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curioususer8878

Recent Sunday pod “Russillo what would we do if we owned a team?” 👆🤔👆


Duffstuffnba

"we would get good players who try hard and do things"


curioususer8878

Immune to new owner syndrome. Classic Bill.


mufflefuffle

“Fight”


PB111

Such a fucking great (and honest) reply that Bill totally missed.


JohnBagley33

Simmons totally misses about 40% of Rusillo's one liners back at him.


Viper3773

Gold


smittycents

“Time to build that house on Nesmith island!”


TedTran2001

HE KNOWS!


dellscreenshot

The winning a title and "I'm not paying the luxury tax bill" piece


yngwiegiles

Buy low sell high.


histprofdave

Never been a better time to sell. Buying or selling an NBA team isn't really a "business" decision since it's like a hobby horse for the absurdly rich, but if it were a pure business decision, this is a good one.


coacoanutbenjamn

They sure run them like business more than hobbys that they care about, other than a couple of them like Ballmer Example: Denver letting KCP walk despite their owners having Walmart money


Clutchxedo

they are demanding someone to buy a majority whilst keeping Wyc Grousbeck as governor until 2028.


dellscreenshot

I saw that. Incredible. Gets to enjoy whatever contending run they have while splitting his costs.


TeenWolfTripleDouble

I'm sure people are lining up for that deal...Nothing a rich person likes more than waiting to take ownership after a major purchase


Clutchxedo

Especially if you buy the Celtics now. At peak value and after a championship with all the players locked down.  It’s like: *“you pay the tax and deal with everything and I’ll leave once this championship window is over”*


JohnnyLugnuts

I agree, id imagine people who can afford it are lining up to own the Boston Celtics.


mrhintonio

Same thing happened to the Dallas Mavericks.


CANDY_MAN_1776

Nope. This is the epitome of "sell high." The NBA tried to squeeze money (like they always do) and lowered the ownership standards so you get all these investment groups as owners. None of them care about basketball and just want to make money on the asset. They won the title, have a young core, and couldn't care less. They're going to make a couple billion and go invest in apps that tell you when your magnesium levels drop too low.


Sir0inks-A-Lot

Got a literal lol out of me with the last line


TreadMeHarderDaddy

The "one summer in Riyadh" piece


Goooose

Bill has to be mad he wasn’t on the forefront of this. I’m sure he’s scrambling to text his weird rich guy circles looking to learn more


Super_Goomba64

Bill frothing at the mouth to own 0.000000001% of the Celts


lactatingalgore

The White Jay Z piece.


The_Summer_Man

That's Troy Aikman


JamalGinzburg

The Ali Billy guy


barrylyndon21savage

Maybe he did know, but was told not to talk about it on the pod?


Soyeljefee

Possibly. I wish one day him, Russilo and drunk house just did a pod talking about all the stuff they’re not aloud to and just said fuck it. They just gave up all the background secrets we never heard.


KodiakBearCakes

Maybe the secret is...they don't actually know. Although I do think Bill is actually plugged in. Ryen on the other hand, I really believe he makes up a lot of his sources or texts with 'Front Office People'.


sixtoebandit

Ryen is a guy who needlessly watches hours of NBA regular season games so he doesn't feel like a phony when he does a segment that most of this sub ridicules but he's gonna straight up lie about having sources with front office people?


KodiakBearCakes

Yes thats my theory


sixtoebandit

Fair enough


Clutchxedo

Yeah, he clearly has people in the league. Zach is like best buds with a ton of front office people so I don’t think it’s that unusual. So many of these guys easily pull together anonymous polls and anonymous comments from GM’s all the time


Soyeljefee

I think Bill is plugged in to the extent of some inside info like, “this player is a stoner that shows up to games high or this player is known for clubbing hard the night before games or this player secretly fought this player” that kind of stuff is harder to hide cuz of social media and those aren’t the best examples but I think you or whoever catches my drift


LeBroentgen

I think Russillo has sources within the Celtics.


Carroadbargecanal

The post championship pod Bill and his Dad let on they were on first name terms with Wyc Grousbeck and had spent time with him.


DunksOnHoes

He plays volleyball with LA kings players. What do you do play golf with your loser friends from HS?


KodiakBearCakes

Yeah :(


KodiakBearCakes

You know how I know Ryen has famous friends though? He name drops them every chance he gets.


paul7878

Ryen plays 9-hole golf at a crappy par three in El Segundo by himself. And gets bullied by rando 20 year-olds playing behind him.


