Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — In 2007, Danny Ainge — then the general manager of the Boston Celtics — had his eyes set on Kevin Durant.
The Celtics were bad. They had endured a 19-game losing streak and the second-worst record in the league. Durant was supposed to be the prize; however, lottery night appeared disastrous. The team fell from No. 2 to No. 5, which meant missing out on a potential franchise-changing player.
So Ainge changed course. Soon enough, he had swung trades for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and a year later, the Celtics were hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy.
"We were able to eventually land Ray Allen and KG, who were never available before that moment in time," Ainge said. "But we were there and we were ready."
The Jazz feel they are ready for such a move. They have Lauri Markkanen as a building block, young talent, and veterans in Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins. Utah was awful to end the season, but a couple of key moves could change their fortunes immediately.
The problem: They don't know when those moves will be available.
"We're trying to find good players," Ainge said. "That's our objective. We've been close. We felt like we've been close once (to a move) in this process that would have changed the dynamic of our team immediately and the direction."
The potential for those types of deals is why the Jazz don't want to bottom out completely. Players like Markkanen, Sexton, Kris Dunn and Clarkson could help a contending team in the right roles. Ainge said that if the Jazz were to trade everyone away, it would add years to the rebuilding project.
"If we just have a bunch of young players … and we had the ability to go trade for a franchise-changing player, we would have to change the whole team," Ainge said. "But because we have Lauri Markkanen, as an example, we don't feel like we have to make a wholesale change."
So while the Jazz aren't in the playoffs, the postseason is quite important to the franchise. Will Luka Doncic get impatient in Dallas if the Mavericks are bounced in the first round? Will the Pelicans look to reset if things end poorly? Will the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George duo call it quits with the Clippers if an early exit comes?
With how stacked the West is this season, there are bound to be a few disappointed teams at the end. Disappointment breeds drama. The Jazz will be waiting if that comes along.
"Our objective is to find a player or two, and we're ready to roll, we're ready to go," Ainge said.
That move wasn't available at the deadline, so the Jazz pivoted. They traded away role players for draft picks to be flexible in the future. Before those deals, the Jazz were looking at having zero picks in this year's draft. Now, they'll have three.
Those now can be used to draft players or to sweeten a potential deal.
Free agency, though, doesn't seem to be in play to get one of those players. For one, Utah has never been an attractive destination to top free agents in the league. Secondly, the free agent pool is drying up. The new collective bargaining agreement has made it much easier for players to sign fair extensions, so most top players aren't even hitting free agency.
"There's no guarantees in this business at all," Ainge said. "That's why you can't just have a plan."
Agine said that he didn't have it all mapped out with the Celtics when he traded Garnett and Pierce. That deal eventually landed them Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — players who have led the Celtics to the Finals and the best record in the league this season.
"Those things they work out," Ainge said. "But you put yourself in a position to do that."
The Jazz are in a position to make some moves. The question is if any become available.
