Jazz CEO Danny Ainge Speaks On Big Game Hunting, What Went Wrong
Jun 5, 2025, 12:20 PM
Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge walks on the court after the Utah Jazz lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their final NBA home game of the season at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 11, 2025. The Jazz lost 145-111. (Photo courtesy of Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Photo courtesy of Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz CEO of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge caused a stir amongst fans last year when he said the team would be “big game hunting.”
Ultimately, the Jazz didn’t make any big moves and ended up with the worst record in the NBA last season. Ainge joined DJ and PK on the KSL Sports Zone to talk about the trade market, the young core, the draft, and more.
Danny Ainge Talks About Utah’s Presence In The Trade Market
At the end of the day, it’s hard to make trades in professional sports. It’s a whole other beast when trading for a star-level talent, and there’s more that goes into it than most fans might realize.
On the simplest level, there are 30 teams in the league, each with its own championship aspirations and a plan to get there.
Ainge said that the Jazz did push to make that coveted blockbuster deal, but so did multiple other teams.
“We have gone after some of the bigger names to add to our current roster,” Ainge said. “In our league right now, there aren’t many that are available. Those that do come available, there are 8 or 10 teams trying to get them, too.”
At the trade deadline, only four deals involving All-Stars were made: the Luka Dončić–Anthony Davis swap, the De’Aaron Fox–Zach LaVine three-team trade, Jimmy Butler to Golden State, and Brandon Ingram to Toronto.
The Dončić deal was made entirely behind closed doors; it was rumored that no one knew about the trade other than the Los Angeles and Dallas front offices. Fox had made it clear he wanted to be a Spur. Butler wanted to go to a contender, and Ingram likely wouldn’t have moved the needle much for Utah.
All of this to say, Utah either didn’t have much of a chance or would have had to overpay to bring in a bigger name at the last deadline. On top of this, Ainge explained that most teams already have a preferred package in mind when making these big trades.
“Maybe the most important thing, what you have to trade matters a lot,” Ainge explained. “Most of the trades I’ve made in my career are because the other team really, really wanted what I had. It’s tough to call a team and sell them on a player that they don’t want. They call the teams with players they want.”
Some fans were disappointed by the lack of movement for the Jazz in February, but it sounds like the front office has been far from complacent with its assets.
With Austin Ainge stepping in as President of Basketball Operations and a new chapter set to begin, don’t be surprised if the groundwork Utah has already laid starts turning into real deals sooner rather than later.
