Celtics Reportedly Add Danny Ainge Castoff To 2023 Summer League Roster

Danny Ainge’s trash with the Utah Jazz might be Brad Stevens’ treasure with the Boston Celtics.

OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration on both sides, but the point nevertheless stands as the Celtics reportedly bring in a player who spent his first three seasons with the Jazz.

The Athletic’s Jared Weiss reported Thursday, citing a team source, that Boston’s summer league roster will feature Udoka Azubuike, a 2020 first-round pick whose fourth-year option was not exercised by Ainge’s front office in Utah.

Azubuike, listed at 6-foot-11 and 270 pounds, was the 27th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, chosen one spot after the Celtics selected Payton Pritchard at No. 26.

It’s too early to tell whether Azubuike will earn a two-way contract with the Celtics for the 2023-24 season, especially with Boston reportedly eyeing additional moves after acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards and trading Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a three-team, pre-draft blockbuster. But he’s still young, turning just 24 in September, and clearly has some redeeming qualities despite struggling to make a sizable impact in Utah.

Azubuike has 68 games of NBA experience. He averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10 minutes per game across 36 contests with the Jazz last season. The Celtics, in theory, could use him as a lob threat on the offensive end, while his massive wingspan serves him well as a rim protector defensively.

The Nigerian big man played college ball at the University of Kansas, earning Big 12 Player of the Year honors at the conclusion of his senior season in 2020.

There’s also probably a name pun to made somewhere, with the Celtics preparing for their second season without former head coach Ime Udoka, but we’ll spare you the comedy routine.