Boston Celtics Suffer Major Loss on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 1:28 PM ET

Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics fell flat in the second round of the NBA postseason, eliminated by divisional rivals, the New York Knicks. They lost 4-2 in the six-game series. This came after a strong regular season, where they won 61 games and were considered title contenders.

Their playoff exit also ended any hope of repeating as NBA champions. The Celtics had defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in June 2024 to win the title, but a return to the finals wasn’t in the cards this time.

Adding to the team’s disappointment, star forward Jayson Tatum suffered an injury during the Knicks series. He’s expected to miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season.

Now, the Celtics are taking another major hit, this time off the court.

According to a report from the New England Sports Fellow, the Celtics are losing a key front office figure:

"REPORT: The #Jazz have hired #Celtics assistant GM Austin Ainge as their President of Basketball Operations, per @ShamsCharania. The son of former Celtics player and executive Danny Ainge worked for Boston's front office for 14 years, 6 of them as assistant GM."

REPORT: The #Jazz have hired #Celtics assistant GM Austin Ainge as their President of Basketball Operations, per @ShamsCharania.

The son of former Celtics player and executive Danny Ainge worked for Boston's front office for 14 years, 6 of them as assistant GM. pic.twitter.com/Jomsa9lKFl
— New England Sports Fellow (@NESportsFellow) June 2, 2025

Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik spoke about the hiring, telling ESPN:

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Austin Ainge as our new president of basketball operations. Austin is one of the brightest minds in the NBA — his 17 years with the Celtics have given him incredible insight into every part of an organization.”

Austin Ainge had been with the Celtics organization for 14 years, including six seasons as assistant general manager. He played a key role in assembling Boston’s current roster, which included the pivotal acquisitions of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.

Though he had a deep connection to Boston, Ainge expressed excitement about his new role:

“This is an incredible opportunity,” Ainge said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more excited about the bright future of this organization... I have lived this my whole life, constantly studying teams, talent, chemistry and the selflessness necessary to win. I look forward to bringing that to Utah and am excited to give Jazz fans a lot to cheer about as we build our program back up.”

Austin’s father, Danny Ainge, remains Utah’s CEO and alternate governor. The Jazz also recently extended head coach Will Hardy through the 2031 season, signaling a long-term commitment to their front office and coaching staff.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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