of my career,” Ainge told the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach on Monday. “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. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of potential.”
According to Himmelsbach, the Celtics do not have any imminent plans to name a replacement to Ainge and his post with Boston.
Interestingly enough, Austin's departure from the club means that this will be the first time that the Celtics' front office has been without an Ainge since before Danny joined the club in 2003.
Consider it just another challenge in an offseason that's projected to be full of them for Boston, with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis expected to be on the block for a Celtics club staring down a long list of potential bills to pay.
