Celtics Rumors

Celtics To Receive First Round Of Ownership Bids On Jan. 23

January 14th, 2025 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ current majority owners will receive the first round of bids from prospective buyers on January 23, reports Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. According to Himmelsbach, that information was conveyed on Tuesday in a letter from the Grousbeck family to the rest of the team’s stakeholders.

As Himmelsbach relays, that letter from the Grousbecks stated that the investment banks retained to manage the sale have been in contact with potential bidders in recent months. The Grousbeck family is said to be “pleased with the broad level of interest that has emerged” and is targeting a “first close” this spring, Himmelsbach adds.

The Celtics’ majority ownership group first announced on July 1 that it would be putting control of the franchise up for sale. The plan laid out at that time was to sell a majority share (ie. 51%) of the team in late 2024 or early 2025, with Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck remaining in his current role until the balance of the sale is completed in 2028.

That’s still the plan, Himmelsbach writes, though it’s unclear if bidders will be on board with the idea of having Grousbeck continue serving as a governor even after he has given up his controlling interest in the franchise.

The NBA may also have some reservations about a sale that plays out across several years, given what has transpired over the past year in Minnesota. However, it’s worth noting that the Timberwolves’ sale process saw prospective owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore buy in as minority shareholders, and it wasn’t until it came time for them to take over majority control that a dispute arose between their group and longtime owner Glen Taylor. It sounds like the plan in Boston would be for the Celtics’ buyer to obtain a controlling interest in the team sooner rather than later.

Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca suggested in early July that he intended to submit a bid for the franchise, with Fenway Sports Group identified in August as another possible bidder. Reporting in October indicated that minority shareholder Robert Hale and Mark Bezos, the founding partner of HighPost Capital private equity group and half-brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, are among the other prospective buyers who could be in the mix.

Sportico’s latest NBA franchise valuations, published last month, estimated the Celtics’ value at $5.66 billion.

Celtics Notes: Close Call, Tatum, Porzingis, J. Green

January 13th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics, who were booed by their home fans during Friday’s loss to Sacramento, narrowly avoided a more embarrassing defeat Sunday night, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The 8-32 Pelicans stayed even with the defending champions for a full 48 minutes and only lost when CJ McCollum‘s last-second floater bounced off the rim.

It continued roughly a month of inconsistent play for Boston, which is now 9-7 over its last 16 games, but coach Joe Mazzulla realizes that stretches like this should be expected during a long season.

“Every season is different, our journey [also]‚” he said. “With that being said, if you take a look at the perspective, there are things that we’re doing well. Most important is winning the game and making the necessary plays even when things aren’t going well. Every season brings on different challenges. Every season brings on different opportunities and the situation we’re in right now, we’ve got to just fight through it.”

New Orleans was more formidable on Sunday than its record would suggest. Zion Williamson was in the lineup for the second time since returning from a hamstring strain, and Trey Murphy was back after a three-game absence with a sprained left ankle. They teamed up with Dejounte Murray for the first time this season, and the three of them ignited the Pelicans’ offense by combining for 72 points.

The night was still a positive one for the Celtics, as Washburn notes that they gained a full game in the standings on top-seeded Cleveland for the first time since November 29.

“Maybe you don’t want to play your best basketball at the beginning of January,” Jayson Tatum said. “We’ve been through this before. We’ve still got a lot of time left to get back to our identity. It’s not supposed to be easy and we’re getting everybody’s best shot. New Orleans played really well. I don’t think they played like that all the time. But it was a good test for us. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

There’s more from Boston:

Tatum had a technical foul rescinded from a January 2 game at Minnesota, Washburn adds in a separate story. After being called for a foul, Tatum reacted with a hand slap, which has gotten him T’d up several times. However, he insisted that he was frustrated with himself rather than the call, and the league agreed.
Injuries have prevented Mazzulla from using his preferred starting five as much as he would like, and he has compared it to a training camp setting as he tries to get Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White on the court at the same time, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis, who missed the start of the season while recovering from surgery, is optimistic that he’s ready to be a regular fixture in that lineup. “The first game I came back against the Clippers (on Nov. 25), it felt pretty natural,” he said. “Boom, I was right in. But then, again, I’m out, I’m in, I’m out a little bit. Not playing my best basketball, not being as efficient. That adds up a little bit to the team. But now I look forward to having a good, long stretch of being healthy and getting in a good rhythm and us hitting our stride.”
Former Celtic Javonte Green could be a worthwhile trade target before the February 6 deadline, suggests Brian Robb of MassLive. The 31-year-old swingman has been averaging 21.3 minutes per night for the Pelicans, but his playing time might decline now that the team is healthier. He holds an expiring minimum-salary contract and likely won’t have a future in New Orleans. Robb sees him as someone who could provide wing depth for Boston at the price of a second-round pick or two.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Home Losses, Porzingis, R. Williams

