This week, the Utah Jazz went out and hired Austin Ainge as their next President of Basketball Operations. Austin leaves his position with the Boston Celtics and will now join his father, Danny, in Utah's front office. Now that there's a new voice in charge of decision-making for the Jazz, there's a pretty obvious next step the organization may try to take: Trading for players from the Celtics.
On a surface level, you may think I'm simply suggesting this because of the even stronger connection that now exists between Utah and Boston, considering the roles the Ainge's will play. But it really goes even further than that. The Celtics are facing a potentially turbulent offseason and the Jazz are still looking for a franchise-altering talent.
Given how Utah struck out in the draft lottery, one avenue they could pursue to improve would be to attempt to poach players from Boston. The Celtics are in an exceedingly difficult position considering what just happened over the course of the last month. When Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 4 against the New York Knicks, everything about Boston's future equation began to change.
There are already plenty of questions about how the Celtics will approach next season. Will they try to bring back their entire core of players? That would be a tall task, considering the financial implications, combined with the fact that it's questionable whether they will be a legitimate championship contender without their best player healthy.
The Jazz may try to trade for Celtics players
Boston may be more open to moving some of their rotation players given how their situation is so fluid right now. And this is preciesly where the Utah Jazz could step in.
Utah has the assets to make a big move. They own a treasure trove of draft picks, along with desirable young talent like Walker Kessler and Keyonte George. Not to mention the fact that they're in a position to take on bigger contracts if need be as well.
It's pretty easy to see why this could be a favorable situation for both the Jazz and the Celtics if all the right pieces fall into place. Utah could get some legitimate pieces to help them begin building toward playoff contention in the West, while Boston could loosen their financial burdens and create a successful "gap year" with Tatum out.
Utah's choice to bring on Austin Ainge may have set the stage for some big moves to happen between these two front offices. If they use the connections available to them, the Jazz could be in an excellent position moving forward.