Will the Maine Red Claws turn up closer to Boston in the not-too-distant future?
Worcester, Mass., officials will contact the Boston Celtics to discuss the idea of moving their NBA G League affiliate from Portland, Maine. Once the Celtics complete their purchase of the Red Claws, city manager Edward Augustus must attempt to initiate talks with the NBA team about potential relocation to Worcester, per orders of a motion the city council passed Tuesday.
“I just want to extend that olive branch if there’s ever any potential down the road,” city councilor Sean Rose said Tuesday at a meeting, per the Worcester Business Journal.
Augustus described the city council’s motion to lure the Red Claws to Worcester as “optimistic,” but also a “great idea,” Thursday in an interview with Unity Radio.
“I think it’s a great order,” he said, per Boston.com’s Nik DeCosta-Klipa. “I think it’s a great idea. We certainly will make sure that the Celtics organization knows that Worcester would be very excited to talk about the possibility of (the Red Claws) making Worcester their home.”
The Red Claws have played at Portland Expo Arena since 2009. Their lease will expire on June 30, 2024, and they have the option to extend the deal through the end of the 2029 season.
Worcester already is home to the Railers, the New York Islanders’ ECHL affiliate, and the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate plans to move from Pawtucket, R.I., to Worcester in 2021.
Portland city manager Jon Jennings, Red Claws founder and former general manager, told Boston.com the Red Claws are vital to the local sports scene.
“Having the Red Claws in Portland is incredibly important to the city of Portland,” he said.
He also takes a dim view of Worcester’s potential attempt to poach the Red Claws.
“I know Ed to be an incredibly honorable man who wouldn’t try to steal a sports franchise from another city,” he said. “… I greatly respect Worcester. I would never ever try to do the same to them. I know our city council wouldn’t, either.”
Neither the Red Claws nor the Celtics commented on potential relocation when the Worcester Business Journal sought a statement Tuesday.
