NBA insider hints at Celtics bracing for major roster changes with $500 million payroll looming next season
The Boston Celtics have been one of the most dominant teams in the league for the past few seasons. They are the defending champions and have already secured a place in the second round by defeating the Orlando Magic 4-1 in the first round.
However, the Celts have almost kept the same core of players for the last four to five years and are looking forward to a major payroll this summer. On Thursday, ESPN's Shams Charania revealed that the defending champions can make some big changes in the offseason.
Charania started off his statement by highlighting that right now, the Celts are only focused on defending their status as champions and repeating their success from last season. However, he also stated that the rest of the league is bracing for some big changes to the defending champions in the future.
"Sources have been telling me for weeks now that the Celtics will be exploring trade options in the offseason. This iteration is not gonna be sustainable for this team," Charania said.
He also revealed that Boston have five players on their roster scheduled to make $28 million or more next season and their collective salary payments would come close to $500 million. So, it would not be a surprise if the Celts make some big trades during this offseason.
Celtics' buyer has reportedly secured appropriate funding to secure the deal
The Boston Celtics were in talks with Bill Chisholm’s group for the purchase of the franchise for some time now. However, the deal was not materializing due to a lack of funding. On Thursday, Front Office Sports reported that the Celtics' buyers have secured the funding to complete the transactions and secure the deal.
According to FOS, the purchase of the 2024 NBA champions will set a private ownership sale record with a price tag of $6.1 billion.
"Lead buyer Bill Chisholm’s group now has enough money to cover the cost of the deal and is in fact 'oversubscribed,'" sources told FOS.
The deal will adhere to all NBA’s private-equity ownership rules and the group will acquire more than 51 percent of the franchise in the first half of this deal. It is still unknown how much share Chisholm will receive, but it is clear that after the takeover, he will become the franchise's controlling owner.
It is also reported that the Celtics' CEO and governor, Wyc Grousbeck, will retain his position and will be there for the entire 2027-28 season.
