NBA Notebook: Danny Ainge era continues for Jazz as new one begins for Celtics

Danny Ainge appeared on the floor before the Celtics' win over the Jazz on Friday smiling and laughing with Jayson Tatum. Ainge's Utah Jazz fell to last place in the NBA earlier in the week, but he didn't seem to mind. He knew, expected even, that the Jazz would lose many games across multiple seasons while playing the long game following trades that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland and Rudy Gobert to the Wolves upon his arrival as CEO of Utah. There was a chance, early, that Mitchell and Gobert wouldn't play for those respective teams, and the draft picks they sent back would prove as valuable as the Brooklyn ones that became Jaylen Brown and Tatum in consecutive seasons. That hasn't happened. The Cavs and Wolves only ascended. 

While the Jazz could still land Cooper Flagg or another top prospect to begin their march forward in this rebuild, the draft lottery odds are one of many things that don't work the same as Ainge tries to recreate his Celtics success out West. Utah, sharing the worst lottery odds with Washington and Charlotte, has only a 14% chance at the No. 1 overall pick and 52.1% odds of selecting in the top four. Former Celtics assistant coach Will Hardy, despite strong starts in his first two seasons, hasn't successfully counteracted his organization's long-term priorities despite his best efforts to win. Ainge also hasn't successfully produced a star for the Jazz despite hopes Lauri Markkanen could rise to that level, a thwarted plan that could've landed Kristaps Porziņģis in free agency if his trade to the Celtics fell through and the John Collins reclamation project off to a slow start ahead of his $26.6 million player option for next season. 

The familiar faces are all over the organization. Former Maine Celtics head coach Scott Morrison and Evan Bradds, who coached with Boston from 2018-22, joined Hardy on his Utah staff. Jason Terry works on the team's player development staff too, as does Justin Mazzulla, the 26-year-old brother of Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. Joe himself, then a Boston assistant, interviewed for the Utah Jazz head coaching job in 2022, falling short that summer following the Celtics' NBA Finals trip to his fellow assistant Hardy. Months later, Mazzulla took over as interim head coach in Boston when the team suspended Ime Udoka. Mazzulla didn't have many words of admiration for his brother before the Celtics-Jazz game earlier this month, because he works for the other team. 

"I wore a suit, and I was really uncomfortable. I'm really pissed I did that, it's useless," Mazzulla said last season, reflecting on the impact of his interview. "I appreciate that I got to go through that, especially doing it out of a different organization. You get to see how other organizations run things, what they're looking for. And you get to put yourself to a test. Going into that interview, they asked me a particular question that I wasn't quite ready to answer, and it was, 'Do you think that at a young age, you can run an organization?' I knew I could, but I didn't give the answer I needed to give to get the job."

More recently, the Jazz signed Svi Mykhailiuk to a four-year contract following his championship run with the Celtics, who has logged 29 games and shared his experience with teammates about what made Boston successful in 2024. Jaden Springer joined him last month after they played together between February and June last year, starting on a 10-day contract and later earning his own long-term deal with Utah following his trade to and release from Houston before the trade deadline. Springer said he appreciated Brad Stevens giving him a heads-up before the deal, while Mykhailiuk received his championship ring and got swarmed by former teammates pre-game in Boston earlier this month in his return. Luke Kornet, who returned to the Celtics after the championship, mulled a $7-million offer from the Jazz before re-signing with Boston on a one-year contract knowing how much of the roster would return and comfortable with his situation. 

The crossover between the two organizations remains significant, Ainge's son Austin is among the staff that's mostly stayed the same since Danny retired from Boston and Stevens ascended from head coach to president in 2021, an ominous move at a turbulent time that drew much skepticism. Especially once Ainge quickly returned to basketball with the Jazz. That Stevens would still be leading the organization in 2025 felt far from likely then, and despite rumored connections to various college jobs since, he's downplayed himself as a candidate each time and architected the Celtics' 2024 championship two summers ago by complementing Ainge's draft successes last decade with elite role players in moves far more aggressive than Ainge pulled off in his latter years. 

