Catching up on the latest news
I’ve been away for just under a week. I took a few days off to re-set after the season, and then I was away for a Wedding, which took place at Warwick Castle. Fun times.
Felt good to unplug for a while.
While I’ve been inactive, a lot has gone down. So, to get me back into the swing of writing this newsletter and to make sure we’re covering our bases, I’m going to spend today looking at each piece of news and sharing some thoughts — as such, today’s piece will be shorter/less detailed than usual.
Let’s dive right in.
Celtics put up for sale.
We have to start with this, right? I’m confident we were all taken by surprise. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C. are selling their majority shares in the team.
A press release by the Celtics has since provided context to the situation.
Ok, let’s try to put this together.
Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C. — the ownership group of the Celtics — will be selling its shares of the team.
Wyc Grousbeck is expected to remain as Governor until 2028.
There’s a chance other members of the ownership group, namely Steve Pagliuca, will participate in the bidding process. He released a statement on X shortly after the news was announced.
I have two trains of thought on this situation, both of which are nothing more than guesses.
Wyc is selling high. The Celtics are fresh off a championship. The team is valued anywhere between $4.7 billion and $5.12 billion. With Boston setup to contend for years to come, Wyc can ensure the ownership group gets top dollar for a team they purchased in 2002, paying just $360 million. That’s an insane ROI. Interest will be high. The franchise is incredibly marketable, and they are officially the most successful team in league history. Lots of key points to pitch to potential buyers.
It’s time to bring in some deeper pockets. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Celtics overall payroll projects to shatter records in the 2025-26 season. Marks has the project sitting at around “$450 million in payroll and tax.” Wyc may feel now is the right time to sell up in the hope of finding a wealthy buyer that would happily stomach the additional costs of the Celtics’ deep and talented roster. He would still get to oversee things for a few years and enjoy the projected championship window.
I provide some longer thoughts on this subject in yesterday’s podcast, you can watch the episode on either Spotify or YouTube — you can listen on any major podcast provider.
Luke Kornet re-signs on a 1-year deal
Kornet spent last season as Boston’s third-string big man. He was a vital part of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation. He knows the system. He brings size off the bench. Most importantly, though, he’s found a way to exist on the perimeter without being a three-point threat. He does this by;
Being a willing screener
Providing secondary creation out of the short-roll
Adding some vertical spacing due to his size in the dunker spot
Developing his hand-off game on the perimeter
Finding someone like Kornet, who can make a multi-tiered impact on both sides of the ball for close to a veteran minimum while playing a third-string role, is far from easy. There’s a reason Daniel Theis’ name was being floated around over the weekend — the list of players that can fulfill that role for that pay is slim.
Kornet has proven himself within Mazzulla’s system. He’s shown he can contain the ball-handler when defending PnRs. His “Kornet Contest” has been a fun anecdotal discussion for the past two years. It makes sense to keep him around, especially if the front office is favoring continuity where possible.
I liked this decision. I loved that it was one of the first pieces of business to be announced once free agency opened on Sunday. A 1-year contract gives flexibility on both sides. All-in-all a fair and logical deal for everyone involved.
Celtics re-sign Neemias Queta on three-year deal
The duration of Queta’s deal was announced earlier today by the legendary
.
Retaining Queta makes sense. He showed legitimate upside when given playing time last season. I like how he brings something different to the table. He’s not a floor-spacing big like Al Horford or Kristaps Porzingis. And he’s not a skill-based big like Kornet, who operates with finesse and footwork.
Queta is a physically imposing rim-runner with a nonstop motor. He’s still raw, and he will still pick up stupid fouls, but his impact is undeniable.
What I liked most about Queta this season was how quickly he improved as a screener. He was getting into his opponent’s body more, squaring his hips better and his footwork drastically improved.
We also saw an occasional flash of skill, such as the below clip where he puts the ball on the floor and finishes through Dario Saric around the rim.
If the Celtics can find a role for him, continue developing his skillset, and refine his game, he will grow into an important role throughout his new contract. I would expect him to be Kornet’s understudy for most of the season before potentially stepping into the third-string role next season if he shows enough growth.
Of course, what happens with Xavier Tillman’s contract could change that expectation. We will have more on X tomorrow.
Celtics extend Derrick White
White’s contract extension was somewhat overshadowed by the news that the Celtics were being put up for sale. Nevertheless, tying him down for the long term is excellent business. White is the ultimate glue guy. He scales his production based on what the team needs. He’s also shown drastic improvements in his perimeter game since joining the Celtics — a lot of credit is due to Ben Sullivan, who worked with White before moving over to Ime Udoka’s Houston Rockets staff last summer.
I’m not going to list all of the things White brings to the table; we will undoubtedly touch on them ad nauseam during the season and probably at points in the summer. For now, there’s not much to say other than extending him felt inevitable, and it was clear both sides wanted to get something done. I love what D-White brings to the team, glad we get to see it for years to come.
Celtics extend Jayson Tatum
Again, what can I say? We knew this was coming. We knew Tatum was going to take the Supermax. And we knew it would give him the biggest contract in NBA history. The fact the deal comes on the back of a championship is perfect. Jaylen Brown faced a ton of criticism for his Supermax last season; it’s nice to know we won’t have to deal with a repeat this time around.
Tatum is unlikely to keep the title of having the biggest contract in league history for long. Next season, someone else will probably take the crown. And then someone else the year after and the year after. It’s how the NBA works, and it’s an effect of the cap continuing to rise. A Supermax is based on a percentage of the cap; if the cap rises, so does the value of the Supermax (or any other max contract or exception.)
Final thoughts
Just a quick hitter for today. I wanted to shake the cobwebs off. I’ll be back tomorrow and look forward to continuing to build this newsletter along with the podcast and YouTube channel. As always, I appreciate everyone who is rocking with me on this journey!