Celtics Rumors: When Bidding For Franchise Expected To Begin

The Boston Celtics are 27 games deep into their championship defense and talks about the franchise’s upcoming sale had seemingly slowed down since Opening Night.

Celtics governor and majority owner Wyc Grousbeck made the shocking announcement of his ownership stake sale over five months ago. Soon after came the speculation of potential ownership suitors, sale prices and what it could mean for Boston’s title window in the coming years. Not much remains known, but word on the street is the Celtics are nearing their next step in the sale process.

“According to a league source familiar with the sale process, that is because official bidding has yet to commence,” The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reported Friday. “The source said that likely bidders are still waiting for initial meetings, and that bidding will likely begin in January. The process is expected to unfold relatively quickly after that.”

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Grousbeck has noted he expects to maintain control until 2028, which if so, should grant the team’s current core plenty of time to chase a second title — at least. Boston locked co-stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to the first and second-largest contracts signed in league history, respectively, and also extended Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Sam Hauser within the last calendar year; keeping the crew together, at least, until 2025-26 as Porzingis becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027.

Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said during the team’s post-NBA draft press conference that restrictions on the front office, from ownership, weren’t anticipated and that Grousbeck kept the green light on. Retaining everyone besides Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk while also inviting Lonnie Walker IV for a test run, backed Stevens’ message from the higher-ups easily.

Then again, there could be a few hurdles to overcome before a sale is finalized.

The Celtics, as the NBA’s most winningest franchise with a record 18 titles, aren’t expected to go with a discounted price tag. Three years ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves, one of 10 active franchises still without a championship, sold for $1.5 billion to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. That’s just the first step. From there, keeping Tatum and Brown competitive with a capable cast for however long they stay in Boston will come as the next (costly) challenge for whoever is willing to flex their wallet.

Grousbeck’s leadership has delivered two championships to Boston and could very well bring a third next summer.