Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are under new ownership. Bill Chisholm has agreed to purchase the team for a record $6.1 billion, making the franchise the most expensive in North American history.

During a recent interview with NBC Sports Boston, All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum provided his thoughts on the news.

“Everything you all heard,” Tatum said. “He grew up around the area, big Boston fan. He’s proud of what we’ve accomplished and understands what the Celtics mean to the city and the NBA. He wanted to be a part of that and help take it forward anyway he can…I talked to Wyc a few times. He’s still going to be around and he’s kind of keeping me updated and saying whoever it is, the next group will be great for the organization. I told Wyc, I trust him, whatever is next. I have no doubt about how smooth things will continue to run.”

Chisholm’s acquisition of the Celtics has led to significant discussion surrounding the current core. Boston’s roster is set to hit $500 million in payroll and luxury taxes next season. Chisholm must decide if he’s willing to foot such an eye-watering bill, or whether he wants some cuts to be made during the summer.

Grousbeck Believes 2nd-Apron is Two-Year Window

During an interview with WEEI, Wyc Grousbeck discussed the sale of the Celtics before providing his thoughts on the current Collective Barganing Agreement, specifically the second apron.

“You can’t stay in the second apron,” Grousbeck said. “Nobody will. I predict for the next 40 years of the CBA no one’s gonna stay in the second apron more than two years…It’s not the luxury-tax bill. It’s the basketball penalties, OK? The new CBA was designed by the league to stop teams from going crazy.”

Grousbeck continued.

“And they decided that it’s not just good enough to go after the wallets because then the fans are like, ‘Hey, find someone who can afford to spend whatever, $500 million a year or whatever it is, like the English Premier League.’ I know seven guys that own Premier League teams in England with no spending caps and most of them are wondering what the hell’s going on. Anyway, over here, it’s basketball penalties now.”

The Celtics’ current core is talented enough to keep the franchise in the hunt for championships over the next four or five years. However, it’s clear Brad Stevens will need to get creative as the cost of the team continues to rise. As such, we could see one or two key members of the rotation involved in trade discussions in the near future.

Celtics’ Sam Hauser Could Be First Casualty

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Sam Hauser could be the first casualty of the Celtics growing salary bill.

“They are a luxury tax team next year…However, although you may be paying around $500 million in payroll, you’ve got 11 players under contract for next year…That’s where this new CBA comes into play,” Marks said. “Because what the commissioner has done is say, ‘You can have some toys, but you can’t have all the toys.’ And those toys are Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser. Here’s a number for you: by keeping Sam Hauser, his first year of that extension, he’s worth $90 million when you look at his $10 million salary and the $80 million in luxury tax penalties that come with it. If they’re looking at shedding some of that money, which would be Sam Hauser.”

Both Hauser and Holiday make sense as trade candidates. Stevens could also look at potentially allowing Luke Kornet or Al Horford to leave in free agency. Whatever path the Celtics take, the fanbase will be hoping the championship window remains open. If not, Chisholm may find himself answering some difficult questions before too long.