The NBA has been stuck at 30 teams since the 2004-05 season when the Charlotte Bobcats were added to the league. However, for the past few seasons, there have been some rumblings about potential expansion. However, while the league is interested in adding new teams, the Boston Celtics are getting in the way right now.
See, there are plenty of cities that would love to bring an NBA team to their fans. Cities like Seattle and Las Vegas are the clear front-runners, but other cities such as Mexico City, Vancouver, and Louisville will undoubtedly make bids, too. Expansion seems inevitable, but it may take a while.
And it’s all because of the Celtics’ sale.
NBA is waiting for Celtics sale as barometer for expansion
Shortly after the Celtics won the 2024 NBA Championship, Wyc Grousbeck, who has been the majority owner in Boston since 2002, announced that he would be selling the team.
Since then, there hasn’t been much news regarding who could buy the team, but the sale has been taking much longer than many expected. And that’s why expansion is being delayed.
Howard Beck of The Ringer outlined this issue, noting that the NBA wants to use the sale of the Celtics as a benchmark for how much an expansion team will cost. However, the Celtics aren’t garnering the price the league hoped they would at the moment.
“The main holdup right now, per league sources, is the protracted sale of the Celtics franchise, which was put on the market last July by majority owner Wyc Grousbeck,” Beck wrote. “Sources say league officials are eying a sale price of at least $6 billion, in part to set a baseline for the expansion franchise fees (and, of course, in part due to the Celtics being one of the marquee franchises in pro sports). But that hasn’t come to pass yet, and the team remains for sale.”
A source Beck spoke with, one who consistently chats with team owners around the league, noted that, since the Celtics sale isn’t going to plan, the entire plan for expansion is slowing down.
“Now that the Celtics [sale] looks like it’s just taking a lot longer, and it’s going to come in at a lower price, everything [with expansion] has gotten pushed back,” Beck’s source said.
While it will eventually be fun to see new NBA teams occupy new cities around the country (and potentially around the world), none of that is going to happen until the Celtics sale goes through.
Grousbeck’s sale will have a huge impact on the future of the league.