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So for the 4th time this year, we went viral on Instagram and TikTok.

This time, it wasn’t for the reasons we had hoped.

Last week, we made a TikTok with a skeptical take on Celtics’ new ownership. It was an attempt at a tempered response to the gross amount of good feelings between both parties regarding this sale.

Well, the response was…harsh to say the least. Most of our audience thought it was a pile of steaming rage bait, and they let us know pretty loudly. After hundreds of comments, dozens of DMs, and famous sports personalities getting tagged, we stand by our opinion.

EVEN THOUGH we don’t want to be right on this one.

(Here is the take below, hit ‘Reply’ if you want to yell at us. We’ll take the extra attention.)

Also! Eid Mubarak🌙

@ahmedmeetssports

How the sale of the Boston Celtics will affect the future of the team #creatorsearchinsights #celtics #nba #nbanews #nbaedits #bostonceltics

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What were we thinking? Celtics New Ownership

We’re rooting for new owner William Chisholm. He’s a Mass native, and he’s making all the right sounds whenever someone puts a mic in front of him. He’s also going to keep one of the current owners on as governor! Hooray for maintaining culture and continuity! But this is the sports business at the highest level. Comfort and continuity are incredibly difficult to come by when you’re dealing with massively successful people who got that way with their own style of doing things.

We don’t know details behind the sale, but this definitely seems like someone wants to cash out but isn’t willing to let go of the team. We’re speculating that Wyc staying on as governor was a clause that a dark horse in the ownership race was happy to agree to, while the apparent favorite (Steve Pagliuca), might not have agreed to that (again, gut feeling).

The 90 second video format doesn’t exactly allow for nuance, so we’re going to fill in some blanks this week.

#1 - 6.1 Billion Reasons

So, the Celtics were sold for 6.1 billion dollars. That’s a lot of money. Actually, it’s the most amount of money that anyone has paid for a sports franchise in history. Two years ago, the Washington Commanders, a NFL team, sold for 6.05 billion dollars. The team came with the stadium, and revenue sharing in a  more lucrative NFL media rights deal. The Celtics came with the team, but not the stadium*, and a less lucrative media rights deal**.

It’s OKAY to question whether this was an overpay. It was, just like all sports team transactions usually are. But this price tag seems hard to justify if in the last 2 years, you saw a 6 Billion dollar transaction for a sports team and its substantial physical assets in a more lucrative American sport. You’d think a team without an arena and a smaller media rights deal…wouldn’t go for that much? I mean they are the Celtics***, but not the Knicks or the Lakers

In the end, though, you’re buying a sports franchise. The real money isn’t made in operations, it’s made on the sale of the team. So, if you’re looking to buy a sports franchise, just realize that it’s mostly a shitty business but a great buy-and-hold stock.

_{1*The team came with the practice arena}

_{2**Yes, we’re talking about the NEW media rights deal.}

_{3***For the record, a majority of NBA teams don’t own their own arena.}

#2 - The Jaylen Brown trade we don’t hope for

So, we think Jaylen Brown has about a 100 games left as a Celtic. We’re PREDICTING the team would look to trade him in the 2026-2027 season. Let’s be clear: We’d love JB to retire as a Celtic. But in a world where Luka gets traded, there’s no scenario teams wouldn’t look at if cornerstone players were involved.

Again, this is a gut feeling. Somewhere down the line, new owners always look to make their own mark on the team. That usually embodies itself in a re-tooling or rebuilding of the team. So if you’re a new owner and looking to set a brand new direction because you feel like it, you’d probably do it with strong intentions. Strong intentions means shipping Jaylen Brown. He’d probably be the central player in a package for picks and expiring contracts/young players.

A little coincidence happened on the same day as we made this point: KD to the Celtics rumors started swirling up again. And while JB likely wouldn’t be dealt (it’d be Jrue and/or KP), we can’t rule out that Brad Stevens wouldn’t consider it if a protected 1st round pick was on the table.

#3 - Wyc Grousbeck staying on as Governor

This is the weirdest part. Having the current face of ownership stay on as the leader of the organization is unorthodox, but it’s been done before. Mark Cuban sold the Mavericks to the Adelsons and had a handshake agreement to retain operational control of the organization. We knew that to be the case until the Luka trade happened, and maybe realized that it wasn’t the case.

Grousbeck and Chisholm will most likely have a more official agreement in place. We’re skeptical this works out, though.  We can’t help but feel that this was a move made by someone who didn’t want to let go of the team, but whose hands were tied. And why should Wyc walk away as governor? He’s done a great job. The Celtics function as one of the best organizations in all of American sports.

Here’s our skepticism on this arrangement not working out: If the intention of this transition was to ensure that continuity of a winning culture is a priority at all costs, then it was done perfectly in the press.

Too perfectly. Feels like the goodwill is a little…manufactured. This is a quote by Wyc in a Boston Globe article. It goes so hard. How could you not buy in?

That’s a vision. That’s a very clear vision. It feels personal, and specific. But there’s an incoming regime, and the new team smell wears off eventually. We’re not going to get in to the PE aspect of it, but there’s going to be a time when new ownership will want to do things their way, and we’re just saying it’s going to be sooner rather than later.

So that’s it. That’s our take. Late the hate mail flow.

Have a great week!

Ahmed and Peter