While the Boston Celtics emerged as the most consistent team in the last few seasons, they are struggling off-court. Weeks after they won the 2024 championship, the team was up for sale. Shocking, right? “The team barely broke even last season during its championship run,” said a source per NY Post. Today, the Grousbeck family, who bought the franchise in 2002, have finalized the sale with Bill Chisholm for whooping $6.1 billion. However, the Grousbeck family is cutting the ties with an upside.  

Shams Charania reported the sale as the biggest sporting franchise sale in North America. 63-year-old Wyc Grousbeck, who roughly owned 3% of the team apart from his father Irving Grousbeck’s majority, remained the front-facing owner. In the final stretch of his ownership, Wyc transformed the team into a lethal unit, aligning with the franchise’s rich history. So, while walking away, he isn’t going empty-handed. 

The latest report on the sale stated that Wyc Grousbeck will remain the Governor of the team until the 2027-28 season. Well, that sounds like Wyc dominated the negotiation with Bill Chisholm and it’s hard to make sense of it. That’s what the veteran Podcaster Bill Simmons felt, too. “For that kind of price and you’re not gonna… be the governor for the first three years? I just find it hard to believe,” said the 55-year-old.

Simmons has a valid point. After incurring the expense of the luxury tax and other losses, how can Chisholm let Wyc Grousbeck be the decision maker? Don’t worry, featuring alongside the podcaster in the latest episode, Chris Mannix dropped the best possible reason. He argued that Chisholm barely had space for negotiation, saying, “I don’t know that the new ownership group really had much of choice with all of this. I think it was presented this way.”

Moreover, Mannix added that Grousbeck had put the new owner in ‘Take it or leave it’ situation, considering the team’s demand in the market. “I think that what they were forced to kinda stomach in order to gain control of this team,” concluded Mannix. Anyone who loves the franchise would let those three years slide! At least that’s what Mannix implied.

With Bill Chisholm’s new ownership, where does it leave the Celtics?

Jayson Tatum & Co. are in hot form, poised to run it back this season. Amid this situation, fans might worry that the latest sale could affect the team’s rhythm. Well, that’s why Wyc Grousbeck put forward a masterstroke, extending his Governor role for another three years. 

Last year, JT signed the most expensive 5-year contract worth $315 million, only a year after Jaylen Brown signed a $303 million 5-year extension. So, it’s safe to say that Wyc would stick around the front office to witness the fruition of his investments. Meanwhile, Bill Chisholm will bear the brunt of the luxury tax. Notably, the upcoming season’s payroll and luxury tax can go up to $515 million.

Anyway, it is what it is. Speaking of the sale, Tatum last week said, “I trust [Grousbeck] and those guys in their decision. And understanding the culture that we’ve set and we have, and sustaining that and trying to make it better.” Moreover, JT added, “I trust that they’ll make the right decisions in whoever that next group is.” Well, he has to wait for three more years to figure that out. Will the Celtics continue to remain the same? Let us know in the comments below.