Will Dwyane Wade convince Shane Battier to hop on board with the Utah Jazz?
Back in June, Dennis Lindsey stepped down as Utah Jazz vice president of basketball operations. Reported friction between himself and head coach Quin Snyder appeared to play a part in the decision.
About two weeks before Lindsey’s move, Shane Battier left his role as Miami Heat vice president of analytics and basketball development to become a board member for software firm Yext.
Since Battier was on back-to-back title teams in Miami (2012, 2013) alongside Dwyane Wade — now a Jazz minority owner — the intelligent 42-year-old instantly became a rumored name to fill out the front office in Utah.
Why Shane Battier would likely fit well with the Utah Jazz
Fast forward to the present day. Still, nobody has stepped into Lindsey’s position. And in an article on Friday from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report that identified several fellas who seem to sit atop front-office wishlists, once again Battier was the one linked to the Jazz:
"“As playing experience becomes more valued among front-office personnel, Shane Battier’s name has been mentioned more than most as a potential basketball operations leader.”"
Fischer continued:
"“Battier has worked in Miami’s basketball development and analytics areas in various capacities and has been widely linked as a candidate to join the Jazz with new minority owner Dwyane Wade involved in Utah’s decision-making, sources told B/R.“"
Beyond that, keep in mind that Snyder, a Duke basketball assistant coach in the 1990s, helped recruit Battier, a five-star prep in those days, to play his college ball in Durham. Then Snyder, who had also played for Blue Devil coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski, remained on staff during Battier’s freshman and sophomore campaigns.
Chances are Snyder would like Battier more than Lindsey.