All summer time lengthy, there was hypothesis with who will purchase the Boston Celtics. As of as we speak, it seems like we now know for positive that Fenway Sports activities Group is not going to be within the operating.
In keeping with Dave Powell of the “Liverpool Echo,” LeBron James, John Henry, and Co. will likely be protecting their sights set on a brand new Las Vegas NBA growth franchise, slightly than the historic one in Boston.
“However through the summer time the Boston Celtics NBA crew, the present NBA champions no much less, have been put up on the market by Wyc Grousbeck, and given FSG’s sturdy ties to town, with its base being in Boston, there was a lot rumor and conjecture round a possible bid by the Reds’ house owners for the Celtics, with the New York Submit claiming that there was important curiosity.
Nevertheless, that curiosity had been dismissed by folks the ECHO spoke to on the matter, with Celtics shareholder and present proprietor of Italian Serie A facet Atalanta, Stephen Pagliuca, being tipped because the individual to make a play for management.”
That is improbable information.
The Henry-led FSG had been a rumored suitor for the Celtics ever since information broke in June that the crew was up on the market. This in fact sparked angst amongst the Celtics devoted, because of the first-hand expertise town has had with FSG’s possession of the Boston Purple Sox.
Possession could make or break a franchise’s championship hopes. Within the case of the Sox, there’s a sense that the crew may’ve had extra success in recent times if possession hadn’t been so set on saving cash.
Franchise staples like Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, and Xander Bogaerts all wound up being let go in favor of protecting the checkbooks closed.
It’s robust to think about the Celtics coping with that very same remedy, as Wyc Grousbeck has primarily performed the other. After already being over the CBA’s second-apron, Boston re-signed or prolonged nearly everybody from final season’s championship squad.
Within the 2025-26 season, the crew may resist $500 million in luxurious tax penalties, in response to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. This doesn’t bode effectively for making a revenue, which is reportedly one of many causes that Wyc’s father, Irv, has pushed for this sale.
The sale course of itself will likely be getting underway slightly quickly, per Grousbeck’s latest chat with The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.
“The sale course of is gearing up and about to hit full pace,” Grousbeck instructed Himmelsbach earlier this month. “It took this lengthy for our advisors to undergo the monetary and enterprise information of the crew and our complete administration crew, and spend sufficient time to place collectively providing books. Now they’re starting to have discussions with events and the bidding course of will start within the subsequent month or so.”
Grousbeck did point out the duty of discovering a “nice purchaser” to tackle the crew.
