Danny Ainge On Next Season’s Jazz Team: “It Will Be More Fun”

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge is excited about the future of the team and expects the on-court product to be better, as soon as next season.

Ainge joined DJ and PK on the KSL Sports Zone to talk about Utah’s front office, the young core, the draft, and more.

Danny Ainge Looking Forward To Next Chapter Of Jazz Basketball

With a top-five pick and a new President of Basketball Operations, Utah is clearly turning a page heading into the 2025-2026 season.

Both on the court and behind the scenes, Ainge believes the franchise is in a good spot and is heading in the right direction.

In response to Austin Ainge’s no tanking quote from his introductory press conference, Danny Ainge said that, buzzwords aside, the on-court product will be much more enjoyable than what was presented last year.

RELATED: Austin Ainge: ‘You Won’t See’ Utah Jazz Tanking This Year

“I think the fans should be excited about the guys we have and how they’re developing,” Ainge said. “Whatever pieces that are put together in this offseason with the team, it will be more fun this year. I really believe that. The players are not only getting better and growing, but I think the coaches are getting to understand one another. There’s some continuity with the group. Regardless of what buzz words we want to use, I’m looking forward to the upcoming year.”

Done with tanking?

New @utahjazz President of Basketball Ops Austin Ainge said you won’t see the team tanking next season.

But, can the Jazz have their cake, and eat it, too?#takenotehttps://t.co/sUALR24RiG

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 3, 2025

No matter what the day one roster looks like for the Jazz, the upside of the young core is apparent. And that’s before a top-five pick slots in and likely becomes Utah’s best young piece.

Ainge promptly pointed out the value of continuity and development within that group, emphasizing how far they still have to grow.

“These guys have really bonded and pushed themselves to the limit,” Ainge said. “I’m excited about what they’re becoming. Most of them are 21 and younger, still 6 years from their prime. We just need to stay with it and keep developing them and see how they all fit together. I’m excited about it.”

With that said, Ainge knows contenders are ultimately built on more than just development.

He looked back on his Celtics days to explain that, in a lot of cases, development is followed by deals to create a team that works well together.

Another perfect example is the two teams currently in the NBA Finals. Both Indiana’s and Oklahoma City’s best players, Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, were brought to the team via trade.

“I think that oftentimes the player that you draft might be a very good player, but for example, you take Marcus Smart, who we really liked in his time in Boston, and they moved him to get (Kristaps) Porzingis, who played a major role in them winning a championship last year,” Ainge explained. “(So) how those teams are built is not always (through) the people you draft (being) the right pieces. But hopefully, they turn out to be good players that you can move to fit your team together down the road. This year is tough because we have guards, bigs, and forwards—now we need to get another really good player, whatever position they are.”

Utah is uniquely positioned to both develop the current core and make a big splash if the right opportunity presents itself.

No matter what happens, it’s clear that the Jazz brass is confident in next season being a fun one both for the team and the fans.

Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.

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