January 11th, 2025 at 6:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics had a relatively smooth path to last year’s NBA title, claiming the top spot in the East by a wide margin with 64 wins, then cruising through four rounds in the playoffs. Things have been different this season as the defending champs are just 8-7 in their last 15 games and may face a tough fight to hold onto the second seed. After Friday’s home loss to Sacramento, Jaylen Brown talked to reporters, including Brian Robb of MassLive, about what has gone differently.

“Teams have adjusted to how we kind of played early in the season and we’re making adjustments back,” Brown said. “We’ve gotta be better at protecting the basket and we gotta figure out how to win games in different ways. I think that we’ve been injured for a good majority part of the year. Now a lot of our guys are all healthy all on the same floor at the same time, so just figuring that rhythm out. So, like I said, I believe in this group. We’re going to figure it out.”

Friday marked just the third game all season that Boston has entered with a fully healthy roster, although it didn’t seem to matter in the 17-point rout. Robb notes that the Celtics have struggled to adjust to Kristaps Porzingis after he missed the first few weeks while recovering from offseason surgery, as he and Jayson Tatum tend to prefer a slower pace than the rest of the team.

Brown still believes the players will figure things out.

“It’s basketball at the end of the day and we got a bunch of talented and intelligent basketball minds,” he said. “We just have to think the game and I think just our pace has a lot to do with it, just get into our spacing, I think we posted a lot tonight and it kind of slowed things down. It kinda gets guys out of rhythm. We gotta keep the pace and keep everybody engaged, and I think how we get the ball up the floor, how we get to get to the corners and all that stuff has an effect on our offense.”

There’s more from Boston:

The Celtics heard some boos from the home crowd during the final quarter of Friday’s game, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. They were a result of increasingly common struggles at TD Garden, where the team is just 13-7 after going 37-4 last season. “Honestly, I like it,” Porzingis said. “It’s kind of deserved. They expect high level from us, high level based off our talent and what we’ve shown in the past. … I think when we’re not giving our all, I think that’s the most deserved boos. So it’s normal and that’s just a sign of them wanting us to bring up our level, bring up our energy. And we have to respond to that.”
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe examines some of the reasons for the Celtics’ recent downturn, including poor fourth-quarter numbers, inconsistent three-point shooting and slow pace of play. He also points to a disappointing start by Porzingis, who addressed his performance Friday night. “I haven’t been at, like, my top shape yet,” he said. “It’s been tough to have this kind of a summer and the surgery and everything. Not to make an excuse, but obviously I just haven’t been able to get back into that really top, top shape for playing. And then these small things [like ankle sprains] obviously derail you a little bit again.”
In a video produced by the Trail Blazers (YouTube link), center Robert Williams talks about the shock of being traded by the Celtics shortly before the start of last season, Terada relays in a separate story. “I was in my basement in Boston and my agent texts me like, ‘It’s tough, but we gotta let you go,’ whatever, whatever,” Williams recalls. “I respect that always. It’s always love on that side for the opportunities. I was sad. It was my first trade. I was sad for like two or three days.”

