Utah Jazz adjustments aren’t likely to include the addition of Danny Ainge.
The fact Danny Ainge is a BYU basketball legend — not to mention several of his family members live in “The Beehive State” — doesn’t necessarily mean he would ever accept a position in the Utah Jazz front office.
Besides, it’s barely been a month since the 62-year-old Oregon native retired as Boston Celtics president of basketball operations after holding that title for about 18 years.
Of course, none of this has stopped folks in Salt Lake City from repeatedly mentioning Ainge as a potential candidate to replace Dennis Lindsey, who announced in late June his own move into an advisory role after serving as Utah’s executive vice president of basketball operations since 2012.
Given the improbability of an Ainge return to Utah to take on a major basketball role, it seems the Jazz should be looking elsewhere.
Danny Ainge dismissing Utah Jazz rumors
On Friday, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported speaking with Ainge himself, who noted “nothing going on” between him and Utah brass.
However, the former one-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion did tell Himmelsbach that he is not ruling out some sort of return to the sport in the future. Still, Ainge maintained no desire to be anything more than an advisor for any team.
Now, it’s also worth pointing out that one of Ainge’s sons, Austin, remains the director of player personnel for the Celtics, a position he has held for 10 years. At the same time, though, Danny Ainge has put his Massachusetts mansion on the market since announcing his retirement.
In summary, don’t expect to see Danny Ainge in the Jazz front office, yet don’t be surprised to see him around in Utah a bit more often.