"Both organizations are aligned from the top," Hardy said earlier this month. "I think for any organization to have a chance to be successful, you have to have alignment from leadership all the way down through the players. I think that's what stands out to me in Utah from my first 2.5 years is we're growing as a team, we're at a different point in our arc than maybe the Celtics are right now, but there's a ton of conviction and alignment at the top. I think that (Jazz owner) Ryan (Smith)'s leadership stands out every day, you guys obviously know Danny very well. Danny and (GM) Justin (Zanik) do a really good job of guiding us every day through this process. I think those are where the similarities are, but right now, we're young and we're developing and growing, so it's about just continuing to improve every single day. I know maybe the semantics may be different for us and for them right now, but I've felt a very similar tone to when I was here." 

As the Jazz' rebuild continued with another loss to the Celtics, Boston made a significant transition following its championship when Wyc Grousbeck's family agreed to sell its majority share to private equity executive Bill Chisholm, a relatively unknown suitor with local ties but unclear intentions financially. Numerous fellow buyers and additional private equity joined his bid, which shocked many, coming in at a North American sports record $6.1 billion and narrowly defeating an internal bid by Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca. Pagliuca lamented the decision in a statement, stressing that his offer was fully guaranteed and not hamstrung by private equity interests. While Grousbeck and Chisholm hyped Chisholm's Celtics fandom and desire to win, he struggled to directly answer whether he'd spend what it takes -- a ginormous $500 million in payroll and tax -- to keep Boston's championship-contending roster together. He pivoted to talking about the franchise's history of winning, and praising Grousbeck, who they both affirmed will remain as the team's governor for three seasons. The Celtics haven't held a press conference yet on the sale. 

Stevens, now in his third season atop the organization, said he and the team's front office conducted business as usual following the sale's announcement. Even last month, Stevens hadn't heard much or been directed toward certain moves regarding the sale. Chisholm reportedly met with Stevens and Mazzulla late this week, and while the Celtics have a strong chance to repeat as champions in three months, uncertainty now looms over the future of a roster with two super-max players in Brown and Tatum and three other starters who also signed extensions over the last two years. Sam Hauser also received a long-term deal and Al Horford enters free agency this summer looking more valuable than a league minimum player even at 38. Stevens has operated with more concern for the present than the future, while prioritizing keeping Brown and Tatum together through even the rockiest moments of their careers several years ago, but difficult decisions await. And it's worth wondering if he and the new ownership group will want to collaborate on deconstructing the roster, whether that comes this summer or in two years, when second apron penalties will inevitably catch up to them. 

Grousbeck touted second apron penalties as a reason changes could occur on all rosters, rather than the massive luxury tax payments looming. Though in Boston's case, beyond draft picks that'll become unavailable in trades seven years into the future for each year above the apron, then eventually move to the end of those first rounds, the trade restrictions, buyout limitations and inability to use the mid-level exception that mark the second apron's main restrictions don't project to bother a team that's almost entirely re-signed long term. It's the money. 

Out in Utah, the Jazz is far from the luxury tax, though Smith's net worth of $2.6 billion alongside the NHL's Utah Hockey Club, who added revenue to his Delta Center in Salt Lake City, serves as some model for the financial structure needed to contend into the future. They don't have the players though, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson signed and effective, but not enough to drive the team to competitiveness to a stacked west. Keyonte George and Walker Kessler have shown promise, but not as franchise players. The Jazz have poked around when some stars like Brandon Ingram have become available, and Utah hilariously facilitated the infamous Luka Dončić trade last month. For Boston, regardless of what happens with the roster around them, Brown and Tatum allow the Celtics to stay relatively competitive as they approach their 30s while the team tries to figure out a new way to support them with additional talent. 

And they still have Danny to thank for that. 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week... 

Atlanta (33-36): Clint Capela will be evaluated in 3-4 weeks after suffering a ligament injury in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand. The Hawks lead the surging Bulls by 3.5 games with 13 remaining, not an insurmountable climb but a solid advantage with the Heat falling out of the race for the 7-8 play-in game. Basketball Reference now gives the Hawks a greater than 90% chance to finish as the seventh or eighth seed, and one win away from facing the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta and its likely play-in opponent Orlando still play two more times before the regular season finishes. Capela will miss those games, and his play-in status appears in doubt with this timeline too. Dyson Daniels has more steals than anyone's had over the last 15 seasons. 

