Longtime Boston Celtics owners, the Grousbeck family, agreed to sell the team to Bill Chisholm of the Symphony Technology Group for a valuation of $6.1 billion on Thursday. The largest ever sale of a sports franchise in North America will certainly bring about changes to the organization. In the short term, however, Wyc Grousbeck will remain as the CEO and the governor for the next three years, making the transition a little easier.
As things stand now, little is known about the new Celtics owner or what his vision is for the organization. In his first conversation with head coach Joe Mazzulla, Chisholm reportedly provided more insight about what things will look like.
Joe Mazzulla said he had a good chat with new Celtics owner Bill Chisholm, who laid out his vision.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) March 22, 2025
"Just continuing to work to make the Celtics better, and then kind of give us a shot every year to go after a championship. So I’m excited about that."https://t.co/i2k495S9Cn
Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reported that Mazzulla and Chisholm had a discussion on Thursday afternoon, the former referring to it as "encouraging". The new owner reportedly shared his priority of maintaining the level of success the franchise has achieved over the past decade.
"I think it’s great we have a guy from [Massachusetts] that’s [going to] continue to carry this. He just kind of shared his vision of his leadership and what it looks like. I’m looking forward to getting to know him more."Joe Mazzulla on new ownership
According to Mazzulla, the new owner shared his vision of "continuing to win championships" and being "a high-level organization on and off the court". He then added that Chisholm wants to "give [the Celtics] a shot every year to go after a championship."
This is a great sign as the Celtics chase their second straight NBA title. At the same time, they are facing a financial cliff. If they keep this core together next season, they will have the highest payroll in NBA history and owe over $250 million in luxury tax bill. Plus, the Celtics are a second-apron team, and if they maintain that status going forward, they will be facing severe penalties from the league, including freezing of their draft picks.
Will Chisholm be willing to keep spending to a degree no owner has spent in recent years? His first conversation with Mazzulla suggests that his priority is to compete for championships, but how far he will go to achieve that remains to be seen.