“Austin will be running the program. He’s got final recommendation to myself on any decisions that need to be made. I think it’s the job of both Justin (Zanik, Jazz GM) and Danny and myself to kind of plug into him,” said Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith after Austin Ainge was recently hired as the team’s new president of basketball operations. The ‘Ainge’ name isn’t new for Jazz fans, as Danny Ainge, Austin’s father, has been serving as the CEO of basketball operations since December 2021. Despite that, the 43-year-old hopes to be a fresh voice on the team’s management. Therefore, right from the start, he hopes to change one major aspect about the Utah Jazz that might affect its chances of acquiring a future NBA prospect.

As KSL reporter Ryan Miller noted in his coverage, Austin Ainge didn’t shy away from details during the majority of his introductory presser. When it came to team building, he mentioned the CBA agreement and his theory that constructing a competitive team is simply “making a lot of good decisions over and over and over.” However, does that decision-making involve tanking?

This was openly asked as the press wanted to know whether the Jazz would prioritize losing games just to increase their odds of winning the 2026 NBA Draft lottery. Without thinking for long, Austin chuckled a bit as he answered in just six words: “You won’t see that this year.”

Owner Ryan Smith looked on with a smug and knowing smile after the answer was given. With that brief statement, Jazz fans now have something to look forward to. After all, Austin’s response, or rather a sweeping declaration, was a major contrast to how the question was handled by the front office earlier. Indeed, it wasn’t that hard to hear responses like “we’re in a development phase”, or “we’ll do what’s best for the team in terms of long-term, sustained success”, or “we know that we’re young”. The new president’s answer was a sign that the Jazz were heading towards a good change.

Unfortunately, not tanking anymore means that the Utah Jazz won’t be able to secure the top picks for any upcoming drafts through the Draft Lottery. This means that even if all goes well for AJ Dybantsa, the Jazz won’t be there to pick him when his time comes. Despite having completed only his final high school season with Utah Prep, the 18-year-old basketball star was already listed as the number one recruit in both college and the 2026 NBA draft. Back in December, he announced that he would be committing to Brigham Young University and thereby play for the BYU Cougars men’s basketball team. Tanking another season would have ensured that the Utah Jazz would be in the prime spot to acquire Dybantsa, which won’t happen if they choose to play well.

The Utah Jazz haven’t won 40+ games for the last 3 seasons. Their record in the recent one was the worst, as the squad won only 17 of their 82 games! Not only was the team placed last on the Western Conference points chart, but it was also placed last overall. Throughout the recent tournament, the Jazz entered games with lengthy injury reports, which also included sitting healthy players due to rest. This fact wasn’t hidden well, which is why, back in March, the NBA fined the organization $100,000 for resting Lauri Markkanen against the Washington Wizards. The intentional tanking was clear to anyone who was watching the team’s progression throughout the season.

Austin Ainge’s reasoning for not having the team tank might have been to see them finally find a footing in the season. Or, the more obvious answer might be that intentionally losing is not giving the Jazz the rewards it was hoping for. The same was proven after the recent NBA Draft Lottery.

Utah Jazz set to lose out on Cooper Flagg and other top 4 picks despite best odds

Going into the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, it was a staunch belief that Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg would be heading to the Utah Jazz. After all, the star player has been, for a long time, considered to be a top pick thanks to his on-court prowess. Standing at 6-foot-9, he led Duke as a freshman in points (19.2 ppg), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), blocks (1.4), and steals (1.4), while shooting 48.1% from the floor and 38.5% from 3-point distance. The Jazz, having the worst win record, meant that they would get the top pick, aka Cooper Flagg. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the league had other plans.

Things took a twisting turn on Lottery Day after it was announced that the Dallas Mavericks were selected as the team to pick the No. 1 Draft Pick. The same team that traded off its star player in February, and held the 10th seed by mid-April. If Nico Harrison allegedly traded Luka Doncic just to lock down Cooper Flagg, then that was a masterstroke in tanking. Unfortunately, it also meant Flagg wasn’t going to Utah. To make matters worse, the Jazz slipped to fifth in the lottery.

According to Deseret News, the Jazz owe the Oklahoma City Thunder a pick next year, but it is top-8 protected. So, if the Jazz want to keep the pick, they have to be bad enough next season to ensure that their first-round pick falls in the top 8. If the picks falls below the 8th pick, it goes to the Thunder, who just qualified for the NBA Finals! As Austin Ainge made it clear, losing is not on their agenda. Therefore, even in their pursuit to win, things can get complex for the team in the long run.

Do you stand behind Austin Ainge’s recent determination? Or, do you feel tanking is the way to go? Let us know in the comments section down below.