Boston (51-19): Bill Chisholm, a little-known private equity executive from Georgetown, Massachusetts, who's now based in California, purchased the Celtics alongside a group of additional private equity support, a current team co-owner and additional investors for $6.1 billion, he and Wyc Grousbeck announced on Thursday. Pending NBA approval, Chisholm will become majority owner of the Celtics now while the full transition continues through 2027-28, though as Grousbeck indicated various times throughout the sale process, he'll remain as team governor for the next three years. Chisholm affirmed that reality while selling his Celtics fandom across an array of interviews, though his commitment to the team's $500 million payroll and luxury tax allotments didn't sound as concrete. He stressed continuing to raise banners in TD Garden, while deferring to Grousbeck on the team's future in TD Garden. Steve Pagliuca, Grousbeck's 22-year co-owner and the first to express interest in buying, expressed disappointment in his offer, which reportedly fell just short of Chisholm's, not prevailing. Pagliuca stressed that his group had a fully guaranteed offer and wouldn't be hamstrung by private equity, and that he would've pursued winning, "luxury tax be damned." Sixth Street, which also owns part of the Spurs, provided significant funding in the sale.

The Celtics began a six-game road trip on Friday that'll run through the end of the month beginning in Utah, Portland and Sacramento. Jaylen Brown (knee) missed three of the last four games and left Saturday's win at Brooklyn with back spasms. Brown will also miss Monday's game, and will now need to appear in nine of the Celtics' final 11 games to remain eligible for All-NBA status, which appears unlikely after he was diagnosed with a bone bruise. Kristaps Porziņģis returned from missing eight straight games with an illness, scoring 24 points in back-to-back games against the Nets while logging regular minutes. Baylor Scheierman, the team's No. 30 pick who spent most of the season in Maine, scored 17 points in 10 minutes after halftime to beat Brooklyn on Tuesday. 

Chicago (30-40): Creeping into the mix of teams that could face the Celtics in the first round after winning 6-of-10. Now built around Coby White, Kevin Huerter and Tre Jones in the backcourt with Nikola Vučević remaining past the deadline, they're 8-10 since the Zach LaVine trade, 19th in offense and 17th in defense, but more recently inched toward a positive net rating. That proved enough to pass a spiraling Heat team and to stay within 2.5 games of the Magic, who have lost 6-of-10. White is averaging 28.4 PPG on 48.3% shooting over his last 10 games. 

Cleveland (56-14): Their lead over the Celtics fell to 5.0 games with a loss to the Suns on Friday, their fourth straight defeat, opening the door for Boston, who Basketball Reference gives a 1.0% chance to catch the Cavs and claim home court advantage. Cleveland currently owns the tiebreaker over the Celtics due to conference record, and further security down the stretch, but their recent slip-ups saw their league-leading offense regress to 116.5 points per 100 possessions with a few Donovan Mitchell stinkers. Their offense for the season remains an NBA-best 121.5 offensive rating. 

"Put this on me," Mitchell told reporters on Friday. "When your leader ain't doing shit, this is what happens. Yeah, we have to guard better, rebound, shit like that. But if I'm not being who I need to be, then we're not going to get to where we want to get to."

Dallas (34-37): Will apparently make one last push toward the postseason with Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II all progressing in their rehab toward returns late this regular season, joining the G-League Texas Legends for a practice. Davis, who last played on Feb. 8 before suffering his adductor injury, could return during the team's East Coast trip that begins on Monday in Brooklyn. Gafford and Lively, who have progressed to three-on-three work, are further behind while Caleb Martin (hip) continues to struggle with an injury that's sidelined him for all but five games since the trade deadline. There was talk of shutting Davis down for the season, according to ESPN, but he remained determined to play again with 11 games left. The Suns tied Dallas for the 10th and final postseason spot this week, and Phoenix owns the tiebreaker. The Mavs have lost 8-of-10, including 7-of-9 since Kyrie Irving went down with an ACL tear. 

Denver (44-27): Fell into a tie for third with the Lakers for third in the west this week behind the Rockets while Nikola Jokić missed three straight games, likely ending his late push to contend for a second straight and fourth career NBA MVP award. Jokić is averaging 29.1 PPG, 12.8 RPG and 10.3 APG on 57.5% shooting, which would make him the third player in NBA history alongside Oscar Robertson and teammate Russell Westbrook to average triple-doubles for a full season, Westbrook doing it four times and most recently in 2021. Jokić will also inevitably reach the 65-game threshold to become eligible for the award and make his fifth All-NBA First Team. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring, consistency and the Thunder's massive lead atop the west appears likely to top him in one of the closest statistical battles we've seen between two contenders. Basketball Reference's predictor, however, continues to give the edge to Jokić at 53.8% over SGA's 38.8%. 

