Nonetheless coming to grips with the concept of Wyc Grousbeck – the one Boston proprietor who exhibits how a lot he cares by way of his actions and never by way of Apple TV self-importance initiatives – not proudly owning the Celtics. So listed below are some ideas on Grousbeck’s legacy, what a brand new purchaser would possibly appear to be, and the place the opposite native homeowners match on this course of, if wherever.
— Grousbeck is taken into account one of many poorest homeowners in skilled sports activities, with a web value of solely $400 million, and it goes with out saying that each halves of that assertion are relative. So promoting the workforce solutions the fundamental query of how he may presumably afford upwards of $300 million in looming luxurious tax penalties. He cannot, so he is transferring on.
However the truth that his wealth will not be obscene by professional sports activities requirements maybe helps clarify his everyman enchantment (once more, it is relative). Amongst Boston’s 4 homeowners, Grousbeck stands aside. He has by no means demanded credit score by manipulating again channels just like the vainglorious Robert Kraft, he isn’t an absentee landlord like Jeremy Jacobs, and he hasn’t change into an aloof technocratic asset supervisor like John Henry.
He is the proprietor most dedicated to profitable, and it is a robust blow to lose him.
— All of us love the concept of native possession, and in an ideal world, Celtics associate Stephen Pagliuca would step proper in, enhance his stake within the workforce and change into the brand new majority proprietor. Pagliuca was a finalist a few years in the past for English soccer powerhouse Chelsea, which bought for over $5 billion. He ought to be each Celtics fan’s No. 1 alternative.
— Strongly disagree with Darren Rovell’s rivalry that Grousbeck would not be signing gamers for a whole lot of thousands and thousands if he did not have a purchaser in thoughts already.
First off, the franchise is extra worthwhile with Jayson Tatum hooked up to it, so it isn’t just like the Celtics had been going to let him stroll – max contracts for superstars are the price of doing enterprise. Secondly, it is arduous to think about critical bidders will likely be turned off by having a championship core in place. Put one other method: anybody whose supply hinged on Derrick White’s extension wasn’t an actual contender within the first place.
— So who will get the workforce? That is the place we must always brace ourselves for the good unknown. When superfan Mark Cuban shockingly bought the Mavericks final yr, the client was Miriam Adelson, widow of on line casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. The Adelsons are longtime conservative megadonors who would not be the apparent selections to personal a franchise in our most socially acutely aware league, the place gamers are admonished to close up and dribble. However right here we’re.
Or possibly the C’s go to a Saudi wealth fund that loses any connection to the town and turns the workforce into an instrument of sportswashing, as is going on throughout European soccer. It is solely a matter of time earlier than state-funded possession comes for iconic U.S. manufacturers, too.
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Our very best proprietor is a unicorn — wealthy sufficient to afford $300 million luxurious tax hits, civic-minded sufficient to deal with the Celtics like a treasured native establishment, regular sufficient to not have any baggage. You aren’t getting that wealthy with out baggage.
— the three native homeowners, John Henry is the one one to indicate an energetic curiosity in increasing his portfolio, and it is no secret that Fenway Sports activities Group wish to add an NBA franchise to its holdings.
However based mostly on latest historical past, no thanks. There’s nothing Henry hates greater than writing luxurious tax checks. He’d blow up the Celtics so quick within the identify of fiscal duty, it could be Mookie Betts squared. You’ll be able to already hear administration explaining how unsustainable the present roster is. Nightmare. No.