Danny Ainge: After Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell trades, Jazz have 'plan in place' to assemble championship team

The Utah Jazz shocked basketball fans this offseason by trading away two of their core pieces in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, talking with the media for the first time since Utah traded Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, said it was clear the team needed to "transition" its roster this offseason. 

While the Jazz finished with a winning record for the sixth straight season in 2021-2022, they fell in the first round of the postseason for the third time in four years. After not progressing with a team led by Gobert and Mitchell, Ainge and his staff decided to make the changes.

"In trading Rudy and now Donovan, it was a rare opportunity to maximize our ability to get quality talent and picks to best position us moving forward," Ainge said via the team's website. "We have a plan in place to help us assemble the championship team our fans deserve. It will take time to craft our roster. We all understand the work ahead and are committed to our vision." 

The Jazz traded Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in early July in exchange for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverly, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt and multiple draft picks. 

Last week, the Jazz finally ended the saga surrounding Mitchell, dealing him to the Cavaliers for Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and three first-round draft picks.