The Utah Jazz have promoted general manager Dennis Lindsey to executive vice president of basketball operations. Assistant general manager Justin Zanik will be taking over Lindsey's old general manager gig.
The Jazz announced the promotions on Friday:
“We are excited for these promotions as they further enable Dennis to provide executive leadership and overall strategic vision for Jazz basketball operations and give Justin the opportunity for greater impact on our organization. As one of the brightest young executives in the league, Justin will be responsible for the day-to-day operations. Their leadership allows us to work collectively toward our championship goals,” said Steve Starks, president of the Utah Jazz.
Lindsey and Zanik have tag-teamed the building of one of the better teams in the NBA. Lindsey got his start with the Houston Rockets and worked his way up the management ladder before leaving for the San Antonio Spurs to become their assistant general manager in 2007. He then joined the Jazz as general manager in 2012 and was Executive of the Year runner-up in 2018.
Zanik had a lengthy career as an agent before shifting over to the management side of things. He has spent the majority of his management career with the Jazz, but he also had a brief stint with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was a top candidate for the general manager position in Philadelphia, which ultimately went to Elton Brand.
The Jazz were just eliminated by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, but it was their third straight postseason appearance. Utah won a playoff series in each of the past two seasons, and there's a stellar foundation in place with Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
It will be up to Lindsey and Zanik to build around those two stars as the Jazz try to get to the next level.
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