Reports Are Swirling That Jeff Bezos Could Enter The Race To Buy The Boston Celtics
While we all wait around to see how the pending sale of the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics shakes out, there is a new name to enter into the mix. We've already had the reports of John Henry and Fenway Sports Group considering getting involved which I think the entire city of Boston is against, and now we have "reports" of a new billionaire to consider
OK, by "reports" I just mean Bill Simmons talking about it on his podcast, but to be fair when it comes to this kind of stuff Simmons is usually on the money. He's nailed the previous sale prices of different franchises long before they happen, and the way he was talking about this subject today makes you believe at least with this stuff, that he's plugged in
Look, at this point, we've all pretty much forked over our entire lives to Amazon. If you need literally anything, are you taking your ass to the store or are you just going on Amazon and having it delivered to your house sometimes within the same day? You could make the case that Amazon has completely changed how we live and eventually, it's going to change how we watch sports. You may not like it, but that's just how things are now.
So for me, considering Amazon already owns my life, what's the difference if they also own my favorite basketball team? As I said in the John Henry/FSG blog, I only have 4 requirements when it comes to the next owner of the Boston Celtics
1. You must accept and bow down to our lord and savior Brad Stevens. He calls the shots, you do what he wants without questioning it.
2. You must be willing to spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on luxury tax and second apron penalties to keep this roster together for as long as this current window is open
3. You believe in Mazzulla Ball and everything it stands for
4. You are not John Henry and FSG
While I can't confirm 1-3 when it comes to Bezos, he does check the box when it comes to #4, which ultimately might be the most important requirement of all. At the end of the day, it could be Bezos, our new Saudi Oil money overlords, some other billionaire, or they could keep things in-house with Pags (my preference), but as long as you hit those four requirements that's all that matters to me.
The undeniable truth is the Celtics roster is about to be expensive as hell. They're going to make the Warriors Dynasty look like bargain shopping with how the luxury tax/second apron shit works moving forward. Given their window to contend and win titles is RIGHT NOW and everyone is signed for the foreseeable future, whoever the new owner or ownership group becomes is going to have to cut massive checks to keep this train moving. If we're looking at just that aspect of a prospective buyer, something tells me this guy has the cash
A $400M tax bill to Jeff Bezos isn't even pocket change, it's the change he has under his couch cushions that he doesn't even know he has. If you're someone who wants this Celts group to stay together for as long as possible, that's going to require someone with deep pockets. I'm not a huge math guy. but $195.7B feels pretty deep.
I get the idea of having someone who cares about Boston and the Celtics and what it means to own this franchise, but I'm also aware that not everyone is going to be Wyc. In fact, I'd say a situation like that is more the exception than the rule, so I do think it's a little unfair to only want an owner with Boston ties/love of the city. There just aren't a ton of people/groups like that who can also afford this type of roster moving forward. If the current ownership is going to sell to the highest bidder that's a little concerning, but for all we know their hands are tied with that. Maybe they have to sell it to the highest bidder due to some legal bullshit given how the current ownership structure is set up. Who knows!
If they don't, it's pretty obvious where Wyc and his Dad should go with the team. As long as Pags is willing to pony up the cash, it's the option that makes the most sense.
He's been here since the beginning, he's rich as fuck, he's had to take a backseat to Wyc for two decades, and based on the early reporting of his sale, he apparently has the early advantage in the bidding process that's just getting started.
Can that outlast Jeff Bezos and Amazon money? We're about to find out.