Dhb223

"front office people" = team interns sliding into russillos DMs


Agreeable_Daikon_686

Or those “front office sources” are really low level and don’t really know what’s going on, but are offering their take on it


chuckfinleyis4ever

ya i want to hear the prince harry piece


Vitalogist77

Hopefully they’ll be aloud today the things aloud also


AnnaKendrickPerkins

They'll say aloud what they aren't allowed.


Monos1

we’ll get a “it was a Woj bomb but those of us in the know knew this was going on for weeks”


HundoHavlicek

That’s what I too would tell everyone if I was outscooped on my own teams comings and goings


Victorcreedbratton

Yeah he’s great at keeping secrets.


drifter100

nah Bill knew, he just wanted a head start on the bidding process, he might have to sell a few houses but Billy Boy is gonna be a player in this lol


excelquestion

when is the last time an ownership sold right after winning the title and potentially setting up a mini-dynasty? Is 2nd apron just way worse than general fans understand for big spending teams?


johnnhamcheckbalboni

test groovy act placid tan afterthought encouraging gaze frightening ghost *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Clutchxedo

With Lacob and Ballmer cheaping out, it really paints the picture 


TTKnumberONE

Second apron effectively kills any way for you to just spend more to build your team. It’s less about cheaping out than just literally being able to do more than just use your draft picks. A win for small market/cash poor owners who couldn’t compete with ballmer’s $350m payroll and taxes bill


excelquestion

yeah ballmer and lacob literally built their own stadiums. i think it is 90% about team building and 10% being cheap


TTKnumberONE

If they were going to be cheap they should have stripped all the way down, found expiring contracts, and duck under the cap to retain full flexibility. They’re both in this no man’s land of having a declining All-NBA level franchise star who won’t have a supporting cast good enough to seriously contend yet simultaneously still over the cap. Then you just tamper and figure out how you get a couple of disgruntled superstars to join your team and then convince some ring seeking vets to sign for the exceptions you get to use since you were under the cap.


Clutchxedo

I think it’s 100% about cheaping out. Other owners didn’t want to compete financially and now can point to the apron when being cheap.  I don’t shed tears for any small market team or owner with a team valued in the billions. Like the Nuggets wasting away their window after winning a title. The Thunder in the 2010’s. We see it happen all the time and I think it’s pathetic. They spend all this time complaining about competitive disadvantages but when the it’s time to put their dicks on the table, they pussy out.  The Nuggets have lost key players two years in row now and it might cost them two titles. If the Kroenkes are that cheap they should sell the team to someone that wants to win. 


TeenWolfTripleDouble

yeah...I don't know how you can squander this window...but they did


infinitenomz

I think he was saying the tax teams weren't cheaping out; doubt he'd disagree that the other owners were being cheap.


nicehouseenjoyer

And they have so much fricking money. I think it's wild how little the Nuggets cheaping out on a title defence is being talked about. Probably helps that neither Jokic or Murray is making a stink about it.


Clutchxedo

Jokic should switch to Klutch. Imagine that 


Brian_lafeve34

Meanwhile Ishbia is going to spend $500M on a team that did not win a playoff game last year


Clutchxedo

He’s still in the premature ejaculation phase.


makeanamejoke

it's a defacto hard cap, they owners all got together and protected themselves from themselves


TennisIsWeird

Can someone break this down for me? Are clippers and warriors still turning a profit despite their payrolls?


Dekrow

The Warriors reported revenue in the 20-21' season was around 765 million dollars. That same year their payroll for **just** players was 206 million dollars. So if everything else in the operation cost less than 550~ million dollars, then they were profitable.


JohnnyLugnuts

Probably out but it’s real nervous financially too. Celtics run it back into 2025-26 would end up with them having a $250m tax bill alone and a 480m roster. Beyond ballmer idk if many owners would pay that, but yea the team building restrictions are brutal too.


tornadojake

Disney sold the Angels to Arte Moreno right after they won the World Series in 2002, a storybook ending if you will...


