Will the Boston Celtics franchise go up for sale, and for how much?

The Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck and his partners have officially put the defending NBA champions up for sale just two weeks after the team won a league-leading 18th title. Grousbeck previously gave no indications such a move would be coming.

Grousbeck owns the majority of the shares of the green entity after purchasing it with his partner Steve Pagliuca in 2002 for $360 million. Now, its value is $4.7 billion, and it is the fourth most expensive team in the best league in the world after the Warriors, Knicks, and Lakers. Buying low and selling high is a widespread practice in the NBA, and we have seen it in recent times when the value of each organization has gradually risen to reach crazy prices.

The Celtics set to be sold for a record sale price

The Suns were sold last year for $4 billion to Mat Ishbia. In comparison, a minority interest in the Nets’ parent company, BSE Global, recently changed hands at a $6 billion valuation. It is estimated that the Celtics, worth $4.7 billion before winning their latest title, could surpass both figures. The Celtics reaching the market carries significant appeal due to their recent championship and historical and commercial significance as one of the all-time best teams in the league.

The Celtics, with five players (Tatum, Brown, Holiday, White, and Porzingis) committed to a total of $939 million in salaries in the coming years, will aim to change ownership, but little else is expected to change. It has been leaked that Grousbeck intends to sell most of the stake at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025 while staying involved until at least 2028. Similar movements have become common in recent years: Mat Ishbia acquired the Suns for $4 billion, Jimmy and Dee Haslem purchased the Bucks for $3.5 billion, and the Adelson family took over the Mavericks for $3.5 billion last December, displacing Mark Cuban.

The transition period for the Celtics could be complex. Grousbeck and his partners plan to sell a majority interest in the club, with Grousbeck expecting to remain as Celtics governor until 2028, something similar to Marc Cuban’s role with the Mavericks. The team also faces significant luxury tax bills due to player contract extensions. The Celtics have few fully attached assets in the deal, and the current ownership group has been stable and prosperous. FSG, a multisport ownership group, maybe a potential suitor for the Celtics, although pursuing the Celtics would mean abandoning existing NBA aspirations tied to a potential expansion team in Las Vegas.