Golden State (41-29): Steph Curry fell on his tailbone and left the Warriors' close win over the Raptors on Thursday that slid them one game ahead of the Clippers in sixth place in the west and improved them to 16-2 when Jimmy Butler plays. Butler sealed the win with a block after Curry departed and secured a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Teammates shared frustration that the officials didn't call a foul on the play that injured Curry, but he avoided serious damage beyond a pelvic contusion, the team announced. He'll receive treatment over the weekend and miss Saturday's game against the Hawks, the beginning of a six-game road trip for Golden State. 

"He hit that ground hard," Draymond Green said. "You could hear it. It was crazy. Obviously a very scary moment for us, for him. Hopefully he's good."

Houston (46-25): Won nine straight games and secured a playoff berth for the first time since 2019-20 in the Bubble, a massive turnaround from 22 wins tow years ago and 41 last season, Ime Udoka accumulating 46 wins and counting into his second season. The Rockets sit alone in the second seed, two games over the Nuggets and Lakers, and rank third in defense, just south of Orlando. They're first, ahead of Oklahoma City, during their win streak and answered a frustrating stretch prior that drew patented criticism from Udoka. Basketball Reference gives the Rockets a 93.8% chance of finishing second or third. Houston owns the tiebreaker over LA, but plays the Lakers twice late in the schedule. The Rockets host Denver on Sunday, but own the tiebreaker. 

Clippers (40-30): Won five straight to tie Minnesota for the seventh seed, only one game behind the Warriors, as part of a larger 8-of-10 stretch. Is this the year they reach the finish line healthy? Kawhi Leonard is averaging 23.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 3.6 APG on 51.7% shooting over that stretch and has plenty of support between James Harden and Norman Powell. Bogdan Bogdanović, whose contract the Clippers received three second-rounders from Atlanta to absorb, has emerged as a 42.1% three-point shooter in 18 Clippers games, an underrated boost to a team that's finally flying under the radar. Basketball Reference gives them a 26.4% shot to finish above the play-in line, and a 72.9% chance to finish as either the seventh or eighth seed. They'll be a tough out. 

Lakers (43-26): Running deep bench lineups with LeBron James (groin) still sidelined and Luka Dončić (ankle) missing two of the team's last five games. They've leaned on a pair of two-way players for significant minutes this season in Jordan Goodwin and Trey Jemison, and decision time looms on converting them to standard contracts to make them playoff-eligible. That'll force the Lakers to waive two active roster players, likely Shake Milton and Markieff Morris, according to The Athletic. LA upgraded James to questionable on Saturday as his return looms. Mark Cuban, speaking on the Dončić trade for the first time, said he did not agree with Nico Harrison's decision to execute the trade with the Lakers, but it was already done and wasn't his decision to make. 

"I thought he was asking me what I thought, and I realized very quickly he was telling me what happened," Cuban said.

Miami (29-41): Playing the worst basketball of the Erik Spoelstra era, losing 10 straight and falling to 10th in the west, and will likely miss the playoffs at this rate. They should reach the play-in with a 5.0 game edge over Toronto and the tiebreaker in hand, but the depths of their struggles at least make it worth considering how far the Heat could fall. They're last in offense, 3.0 points per 100 possessions worse than the Jazz, during that stretch and their 19th-ranked defense puts them ahead of only the capsizing Mavericks and Pelicans in net rating recently. Only 1-2 weeks ago, they looked like a possible first round opponent for the Celtics. Now, there's next to no chance they meet in the playoffs for the fourth straight season, the end of an era where they constantly battled. 

Minnesota (41-31): Have won 8-of-10 and got healthy this month, but on Friday, they started Joe Ingles, the 37-year-old forward who appeared in only 18 games previously for the Wolves, mostly as an in-bounding specialist who's averaged 0.8 PPG. Chris Finch wanted Ingles to play in front of his son Jacob, who has autism, and attended his first full NBA game earlier in the week, but couldn't see his father, who did not play. Ingles' start marked his first since 2022, and he played six minutes. Ingles hopes the start will continue his goal of spreading autism awareness. 

