The Boston Celtics are going up for sale. Earlier this offseason, it was revealed that long-time public-facing owner Wyc Ggrousbeck plans to sell his share of the team. It’s a move that will take until 2028 to fully come to fruition, but things have been set in motion.
There have been no official reports of who the new owner will be, as it is still very early on in the process, but some potential options have been rumored. And one of them should have Celtics fans absolutely terrified.
According to Josh Kosman of The New York Post, Fenway Sports Group and RedBird Capital, the owners of the Boston Red Sox, are considering bidding on the Celtics.
Celtics fans should be terrified of John Henry buying the team
Obviously, that’s the same group that partners with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. But that’s not why Celtics fans should be scared. They should be scared because of John Henry.
Henry has failed to spend money on the Red Sox time and time again. While he signed Rafael Devers to a contract extension, he only did so after letting guys like Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi walk. He also traded Mookie Betts to avoid paying him.
Even though Bogaerts and Benintendi have been fairly disappointing since leaving Boston, that’s not the point. The point is that Henry has been cheap throughout his tenure with the Red Sox. And for the Celtics, that level of cheapness could shake the current team to its core.
Boston won a championship this year because of their ability to add top-notch talent, and they are going to sustain their success because of their willingness to retain said talent.
Just this summer, the Celtics re-signed Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser to massive contract extensions. Earlier this year, they re-upped with Jrue Holiday, and last offseason, they signed Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard to new deals.
Now, they are one of the most expensive rosters in NBA history. If Henry were to buy the Celtics, based on his history with the Red Sox, it seems extremely unlikely that he would be willing to pay a massive tax bill to keep the team together.
That means players would have to be traded, and re-signing important pieces may be less likely than with the current ownership group. If Henry were in charge right now, guys like Hauser and Pritchard may not have been brought back, and one of the top six could have been let go, too.
Henry buying the Celtics would almost certainly be a one-way street to a roster cut-down.