Sale of Celtics Reportedly Isn't 'Imminent' Despite Original Timeline

The sale of the Boston Celtics might take a bit longer than first thought.

Dec 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives the ball to the basket against Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics are one of the most valuable teams in the NBA. They have one of the best histories in the NBA. Boston is also the defending NBA Champions after taking down the Dallas Mavericks a year ago in the NBA Finals. This season, they are primed to make another run at a title.

Boston is rated as the fourth-most valuable franchise in the NBA, according to Forbes. Their valuation is around $6 billion. They could increase their value even higher if they were to win back-back titles. They would be the first NBA team to do that since the Warriors in 2017 and 2018.

After the Celtics won the championship last season, it was reported that the team was going up for sale. The Grousbeck's are trying to sell their majority stake in the Celtics. It was quite a surprising move coming off an NBA title, but perhaps they wanted to go out on top. Perhaps the large tax bill that they are playing for their current roster played a part, too.

It was thought that the sale would be pretty quick considering how valuable of a franchise the Celtics are. Instead, it looks like it's going to take longer than first reported. Part of the reason for that is that the bidding process hasn't even started yet. When it was announced they were looking to sell, they said they'd do it by late 2024 or early 2025.

That timeline is clearly not going to happen at this point. Since the bidding process hasn't even started, a sale likely won't happen until mid-2025 at the earliest. Since they don't have any bidders lined up yet. Obviously, they are going to try to get the highest price possible.

As far as the Boston Celtics players are concerned, they aren't letting this distract them. They are still trying to win as many games as they possibly can this season. As they march on towards their goal of winning another championship, things will get sorted out on their own.

Even though the valuation for the Celtics is around $6 billion, there's a chance that they could go for more. It's not every day that one of the iconic franchises in all of sports becomes available for sale. The Grousbeck's are surely doing their due diligence to see if they can get the best possible price.

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