Wyc Grousbeck And The Boston Celtics Aren’t Quite Finished Yet

It’s been over two months since the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. Since then, the team has gone out of its way to avoid making any major player moves by locking down the core of their championship team for the next few years. There is, however, one major change on the horizon.

Shortly after the team paraded down Boylston Street, Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck made the announcement that his ownership group would be selling the team. It was unexpected, but the timing made sense in hindsight.

ForbesBoston Celtics Owners Planning Sale Of NBA’s 4th-Most Valuable TeamBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs

In 2008, only six years after Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C. purchased the team for $360 million, the Celtics won their first championship since 1986. In a competitive league, nobody was expecting another Celtics dynasty, but it definitely felt like it would not be Boston’s only title during Grousbeck’s tenure.

As it turns out, it’s really difficult to win it all in the NBA! Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo? None of them were destined to be on the next championship Celtics team. Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Kemba Walker came and went and still the franchise was still stuck on Banner 17. With the wait finally over here in 2024, it certainly appears as if the Grousbeck family had been waiting for this moment before deciding to sell.

On one hand, this could be a great story of an ownership group putting off selling a team until they finally won a second title under their watch. From a slightly more capitalist perspective, the timing probably has more to do with the fact that it’s best to sell high on a professional sports team than when it’s just won one championship and is favorite to win the next.

Forbes2024 NBA Finals: Boston Celtics May Not Be Done Winning Titles After Finally Getting Over The HumpBy DJ Siddiqi

Now, Grousbeck has shown his hand here: he doesn’t think his job is quite finished. In an appearance on CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” Grousbeck confirmed that he was expecting to hang on to his role as governor until 2028. That’s a notable exit date considering Boston’s offseason moves.

Over the summer, the Celtics signed stars Jayson Tatum and Derrick White to contract extensions. These moves followed their decision to extend Jrue Holiday earlier in the year. On top of this, Boston managed to re-sign bench players Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman, all of whom made contributions during the postseason. After years of trying to assemble the right roster, the Celtics decided to keep on up with what obviously worked last season.

Now, obviously, trades are an inevitable part of the NBA. It’s possible, perhaps likely, that some of these players will no longer be in Boston by the time Grousbeck takes leave. At this moment, however, the core of Tatum, Brown and White are all guaranteed to be here for the 2027-28 season, while Holiday could still be here if he exercises his player’s option.

Now, was this the ideal long term scheme? Well, those are a lot of hefty contracts to have on the books and players suffer injuries and get old. White is currently 30 while Holiday is 34. In a different scenario, maybe the smartest long-term move would have been to get a little younger and cheaper.

Obviously, Grousbeck’s motivation is solely in taking advantage of the team’s championship window before the end of his tenure. It’s difficult to criticize him for the decision. Grousbeck has already overseen one massive rebuild—one that began in earnest when Danny Ainge pulled off the franchise-changing Pierce-Garnett trade—and he literally doesn’t have time to go through another one.

It’s not like the move hasn’t worked before, either. After the 2023 season came to a disappointing end, many voices called on the Celtics to move on from the Tatum-Brown partnership. Instead, ownership allowed GM Brad Stevens to make major win-now moves in trading for Kristaps Porzingis and Holiday. It was an expensive gamble and it paid off big. So, why wouldn’t the departing Grousbeck just let it ride?