The Boston Celtics could be sold for a historic price if the franchise is purchased anytime soon. According to ESPN, the Boston Celtics could command the highest sale price in the history of the NBA. They speculate it could surpass the current record held by Mat Ishbia, who paid $4 billion to acquire the franchise from disgraced owner Robert Sarver.
“Currently the Boston Celtics are for sale, and there are indications they could produce the highest price ever for an NBA team, which is currently held by Mat Ishbia’s purchase of the Suns."
"That could even further reset the market, and that is a contributing factor in the NBA’s decision to go slower on expansion and wait for that sale to happen, league sources said.”
The Celtics are currently owned by a majority ownership led by the Grousbeck family. The team would like to start the process of a sale within the next year or two and finalize the transaction by 2028.
It was recently reported that the Wyc Grousbeck and the Grousbeck family decided to put the team up for sale due to the massive skyrocketing payroll the franchise has accrued. Considering that they signed Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to two of the most expensive player contracts in NBA history, that is not surprising at all.
The Celtics' payroll is expected to balloon up to $500 million by the 2025-26 NBA season. With such a massive wage bill at their hands, the Grousbeck family trust will be looking to secure a deal sooner rather than later. The speculation is that the Celtics will be sold for a price of $5 billion or higher.
Will New Ownership Derail The Celtics' Team Building Strategy?
The Celtics have benefitted from the Grousbeck family's willingness to pay the luxury tax. This season, combined with their salaries and the luxury tax, the family will be paying about $262 million.
However, this is not a financially viable approach for the current ownership group, and the same question can be asked of the potential new owners, whoever they might be. The Celtics are paying a lot of players a lot of money, and have been able to assemble a roster of current and former All-Star players.
The Celtics need to maximize their championship window as much as possible, as this roster, as presently constructed, is not sustainable from a financial standpoint in the long run.
The Celtics are considered one of the favorites to win the NBA championship next season, as is to be expected following their dominant run to the trophy this past summer. But they face stiffer competition in the Eastern Conference, with the Knicks and the 76ers retooling their roster and adding some major star power.
Perhaps the Celtics can win another NBA championship next season as a swansong to the Grousbeck ownership group. Any roster changes that take place the following season will determine their future outlook in the long run, and the new ownership group's inputs could also have an impact on that.
