This past Monday (July 1) was a very busy one for the Boston Celtics, who not only managed to ink star forward Jayson Tatum to the largest contract extension in league history, but extended Derrick White as well to a team-friendly number.
And those tidbits were not even the biggest news of the day, if you can believe it, with the team’s ownership group relating that majority owner Wyc Grousbeck would be selling his shares of the team along with his father. Soon after, it became clear that current minority owners like Steve Pagliuca could get into the bidding for the team, which Pagliuca himself appeared to confirm later in the day with a statement.
But it won’t just be Pags bidding on the Cs, of course, and some analysts close to the team have an idea of who might join the bidding process — and why that could be the case.
Celtics minority owner appears to confirm plans to increase share of team ownership https://t.co/63hI6WG78m pic.twitter.com/5w9aQR8909
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) July 1, 2024
“Keep an eye on a casino/resort magnate pursuing Celtics ownership,” wrote Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix on social media Monday evening.
“Grousbeck doesn’t own TD Garden, now one of the older (arenas) in the NBA. A new majority owner may want to build a new arena. And when it comes to gambling, Massachusetts is open for business.”
Mannix may have a point, with Boston long having been operating at a disadvantage compared to most teams in the league that own their own arena. And in an era of heavy spenders in the new CBA, every penny may matter when it comes to winning titles.
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