A majority ownership stake in the mighty Boston Celtics has been sold for a new-record sticker tag of $6.1 billion to private equity investor William Chisholm.
Could All-Star Boston small forward Jaylen Brown be on the move under new ownership?
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During a recent, pre-sale episode of his show The Bill Simmons Podcast, the father of The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Dr. Bill Simmons, speculated that an out-of-town owner would be predisposed to shake things up in a major way.
"When [owners] come in from outside of Massachusetts, they come in with ... different ideas," Dr. Bill Simmons said.
The nightmare of all ownership comparisons was soon levied by the younger Bill Simmons: the Adelson and Dumont families, the Dallas Mavericks' new majority owners.
"They all wanna do their one thing," he concurred with his dad. "And then you end up in the Luka Dončić situation, where you have the new Dallas owners (saying), 'yeah, let's trade him!'"
Just a year removed from acquiring Dallas from former owner Mark Cuban and less than a year removed from watching five-time All-Defensive First Team guard Luka Dončić lead the team to the 2024 NBA Finals (against Boston), the club confoundingly traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a likely below-market haul.
Chisholm, however, is a Boston native and declared in a recent press statement through Business Wire press release that he was a lifelong Celtics appreciator.
"Growing up on the North Shore and attending college in New England, I have been a die-hard Celtics fan my entire life," Chisholm stated. "I understand how important the Celtics are to the city of Boston – the role the team plays in the community is different than any other city in the country. I also understand that there is a responsibility as a leader of the organization to the people of Boston, and I am up for this challenge."
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During the pod (again, prior to Boston-native Chisholm buying the franchise), Dr. Bill Simmons speculated that four-time All-Star Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown could be traded in service of ducking the NBA's punitive second luxury tax apron.
"If they don't have deep enough pockets, Brown's probably on his way out the door," Dr. Bill Simmons speculated.
The 28-year-old Brown, Boston's second-best player behind six-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum and the reigning Finals MVP, is in the prime of his career and forms probably the most formidable two-man tandem in the modern game.
But he does make a pretty penny. He's in the first season of a five-year, $285.4 million maximum contract extension he inked with Boston in 2023.
"The tax bill is pretty crazy," the younger Simmons allowed. "I think some of it will depend on what happens in the playoffs ... I don't know what's gonna happen."
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This spring, the 50-19 Celtics are well-positioned to compete for their second straight title and their third NBA Finals berth in the last four seasons. But it's likely this championship core won't last forever.
With $230 million committed through its current contracts and a few more expected minimum salaries plus $270 million in luxury tax penalties, Boston will owe an estimated $500 million for the 2025-26 team's roster. And that's before it can re-sign free agents Al Horford and Luke Kornet.
Trading Brown for draft assets and cheaper players would theoretically allow the club to at least duck the more restrictive second tax apron, but he's so good that it could kill the team's title chances. All-Defensive veteran guards like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, or oft-hurt center Kristaps Porzinigis, are far more expendable than Brown.
In 56 healthy bouts this year, the 6-foot-6 Cal product is averaging 22.8 points on .459/.316/.757 shooting splits, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists a night.
With a Boston-born businessman assuming control of the club, it seems far likelier that the team explores alternatives to ditching Jaylen Brown any time soon.
More Boston Celtics News:
Getting to Know New Boston Celtics Owner Bill Chisholm
Insider Proposes Celtics Trade All-Star to Save Money
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This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 1:22 PM.