"The s---'s real. It doesn't matter who you are or the lifestyle or the money," he said. "We'll keep doing what we do, the awareness, and we'll keep doing whatever we can to help other families.

New York (43-26): Have lost 6-of-10 and two straight, slashing their lead over the Pacers for third-place in the east to three games. The Knicks own the tiebreaker and a 93.5% chance at staying put in the standings, which would line them up against the Celtics in round two, but their recent lull at least raises the question of whether they'll make it past the sixth-seed Pistons, or the Bucks and Pacers if either fall into that spot. Jalen Brunson has missed seven games since his ankle injury, the likeliest reason for their struggles, which will continue even after he moved on from his walking boot and progressed to light shooting. He'll be evaluated in one week and New York expects him to return before the playoffs. Josh Hart downplayed his spat with Tom Thibodeau, which raised questions last week.

“You all know me. You know my feelings towards Thibs,” Hart said. “You’re not going to find a more loyal player. I love Thibs. I think that was just my frustration coming out with the flow of the game, my own individual performance." 

Oklahoma City (58-12): They just keep winning, four straight since beating the Celtics earlier this month, 9-of-10 and the last two coming by more than 30 points. The Thunder boast a 2.0 game lead on the Cavaliers for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, are on pace for 67-68 wins and currently own the best scoring differential (+13.06) ahead of the 1972 Lakers (+12.28). The 2024 Celtics and 2017 Warriors, by comparison, outscored opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions. If Oklahoma City reaches full health in the playoffs, there's a real possibility that this is the championship favorite and we aren't discussing it enough. Vegas is, as the Thunder became the betting favorite to win the 2025 championship ahead of the Celtics earlier this week.

Phoenix (34-37): Face the Celtics for the first time this season on Wednesday after beating the Cavs for their third straight win and sixth over their last 10. Bradley Beal missed the wins with a hamstring injury and will remain out until at least early next week. That allowed Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to trade 40-point performances over the last two wins, while creating some new clarity about where they need to pivot this offseason. It's easier said than done, Phoenix already tried unsuccessfully to trade Beal before the deadline and his no-trade clause remains. A move to the bench earlier this season didn't change his desire to stay with the Suns, and it's unlikely he'll agree this summer either. Despite their recent improvement, they're still in an impossible spot. 

Portland (32-39): Robert Williams III will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his left knee to address swelling. He played in only 20 games this year after appearing in six following his trade from Boston in 2023-24. This week marks the three-year anniversary of Williams tearing his meniscus in the knee, returning weeks later for the playoffs after removal surgery and dealing with swelling and pain into the summer that required multiple additional procedures. The latest setback casts some doubt over his NBA future, a devastating reality considering where he was. The Celtics and Blazers meet on Sunday at 6 p.m. for the fourth time since the Jrue Holiday trade that sent Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon and two firsts to Portland. Williams still hasn't played against his former team. He's expected to miss 4-6 weeks. 

Sacramento (35-34): Host the Celtics in the second half of their back-to-back on Monday at 10 p.m. after beating them in January, but much has changed since then, trading De'Aaron Fox, seeing Domantas Sabonis miss eight of the last 10 games with injuries and Zach LaVine arrive, averaging 21.9 PPG on 51.7% shooting through his first 19 games. They're actually better, record-wise, than the 19-19 mark they arrived in Boston with two months ago. They're also solidly in the play-in mix barring a late Mavericks charge. They've lost 6-of-10 around Sabonis' injury, though. 

San Antonio (30-39): On their way to missing the postseason for the sixth straight season since 2018-19 following Victor Wembanyama's season-ending blood clot and De'Aaron Fox' season-ending pinkie surgery. Fox suffered the tendon injury in October at Kings training camp and played through it all season. He averaged 19.7 PPG and 6.8 APG on 44.6% shooting in 17 games with the Spurs, and enters this summer with one season left on his contract worth $37.1 million. He's eligible to sign a four-year, $229 million extension, but could make $296 million if he waits until free agency in 2026 to stay with the Spurs. San Antonio hosts the Celtics on Friday at 8 p.m. with Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan now starting. They're 10th in the lottery, but also own the Hawks' unprotected first-round pick from the Dejounte Murray trade.