And-Ones: Cousins, All-Star Voting, 2025 Draft, More

January 10th, 2025 at 7:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t played in the league since finishing the 2021/22 season with Denver, but he continues to compete professionally in non-NBA leagues around the world. The 34-year-old center is joining Selenge Bodons in Mongolia, according to announcements from the club on Instagram and Cousins on Facebook.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Cousins averaged 19.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in 654 regular season appearances for seven NBA teams from 2010-22. Cousins’ career was derailed by a series of major leg injuries, including a torn ACL and torn Achilles, which reduced his effectiveness on both ends of the court in his later NBA seasons.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA provided an update on All-Star fan voting on Thursday, announcing (via Twitter) that Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic continue to be the leading vote-getters. The only change among the top three frontcourt players and two guards in each conference since last Thursday is that Warriors star Stephen Curry has nudged ahead of Luka Doncic as the No. 2 guard in the West.
Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic have updates their NBA mock drafts for 2025. Vecenie suggests that after top two prospects Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, there are plenty of question marks, which is reflected in the significant differences between the two mocks. For example, Georgia’s Asa Newell comes in at No. 6 in Vecenie’s mock but at No. 22 in ESPN’s. Converseley, French point guard Nolan Traore, the No. 6 player for ESPN, nearly falls out of the lottery in Vecenie’s mock at No. 13.
In a pair of stories for The Athletic, John Hollinger identifies several underrated draft prospects to watch, including including Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams and Auburn’s Johni Broome, and discusses 10 less heralded trade candidates, such as Rockets forward Jeff Green, Celtics guard Jaden Springer, and Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard.

Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum Named Players Of The Week

January 6th, 2025 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter).

The two perennial MVP candidates are the first two repeat Player of the Week winners for the 2024/25 season. Tatum was named the East’s Player of the Week on October 28, while Jokic earned the honor in the West on November 11.

Jokic led the Nuggets to a 3-1 record during the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 5, putting up an incredible triple-double average of 36.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, and 11.3 assists in those four outings. He had back-to-back 40+ point performances against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, including a 41-point, 18-rebound effort in Friday’s loss.

Tatum’s numbers over the course of a 3-1 week for Boston weren’t quite so gaudy. The star forward averaged 25.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in 34.8 minutes per night, leading the Celtics to victories over Toronto, Minnesota, and Houston before falling on Sunday to Oklahoma City.

Jokic beat out fellow nominees Anthony Davis, LeBron James, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Wembanyama for the Western Conference award, per the NBA (Twitter link). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Joel Embiid, Darius Garland, Tyrese Haliburton, and Coby White were the other nominees in the East.

Atlantic Notes: Brown, Towns, Knicks, Martin

January 5th, 2025 at 1:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Celtics All-Star wing Jaylen Brown has seen his injury status upgraded ahead of Boston’s Sunday tilt against Oklahoma City. According to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), the 6’6″ forward will play his first game of 2025 after having been sidelined with a right shoulder strain since New Year’s Eve.

The 28-year-old has been in fine form when he has played for the 26-9 Celtics. Brown is averaging 24.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per night through 28 healthy games, with shooting splits of .461/.332/.734. The reigning Finals MVP seems well on his way to earning the fourth All-Star berth of his career and should be in the mix for his second All-NBA spot.

As Noa Dalzell of CLNS Sports tweets, Brown’s availability marks the first time in 17 games that Boston will be fielding a fully healthy rotation.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns seems to have dodged a major injury after exiting an eventual 139-126 Saturday loss to the Bulls late, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Towns departed the game with just over 90 seconds remaining after being on the receiving end of a hard Nikola Vucevic foul while attempting a layup. He was able to walk under his own power, albeit with a noticeable limp. New York ultimately decided that additional testing was unnecessary. “I got hit,” Towns said. “I was going to go for a dunk. Saw [Coby White] was probably not going to give it to me, and then I switched hands, tried to do my best Michael Jordan impression… It hurt. Really all I saw was an and-one that was too late to help us win. Honest to God, I didn’t even know I made it.”
Despite leading Chicago 72-63 at the break, the Knicks seemed to lose their verve in the second half, Bondy writes in another story for the New York Post. New York was outscored 41-17 in the third quarter and essentially never recovered. In fairness, the Knicks were playing the second game of a back-to-back set, having also lost to the West-leading Thunder on Friday. “Back-to-backs are part of the league,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, conceding that his team losing steam could be the result of a Chicago energy advantage. “Couple that with [the Bulls] were off for three days. I knew they were going to be high energy. And I thought offensively we scored plenty. Defensively, we have to do better.
First-year Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez heaped high praise on young two-way player Tyrese Martin on Saturday, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. With forward Cameron Johnson and guards Cam Thomas, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons injured, Brooklyn had to lean on its depth for help against the Sixers in a blowout loss Saturday. Martin chipped in 16 points, five boards and three dimes. “Tyrese has been great the whole year,” Fernandez said. “He’s been consistent. Consistent in the rotation, for the most part, and he’s taking advantage of his opportunities. It starts, not just right now, it starts in the summer. He was fighting for a two-way spot. He did all the right things every single day… And now he’s getting NBA minutes and doing a great job.”

