Here's Why NBA GMs Aren't Happy with Jazz Exec Danny Ainge
On February 23, 2011, the Utah Jazz traded All-Star guard Deron Williams for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, and two first-round draft picks. At the time, it seemed like an incredible haul for the Jazz.
Oh my, how times have changed.
The Minnesota Timberwolves included everything but the kitchen sink in the Rudy Gobert trade earlier this month.
Utah received:
- Malik Beasley
- Patrick Beverley
- Jarred Vanderbilt
- Leandro Bolmaro (No 23 pick in the 2020 draft)
- Walker Kessler (No 22 pick in 2022 draft)
- 2023 first-round pick
- 2025 first-round pick
- 2026 pick swap
- 2027 First Round Pick
- 2029 First Round Pick
Let’s compare that to what the Los Angeles Lakers had to give up for what was considered to be a top-10 player in Anthony Davis just three years ago.
L.A. relinquished:
- Brandon Ingram
- Josh Hart
- Lonzo Ball
- Three first-round picks
You get the picture.
Jazz executive Danny Ainge is breaking the NBA trade market, and general managers around the league purportedly aren’t happy. ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst recently gave his listeners some insight on his daily podcast.
“Danny Ainge has moved the game on winning deals …what he got for Gobert, everybody in the league is b*itching about, like, Can you believe it? I’ve talked to 10 different people who’ve bitched to me about the trade," Windhorst said.
Ainge’s next victim could be the New York Knicks, and he’s licking his chops. The Knicks are just three years removed from striking out on free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
This is a team desperate to be relevant that hasn’t had a “face of the franchise player” since Carmelo Anthony left in 2016.
Th Knicks are sitting ducks.
New York will need to break the bank to get this deal done. If a Knicks-Jazz exchange looks anything like what Ainge was able to extract from the Timberwolves, then New York may not make the playoffs. That's especially true if the Knicks are required to give up players like Obi Toppin and Evan Fournier to make a Donovan Mitchell trade happen.
A combination of five-to-six first-round picks and two-to-three solid rotational pieces on good contracts is highway robbery.
There also could be some dark days ahead for Jazz Nation. Rebuilds aren’t always fun, and player development takes time.
How fast the Jazz can get out of a rebuild will hinge on whether or not Ainge hits a few home runs in the draft, but the Utah basketball czar is going to get plenty of chances to do that with several loaded NBA draft classes expected in the next few years.
With a little luck in this year’s lottery, this rebuilding phase could just be a hiccup. Only time will tell how it all shakes out, but my money is on Trader Danny exacting his pound of flesh in exchange for the services of a bonafide All-Star like Mitchell.
Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.
