The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics will play Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup against the New York Knicks on Monday night.
While Celtics fans are focused on this highly anticipated series against the Knicks, one of Boston’s former coaches received good news earlier in the day. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Will Hardy signed a long-term contract extension with the Utah Jazz through the 2030-31 season.
The former Celtics assistant just wrapped up his third season with the Jazz. The Jazz were the worst team in the league, finishing the 2024-25 campaign with a 17-65 record. This is a notable step back for the Jazz, who had 37 and 31 wins in Hardy’s first two years as the head coach.
However, the Jazz hope that the lottery falls in their favor and lands the No. 1 overall pick, which could change the trajectory of their franchise.
Even though things haven’t been great for Utah, the 37-year-old Hardy has done a solid job of trying to develop players to see if they are NBA-caliber or good fits in Utah. Lauri Markannen has become one of the better forwards in the league and was named to his first All-Star Game despite the Jazz being the worst team.
At the same time, the Jazz allowed the most points per game to opponents (121.2), which is not a recipe for success. However, the former Celtics assistant likely knew what he signed up for when taking the head coaching job a few years ago.
Coincidentally, Hardy isn’t the only person with Celtics ties inside the Jazz organization. Danny Ainge, a Celtics legend, is the Jazz's CEO of Basketball Operations.
The 66-year-old Ainge joined the Jazz ahead of the 2021-22 season. Before heading to Utah, Ainge spent 19 seasons with the Celtics in the front office. Ainge likely hopes Hardy and the Jazz can start having success like the Celtics have experienced over the last several years.
It won’t start next season, regardless of who the Jazz get in the NBA draft, but Hardy will have at least until the 2030-31 season to figure it out.