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Kornet, Tatum, Udoka, Brown

January 4th, 2025 at 6:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis overcame early foul trouble in his return to the court Friday night at Houston, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis, who missed the previous four games with a sprained left ankle, was able to play 28 minutes, posting 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.

“I felt all right,” he said afterward. “Still haven’t been in my best shape this season yet, so it’s a little bit tough. But I’m happy to be healthy and working my way toward feeling better and better each game.”

The Celtics have been careful with Porzingis, who sat out the first month of the season while recovering from foot surgery. He has appeared in just 12 of the team’s 35 games so far and has talked about the frustration of trying to establish a rhythm with such an erratic playing pattern. Coach Joe Mazzulla and the training staff are focused on keeping him healthy for the start of the playoffs in April.

“It’s tough for him because he’s going through a transition of coming in,” Mazzulla said. “But I thought his defense in the second half was tremendous. I thought we went to a couple things that kind of got him going a little bit on some pin-downs and got him comfortable. I thought for his first game back, I thought he was great. He really helped us, especially defensively, in the second half.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

After Rockets center Alperen Sengun scored 14 points in the first half, Mazzulla switched to a double-big lineup to shut him down, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Luke Kornet started the third quarter alongside Porzingis, with Neemias Queta rotating in 0ff the bench. All that size clearly bothered Sengun, who went scoreless in the second half while missing all four of his shots from the field. “Kind of make it hard to play in a crowd,” Kornet said. “And then I think that length, having that be the help person, can make kickouts a little more difficult. But I feel like especially in the second half our physicality was great and just trying to match that and make things difficult.”
The Celtics improved to 3-0 against their former head coach, Ime Udoka, who led them to the NBA Finals in 2022, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. Jayson Tatum talked about the experience of playing for Udoka and how it benefited the team. “I think Ime, he’s big on toughness and physicality and taking on the challenge and going at people,” Tatum said. “And that’s what we did that year, right? We had a tough start. But him as our head coach, he never wavered and we turned out season around. We was hungry. And got to the Finals and came up short. We loved to have him around. He’s an amazing person, amazing coach.”
Jaylen Brown, who missed the past two games with a shoulder strain, is the only Celtic listed on the injury report for Sunday’s game at Oklahoma City, Robb adds in a separate story. Brown is expected to be a game-time decision, with Sam Hauser continuing to replace him in the starting lineup if he’s unavailable.

And-Ones: 2025, Balance, Expansion, Neto, MVP

January 2nd, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Rory Maher

In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps lists seven storylines people around the NBA will be monitoring in 2025. Due to their combination of young players, draft assets and a coach (Ime Udoka) that players want to play for, the Rockets are widely viewed as the team to watch the next time a star becomes available on the trade market.

“The whole landscape of the league,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “could change based off what they do.”

Although no one actually expects anything to change, since it would require certain teams to vote against their best interests, league sources tell Bontemps that the imbalance of power between the two conferences may see more calls for playoff seedings to be ranked 1-to-16 instead of the traditional format of 1-to-8 in each conference.

League insiders are also keeping a close eye on the Celtics‘ impending sale — specifically how much the team sells for — as a potential bellwether for expansion, according to Bontemps. The cities of Seattle and Las Vegas continue to be mentioned in league circles as possible expansion spots.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

ESPN insiders Ohm Youngmisuk, Jamal Collier, Chris Herring, Dave McMenamin and Tim MacMahon answer some key questions related to the remainder of the 2024/25 season. Youngmisuk and MacMahon picked Victor Wembanyama to be the breakout player of 2025, with Paolo Banchero, Donte DiVincenzo and Trae Young also receiving votes.
Former NBA guard Raul Neto and Spanish EuroLeague club Barcelona have parted ways, according to a team press release. Barcelona described the move as mutual. The Brazilian point guard has had terrible injury luck over the past two seasons. After missing the entire 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury, he was limited to just two appearances with Barcelona, getting injured on each occasion. In his debut in late November, he sustained an injury that sidelined him for four weeks. In his return on Dec. 27, he suffered a left thigh injury that will sideline him for 12 weeks. An eight-year veteran, Neto’s last NBA action came for Cleveland during the ’22/23 season.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports ranks his current top-five choices for the 2025 MVP award, though he only views three players as “serious contenders” for first place: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.