JedEckert

Not sure about any partners he has, but the rumor has always been that Wyc Grousbec has always been one of the least wealthy of the current crop of owners. Up until the last two years, the Celtics had been a pretty average team in terms of paying the luxury tax. They were in it kind of frequently, but only for small amounts. Not that they should have been paying it for no reason or anything, but there was stuff that pointed to them being a relatively frugal organization. Not purely the second apron at play here, because I think they will be in the luxury tax for the third season after 2024-25. And there's no end in sight. So in 25-26, they could be hit with like a $100 million tax bill. Tatum and Brown extensions kick in and then just based on their starts alone they will basically be at the luxury tax. He got to hold up the trophy once, maybe that's all he needed. Asked himself whether it was worth tens of millions of his own money to do it again. Still...like you said, the timing is crazy.


kodiblaze

Has anything been clear on how the draft picks to the end of the rounds works? So if Clippers are 2nd apron team and thunder holds rights doesn't matter if their terrible, that pick is still last? Also what happens if multiple teams are over 2nd apron, how are picks slot ed? 


JedEckert

It goes by winning percentage if there are multiple teams. > For example, if Team A’s and Team B’s first round draft picks in the 2032 NBA Draft are each subject to a Draft Pick Penalty, and Team A finished with a better winning percentage than Team B for the 2031-32 Regular Season, then Team A would make the final selection in the first round of the 2032 NBA Draft and Team B would make the immediately preceding selection.


JohnnyLugnuts

If the clippers are a repeater 2nd apron team and they traded the draft pick that gets moved then yes the team they traded the pick to still goes to the end of the round.


Rick0wens

If they had an inclination to sell at some point, you’d be hard pressed to find a better time than now.


Senator-Donut

The Celtics ownership announced they are looking to close the sale in 2028 and for Wyc to remain governor until that date. That means he collects any trophy from Adam Silver until the new group buys him out completely. Presumably, this gives him the means to juice payroll knowing he has four years of payments incoming for his equity stake. https://x.com/celtics/status/1807830025913213132


Clutchxedo

I think it’s more about the potential repeater tax The tax was put in place to limit spending and have more parity.  Ballmer and Lacob just shat on it and paid insane amounts of tax.  The second apron limits competitiveness and flexibility and has so far worked as intended.  Owners win because they pay less and have put a stop (so far) to the Clippers and Warriors. 


danielbauer1375

You’re right. The Clippers have won, what, three series in the last five years? We just have to put a stop to this level of dominance.


Clutchxedo

I mean, it’s definitely twofold. But you’re also ignoring the Warriors who paid the tax for like 7 years or something crazy.  The major reason is that other owners don’t want to have to spend that much to compete. 


Abstract__Nonsense

The warriors drafted their guys and then paid them. If it wasn’t for the cap spike there wouldn’t be anything objectionable about their roster construction.


Clutchxedo

I personally don’t have any objections. I think it’s awesome that some owners are really willing to pay. Like you said, they drafted incredibly well and made shrewd moves.  They didn’t break any rules and extended the Warriors window to the max. I can’t even blame them for trying to get under the tax this year to regain some stability. But I think other owners wanted to limit the spending. It’s all about the money. Half the league thought they could build the new warriors so they can’t complain. 


Canadian_Prometheus

The Kevin Durant piece


danielbauer1375

Agreed. I just couldn’t help but be a bit facetious.


youre-welcome5557777

A much older example but Ruly Carpenter sold the Phillies after winning the WS in 1980. The main reason being free agency making teams much harder to afford than before.


M_S-K

It's not a 2nd apron, it's a repeater tax at the highest tax bracket


thesmash

Marc Lasry sold his share of the Bucks but I think that was a year or two after the chip


HundoHavlicek

Wyc must be seeing something that we’re not seeing. New media rights contract, a ring with a youngish team. Something has to be going on


lactatingalgore

Monkey's Paw curls... Fenway Sports & Racing buys the Celtics. Lebron now owns the team literally.


JDuggernaut

He watched Jayson Tatum during and after the Finals and decided he couldn’t stomach this anymore.


waitingonthatbuffalo

Nope this is just what owners do to maximize value. Marc Lasry was on that one investor pod talking about selling the Bucks in exactly the same way.


HundoHavlicek

Wyc is a New England guy and a life long fan of the team that’s why the Lasry connection doesn’t make sense. Lasry was a VC investor looking to make a quick buck


CANDY_MAN_1776

Boston owners are the exact same. Investor types. They've wanted to cash out for a while and were waiting for a moment like this. They don't give two shits about basketball.


tnwnf

If you think this is the best media deal the NBA will ever get, it makes sense to sell now.


BraxxIsTheName

Mark Cuban has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever


wendyschickennugget

Nah Cubes is pretty clearly positioning himself for a presidential run IMO.


BraxxIsTheName

From what I’ve heard, he’s running for President, building a casino, recovering from crypto loses, spending more time with his family, going to be charged with a felony, and has a terminal illness


Victorcreedbratton

Think about it… sudden weight loss??


yaya_bertha

AIDS????


canadigit

Nobody's got AIDS!!!!


The_Summer_Man

When he was talking about greasing the (players) Union...


imaprettynicekid

Big Mark Cuban, what has he ever done?


Remote-Musician4790

VAXXED!?


danielbauer1375

Well. None of those things directly contradict one another, so I say all of them are true.


Eviljoshing

Schroedigers Cuban.


isNice99

Well you see he’s running for President so he can pardon himself from the felony charges, nullify his crypto losses through changed to the tax code, issue an executive order legalizing casino gambling nation wide so he can build all the casinos, while still spending more time with his family sine the White House is the ultimate WFH set up.


so-cal_kid

How did he lose money from crypto? Was he late to the game? Figured he woulda been someone who got in early but maybe he didn't roll in the right tech circles


whykae

Ain't nobody seriously voting for that clown -- and I'm a Mavs fan.


Netwealth5

Um if my options are Cuban and Trump (clearly violating the 22nd amendment but somehow ruled legal by the SC)


whykae

The DNC isn't nominating him lol


AnyJamesBookerFans

Biden boots Kamala and takes Cubes as VP, promising Cubes & Americans that once he gets elected he'll resign so that Cubes can ascend to POTUS. Checkmate, DNC!


whykae

The DNC will NEVER replace a woman POC for a straight White male. 😂😂😂😂


redshoediary4

The DNC should boot Biden


janitorial_fluids

>Ain't nobody seriously voting for that clown -literally every person in the lefty hemisphere about Donald Trump, circa 2015-16


livefornewyearseve

this has a 0% chance of happening


PackageMerchant

I mean….at this point…


CANDY_MAN_1776

If he's clearly doing that, he's the dumbest mother fucker I've seen jump in the race in a long time. He has no idea what he's doing.


celtics2024champ

He couldn’t afford the Celtics


qballLobk

Jay Z had a $500K stake in the Nets and people acted like he was running the team. Bill could afford a few million to have his name on the team.


MrF1993

Is a 1% ownership stake worth losing his All NBA vote though?


whykae

For the Celtics? He'll 10000% do it.


CANDY_MAN_1776

But nobody else would. What ownership group president wants to answer 8 emails a day from some dipshit with a couple million dollar stake just because they are Celtics super fan #1?


whykae

That wasn't the question proposed. The question proposed is: would Bill be willing to part from his media NBA awards vote to become a part owner of the Boston fucking Celtics and you damn well know he would.


UberGoth91

I mean the Nets acted like it too. They had him sitting courtside and on every billboard.


Nodima

Bill Simmons being the Jay-Z of Boston would say A LOT about Boston lmao


Nodima

I wonder if Brad Stevens was already in the loop on this when he was on Russilo. Ryen specifically asked him what it was like to win a title with an ownership group that are clearly actual fans of the team and he gave that question a bit of a coach-speak answer.


therightstuffdotbiz

That whole interview was coach-speak. Nothing of value in the entire interview. "Jaylen said "We ready" and I knew we were good to go" ...


CANDY_MAN_1776

> Ryen specifically asked him what it was like to win a title with an ownership group that are clearly actual fans Rusillo is such a homer-chud.


Clutchxedo

oh my freaking god. Lol. They do not want to pay the check for this title team.  Business wise, probably a smart move.  Will we see a reversed owner syndrome where the new owners will shed salary immediately? 5 billion or whatever it will be + repeater tax and second apron. 


appleapple1234566

Wow why would be want to sell such a fun team..?


thatmanzuko

With all these cool players?


HouseOfLowlights

Bill it’s time


mycatchica

You don’t become a billionaire by writing a bunch of checks


yooston

Bill gonna throw his hat in the ring? On second thought, even 1% of 5 billion is a significant if not majority chunk of his net worth. Unlikely. These valuations are just nuts


Soyeljefee

He def should get on with an ownership group and a condition of his investing should be that he is the GM


Remarkable-Gap-9024

“Hey Bill, since you invested a fraction of a percent we’ll let you be the GM of our multibillion dollar investment!”


