The pressure was real. Rumors swirled. The noise was deafening. But Austin Ainge? He wasn’t afraid of the moment.
With two picks in a draft full of uncertainty, the Jazz front office ignored the outside chatter, the whispers about preferred destinations, the so-called “safe” options. They stared down public perception and swung for the upside. Twice.
At No. 5, they took the best player on their board — even if the league thought he wouldn’t dare step foot in Utah.
Later that night, they made another aggressive move — packaging No. 21, 43, and two future second-round picks to leap up to 18 in a trade with the Washington Wizards.