Utah Jazz president and former Boston Celtics legend Danny Ainge reportedly didn't know he was helping his once-hated rival Los Angeles Lakers acquire one of the biggest stars in the NBA in Sunday's three-team trade with the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Dončić.
According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon, the Jazz "didn't know Dončić and [Anthony] Davis were a part of the deal until about an hour before it was completed, league sources said," and Ainge "had only about 30 minutes notice, sources said, that Los Angeles was about to acquire Dončić to be the new face of its franchise."
The Jazz acquired two second-round picks and 2023 No. 17 overall pick Jalen Hood-Schifino to help facilitate the deal between the Lakers and Mavs.
Coincidentally, Utah was in negotiations with the Los Angeles Clippers for a trade involving veteran forward PJ Tucker. Shelburne and MacMahon noted that the Lakers "had asked the Jazz to complete the trade involving Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills by the time they" finished Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks. Los Angeles reportedly "had several backup plans if the Jazz option fell through."
The deal between the Jazz and Clippers was completed on Saturday afternoon, allowing the Lakers to move forward with negotiations with the Mavs.
"Shortly after the Jazz completed their business with Mills, they learned of the magnitude of the trade they were about to be involved in. All that did was buy them an extra hour to digest its ramifications," Shelburne and MacMahon stated.
The Lakers now have one of the brightest young stars in the NBA. Dončić will be the clear successor to LeBron James once the 40-year-old ends his legendary career, shifting the balance of power in the Western Conference.
The Jazz, meanwhile, rank last in the West with a record of 11-36 entering Monday night's game against the Indiana Pacers (27-20). Utah will be in the running for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and Ainge and company will certainly be hoping to land a player who can lead the franchise back to prominence.
Read 470 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation