Danny Ainge Reportedly Signs Failed Celtics First-Round Pick To Jazz

Things didn’t work out initially for Danny Ainge when the Boston Celtics drafted Romeo Langford 14th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.

But Ainge, who is now the Utah Jazz president of basketball operations, is hoping another go-around with Langford will yield better results.

The Athletic’s Tony Jones and Shams Charania reported Wednesday afternoon the Jazz signed Langford to an Exhibit 10 deal. An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year deal at league minimum cost that can be converted to a two-way contract if done before the start of the regular season.

Langford got lost in the bevy of wing depth the Celtics possessed during his tenure and never carved out a role for himself. He played in just 94 games for the Celtics over two-plus seasons, averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest while shooting 39.6% from the field and 30.5% from 3-point range.

While Langford didn’t pan out with the Celtics, he did turn into an asset that helped Boston acquire Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs in a mid-season trade during the 2021-22 campaign. Langford ended up having an underwhelming season-plus with the the Spurs. He made 43 appearances last season, starting 21 of those games while tallying a career-high 6.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 19.6 minutes.

Langford, who will turn just 24 years old the night of the Jazz’s season opener, will now try to resurrect his career in Utah, and reward Ainge for his faith.

For Langford, it feels like this could be his last shot to make a good impression with a NBA team before fading from the league.