Unexpected Team Could Be A 'Wild Card' In Celtics Trade Talks

It's well known that the Boston Celtics are going to have a busy offseason, with several players listed as potential trade candidates due to their luxury tax situation. But things are about to get a whole lot spicier after the defection of a former Boston front office bigwig to the Midwest.

According to Brian Robb in MassLive recently, former Celtics assistant general manager Austin Ainge could be expected to use his insider info on the C's in his new role as president of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz.

After more than 10 years in the Boston front office under Brad Stevens, the younger Ainge (now joining his father Danny, who is the CEO of the Jazz) obviously has good intel on the Celts, and the Jazz could become a wild card entry into the Celtics Trade Sweepstakes this summer.

Utah already has countless ties to former Celtics in place across the franchise, from Ainge, to head coach (former Celtics assistant) Will Hardy to former Celtics players like Jaden Springer and Svi Mykhailiuk.
League sources tell MassLive that the Jazz showed interest in acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday via trade back in 2023 before both players ultimately landed in Boston. Both players are available again on the trade market this year.
No two executives across the league know current Celtics players quite like Danny Ainge and Austin Ainge so Utah is worth keeping an eye on (beyond just Holiday and Porzingis) if Celtics players are made available in trades.

The Celtics need to get under the second apron, and with Jayson Tatum out for the entire 2025-26 season, now is the time to get out from under some of those massive contracts. Holiday, Porzingis, Sam Hauser and Derrick White are the names most often mentioned who could be moved.

The Jazz, for their part, have the cap flexibility to take on some big and/or long-term contracts, as Robb notes, and they also have a truckload of draft capital to use in any trades, as well as some enticing expiring contracts in John Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and KJ Martin.

Expect the Ainges to have Brad Stevens on speed dial this offseason.