After climbing the NBA mountaintop for the 18th time in franchise history in the 2023-24 season, the Boston Celtics' ownership group is making the franchise available for sale, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The current ownership group, known as the Boston Basketball Partners and led by Massachusetts native/lifelong Celtics fan Wyc Grousbeck, has owned the franchise since 2002, overseeing two championships in 2008 and 2024 and plenty more success in the playoffs. Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reported that the sale is not expected to include the entire investment group that has owned the team for over two decades now. Still, it's a massive shake-up that no one saw coming as Boston celebrated its latest championship.

The Celtics released a statement outlining the sale of the team, which it says will keep Grousbeck in charge until 2028.

“Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C., the ownership group of the Boston Celtics, announced today its intention to sell all the shares of the team,” reads the official team statement. “The controlling family of the ownership group, after considerable thought and internal discussion, has decided to sell the team for estate and family planning considerations. The managing board of the ownership group expects to sell a majority interest in 2024 or early 2025, with the balance closing in 2028, and expects Wyc Grousbeck to remain as the Governor of the team until the second closing in 2028.”

Celtics put up for sale after winning 18th championship

The news of the Celtics being made available for sale interestingly dropped mere minutes after it was reported that the team is extending the contract of starting guard Derrick White, adding another lengthy, lucrative contract on the books along with those of Finals MVP Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday. With Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis due for new deals soon, Boston is going to become a historically expensive team.

According to Forbes, the Celtics' latest valuation comes in at $4.7 billion, the fourth highest among NBA teams behind only the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. The current ownership group — which also includes Wyc's father, H. Irving Grousbeck, Stephen Pagliuca and The Abbey Group — purchased the team from Paul Gaston for $360 million.

The new ownership group will inherit one of the most talented teams in recent NBA history and a strong coaching staff but will also either be responsible for 1) a massive payroll that includes massive contracts for some aging players or 2) the dismantling of a spectacular team in an effort to avoid the second apron and/or the luxury tax. The second option will absolutely not fly in a city as sports-crazy as Boston, so the new ownership group must be ready to spend the big bucks.

Boston fans have been loud and clear about their disinterest in John Henry, the founder of Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox (as well as Liverpool Football Club and the Pittsburgh Penguins), buying the Celtics. The last Red Sox team that won a championship was dismantled over concerns about costs and traded homegrown superstar Mookie Betts in the middle of his prime. There’s no shot that fans would be happy about that owner running another team in the city.