Brad Stevens isn’t focused on when the Boston Celtics could be sold to a new owner. He’s focused on getting through the rest of the season.
“It’s not really in my mind,” the president of basketball operations said Thursday after the NBA trade deadline passed. “It’s certainly something that we know is coming down the pike and we’ll deal with that as it happens and look forward to working with whoever we’re working with. But right now we’re focused on the short and long term of the Boston Celtics. But now that we’re through the trade deadline today, it’s about the 2025 Boston Celtics.”
Stevens added he hasn’t been involved in the process and didn’t have any groundbreaking updates about where things stand.
The Grousbeck family announced in July 2024 — a month following the Celtics’ NBA title — that they’d sell the controlling interest of the team. Majority owner Wyc Grousbeck said he hopes to stay in his current role until 2028 — when the sale fully goes through.
At some point this season, 51% of the sale is expected to go through.
There’s been several rumored buyers including Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, but he said he’s not particularly interested in buying another team. Fenway Sports Group was also rumored as an expected bidder, but industry sources denied as much to MassLive’s Brian Robb and Chris Cotillo.
While the potential sale of the team remains a topic that is hanging over the Celtics, Stevens is looking at how to better the team. Boston stood pat during Thursday’s deadline and only traded Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, but the Rockets waived the 22-year-old.
The trade created both roster and financial flexibility for the Celtics — who are on pace to pay north of $50 million in tax penalties this year.
“I think as you go through a season and you build a roster you try to determine what’s best for your organization, what’s best for your team,” Stevens said when asked if ownership told him to cut payroll at the deadline. “The No. 1 north star of our team right now is to try our best to have a chance to win again. Obviously when we make moves like we did the other day, that opens a roster spot, so there’s an opportunity to fill that. But you’re also weighing how much people are playing, how much opportunity they’re really getting, how much opportunity they’re probably gonna get as you get into the playoffs.
“Hey, I really like Jaden. I think he’s gonna be a good player. I think he’s a good kid,” he added. “I’m really rooting for him and I’ll help him in any way I can. And at the same time, we’re pretty deep. So I feel really good about having answers at a lot of different places, and I think the open roster spots will provide some opportunity to have some flexibility as well.”
The Celtics boast essentially the same roster as last year’s championship team. They’ve faced some adversity this season and entered Thursday’s NBA Finals matchup against the Dallas Mavericks having lost their last four games.
But they still remain a deep and motivated team as they look to repeat as champs this summer.
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