Injury Notes: Pelicans, Lakers, Celtics, Ivey, M. Robinson

January 2nd, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past 23 games with a left hamstring strain, Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado says he plans to return to action on Friday vs. Washington, as Will Guillory of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“I’ll be playing tomorrow for sure,” Alvarado said. “No doubt. … I finally get to be Jose again. It’s going to be a lot of crazy man out there.”

Both of the Pelicans’ injured star forwards — Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson — were spotted getting some on-court work in after Thursday’s practice, according to Guillory (Twitter video links).

Williamson has been out since Nov. 6 with a left hamstring strain and was considered week-to-week nine days ago. Ingram, who has been out since Dec. 7 due to a “significant” left ankle sprain, is set to be reevaluated next week.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Anthony Davis (left ankle sprain) and Gabe Vincent (left oblique strain) are unlikely to suit up on Thursday when the Lakers host Portland, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link). Both players have been downgraded to doubtful after initially being listed as questionable.
The Celtics have downgraded Jaylen Brown (right shoulder strain) and Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain) from questionable to out for Thursday’s game in Minnesota, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Porzingis, who will miss his fourth consecutive game with the injury, said he was “definitely getting close” to returning following shootaround in the afternoon, per Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thursday will mark Brown’s first absence with the shoulder issue and sixth missed game overall.
Jaden Ivey underwent surgery on Thursday morning to repair the broken fibula in his left leg after sustaining the injury on Wednesday. Although Ivey will reportedly miss most — if not all — of the rest of the season, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press hears there’s optimism the Pistons guard did not sustain ligament or tendon damage, which is encouraging news (Twitter link).
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. Although he hasn’t been able to run at full speed to this point, head coach Tom Thibodeau said the team is expecting Robinson to be cleared for practices “sometime this month,” according to SNY.tv.

Atlantic Notes: George, Raptors, Hart, Brown

December 29th, 2024 at 8:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After signing him to a four-year, maximum-salary free agent contract this summer, the Sixers anticipated that former nine-time All-Star forward Paul George would help goose their scoring, but his contributions have been erratic so far, observes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Through 19 healthy games, the 34-year-old is averaging just 15.8 points per game on .404/.314/.787 shooting splits. His shooting percentages from the field overall and from long range in particular represent the second-worst rates of his 15-season career. In his last four contests, George’s long-range woes have gotten even worse. The six-time All-NBA honoree shot just 4-of-25 from deep.

Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid, however, is confident that George will bounce back as a shooter.

“He’s going to be great,” Embiid said. “I’m not worried about it. I think as we keep going and we start figuring out the best way to move forward, I think he’ll be way better than he’s been, more efficient, which he’s always been. Especially catch and shoot [and] shot creation.”

Pompey cites George’s difficulty integrating into the team’s offense next to Embiid as part of the problem.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

A lackluster defensive effort from the Raptors against Memphis on Thursday, in a 155-126 defeat, serves as just the latest example of a possible long-term issue for Toronto’s young core, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Toronto already ranked 23rd in defensive efficiency heading into the loss to Memphis and has since dropped a few more spots. As Koreen notes, while the Raptors have been effective at limiting opponent three-point attempts, the team has a tendency to foul too frequently and is too lenient with permitting enemy scoring within five feet of the basket.
Knicks wing Josh Hart has been a critical component of New York’s defense this season, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks are 22-10 on the year, and winners of 16 of their last 20 contests. “My game is very simple,” Hart said. “I don’t go out there and try to do ball screens and 18 dribbles, dribble combos and all that. I keep it simple. If I don’t got a layup or a shot, I swing the ball, get these guys the ball. And fit in around them.” The team’s defensive rating this season ranks 14th out of 30 clubs, a slight step down from its No. 10 mark in 2023/24.
Celtics All-Star wing Jaylen Brown is making a real case for a spot on an All-Defensive team, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “I feel like I’m one of the best two-way players in the world,” Brown said. “So I try to hang my hat on that side by doing different assignments like picking up guys full court, chasing guys off screens, switching onto bigs. That takes a lot of energy. Then to have to go back down and try to score 24, 25 a night, get other guys going. But defense is where our team kind of needs to set the tone and hang our hats with physicality, toughness, and I feel like I’m the leader of that, so I’ve got to hold myself accountable.” Himmelsbach notes that the athletic small forward has often been using his work on the defensive end of the court to kick off his explosive offense.

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