Celts
“I will not participate in the bidding process at all.”
Brad Stevens kept most of the Celtics’ roster in the offseason after winning the title. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, file photo
Brad Stevens decided to bring back almost the entire Celtics championship team roster during the offseason while also giving contract extensions to several key players.
However, with the Celtics running back in charge, owner Wyc Grousbeck will no longer be a part of the franchise any time soon. The Grousbeck family announced in July that they would sell their majority stake in the franchise.
Since the Grousbeck family’s decision has raised some questions about the future stability of the franchise, Stevens said The Boston GlobeAdam Himmelsbach will not be involved in the sale process. However, Stevens hinted at a name he believes could potentially acquire the Grousbeck family’s share.
“I’m going to stay completely out of it,” Stevens told Himmelsbach about the Celtics’ sale process. “I’m grateful to the Grousbecks, Wyc and Irv and everything they’ve done for all of us. They’re going to go through their process. I don’t know who all is involved. If there’s an internal group, whoever that may be – of course Pags (co-owner Steve Pagliuca), I’m very happy to work with him.”
“At the same time, I’m not going to be involved in the bidding process at all. So I’m just staying out of it. We’ve really tried to be basketball operations, just stay the course, do what we’ve talked about for a long, long time and what we’ve planned and just keep doing what we’re doing. It’s definitely going to be interesting to watch.”
Pagliuca has been considered a top candidate to buy the Grousbeck family’s stake since the process began. He said he was a “proud participant” in the bidding process. The Celtics’ minority owner and alternate governor is also “widely viewed as having an early advantage in purchasing the team.” The Boston GlobeMichael Silverman reported on Friday.
Pagliuca bought the team in 2002 together with the Grousbeck family. According to Sportico, he acquired another share in the franchise worth eight percent in 2020.
If the Celtics’ new ownership group steps in before the 2025-26 season, they will be able to write some big checks this season.
Not only do the Celtics have almost their entire roster from their title season in play, but they also have most of their team’s key players under contract through the end of the 2025-26 season. According to ESPN, they will have already committed $225 million in salary for this season, so their luxury tax bill will rise to an estimated $280 million due to penalties for repeat offenders.
If the Celtics’ projected salaries remain unchanged for 2025–26, the total cost of the roster this year would be about $513 million, making it the most expensive year in NBA history.
Some have speculated that the Grousbeck family may have prompted the sale due to the sharp rise in squad costs. While penalties and a change of ownership loom, Stevens explained that he only wanted to keep the core of the title-winning team for now.
“We want to try to sign our guys to fair and good overtimes that they’re really comfortable with and hopefully keep going as long as we can,” Stevens told Himmelsbach. “We’re going to hit all the hurdles when we get there and the different penalties in basketball that come with being over the second apron are real and we just have to weigh them against where we are right now as a basketball team and we have to consider the financial aspect as well.
“And I am sure that this will also include a discussion among the new investors.”
Seven of the eight players who played the most minutes for the Celtics last season are under contract through the 2025-26 season. Jaylen Brown (five years, $285.4 million), Kristaps Porzingis (two years, $60 million) and Payton Pritchard (four years, $30 million) all received their contract extensions before the 2023-24 season. Jrue Holiday (four years, $134.4 million) signed his contract extension in April, avoiding free agency this summer.
Jayson Tatum (five years, $315 million), Derrick White (four years, $126 million) and Sam Hauser (four years, $45 million) all signed their contract extensions in April. Tatum’s contract broke Brown’s record as the richest in NBA history.
Those contract extensions, along with the signings of Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Neemias Queta, will bring back 13 players from the title-winning squad for the 2024-25 season. With the Celtics set to remain in title contention for the foreseeable future, Stevens didn’t want to ruin something that had already proven successful.
“This group meshes well together, they’re smart and they have good confidence, which I think is a crucial part of the team,” Stevens told Himmelsbach. “They know who they are. They know what they need to do to get the best out of their teammates and they’re pretty confident in it. That’s a formula that’s hard to find, so we’re not going to give it away. We’re going to make sure we give this group a chance to build on what they’ve just accomplished. They deserve that.”
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