Danny Ainge Did Danny Ainge Things In Luka Doncic-Lakers Blockbuster

Danny Ainge joined the call and let the picks come to him.

Sound familiar?

Ainge’s Utah Jazz accompanied the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks in a three-team blockbuster trade Sunday morning. Luka Doncic headlined the stunner as he departs Dallas for Los Angeles while Anthony Davis leaves LeBron James to join forces with Kyrie Irving.

Ainge, meanwhile, stayed busy in the background. Utah’s CEO of basketball operations turned an insignificant amount of NBA coin into a 21-year-old shooting guard and two draft picks.

The Jazz acquired Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-round pick from the Lakers (via the Clippers) as well as a 2025 second-round pick from the Mavericks. Utah parted with a measly $110,000 to be a part of the deal, per MassLive’s Brian Robb.

Those sorts of transactions aren’t unfamiliar to Ainge, who made similar moves during his tenure as the Boston Celtics president of basketball operations. Ainge was known for his ability to stockpile picks and help facilitate bigger trades as a third team.

Credit to Ainge in this circumstance, too.

Sure, Utah didn’t acquire any franchise-altering talents but it didn’t give up anything either. Ainge and the Jazz get an up-close look at Hood-Schifino, who LA selected in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, and now have a pair of trade chips for down the line.

Unfortunately for the 11-36 Jazz, that move alone is not enough to elevate from their last-place standing in the Western Conference.