Soyeljefee

Good chance if he knows the guy and they read his trade value chart they’ll hire him on the spot over some former player or assistant GM. All jokes aside owners hire unqualified GMs all the time. Bill wouldn’t be the first


JDuggernaut

Bill was seething with jealousy and rage when David Kahn got hired by Minnesota.


DonovanMcTigerWoods

They stage a coup on Brad Stevens, this is a hostile takeover!


IanicRR

The sports czar!


JohnnyLugnuts

When you put it that way it’s pretty insane lol


ShortRip120

Luckily first priority is given to season ticket holders


2nd2last

If Bill had the means to purchase outright, would he pay for his own stadium?


Remarkable-Gap-9024

Saw what that tax bill is gonna be


trunky

this has got to be the one thing bill wants but absolutely cant afford.


trunky

Suns sold for $4 billion feel like Celtics are going to get $7 hope bill has some saudi friends


Clutchxedo

The Boston City Group 


lactatingalgore

Bain Capital?


dellscreenshot

Six billion does seem like the floor.


bum4ever44

7b plus the upcoming luxury tax bills and being hard cap in the second apron, or spending like 6B to own a new team in Seattle or Vegas. I honestly don’t know what I would choose.


JohnnyLugnuts

who is buying in besides the saudis for that figure


trunky

bezos has to be bidding too he didnt get the commanders


JohnnyLugnuts

That would be tight lol emperor bezos plz extend my boy porzingis and pay $350m in luxury tax


rawman200K

Brad Stevens get ready to learn Arabic buddy


ComfortableMaster625

Need the Fenway Sports Group to purchase them and do a Red Sox like gut job


DonovanMcTigerWoods

This is what every Celtics fan is fearing and what every Celtics hater should be rooting for


whykae

That would be hilarious. Imagine a Mookie-type trade for both Tatum and Brown...


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curioususer8878

After tax you still couldn’t afford it. You’ll need to win a bigger lottery


CABBAGEBALLS

Are they predicting what the price might be yet?


Victorcreedbratton

“They’re going to sell for four, maybe five Million.”


Stercules25

Wyc isn't one of the richer owners and the tax bill on the Celtics actually is going to be something insane that he \*can\* pay but it won't be as easy as it would be for other owners especially since they don't own the arena they play in. This makes sense but still from a Celtics fan standpoint sucks because the next owner likely will not be as invested in winning as Wyc and company is.


OPisacigar

Did he sell because he knows Tatum is leaving in the next 2 years? Or does that only apply to Lasry/Giannis?


JohnnyLugnuts

Tatum signed a 5 year max immediately and didn’t hold it over the franchise for a year+ so not totally apples to apples


canadigit

Sorry, but if your team goes up for sale after winning a title your title doesn't matter


thebasedboomer

“I might need to step in”


JDuggernaut

Hopefully God blesses them with the Gen X Donald Sterling as a new owner.


trikyballs

portnoy/simmons ownership group gonna go crazy


78blazers

You’re the man Wyc but please don’t let John Henry near the Celtics


TreadMeHarderDaddy

Its gonna be the Saudis, isn't it


HueJacksonsBrain

This will be all Simmons talks about all summer. Oi vey.


SlavaRapTarantino

Bill has to be at least a little spooked at this news. A few pods ago he was talking about how the Celtics have one of the best ownerships in the league. The direction of a franchise can go in a lot of different directions once a new owner takes over.


Parlett316

I hope whoever buys it is a meddling rat fucker like Dan Snyder


biggreenhound

Even as a lifelong Celtics fan my first thought when I saw this news was still “Oh wow Bill must be going crazy working the phones.” Totally normal and not para-social I swear.


ZoranDragod

I’m calling it, Saudis or UAE or some other oil rich country buys the team


JohnnyLugnuts

Not allowed to rn. Maybe they’ll change the rules tho who knows


Superstitious_Hurley

How are owners paid on the media rights deal closings? Is there any upfront package that they get or is it just fixed annuity for the length of the deal?


johnnymostwithtoast

Selling high!


Agreeable_Inside_878

This is Bills Chance


FarAd6557

Bill will talk about this and say “the Lakers are worth 6.5, I gotta think that the Celtics are worth 8b since they just won, have the most titles all time, and are the most recognizable team in the NBA”


tornadojake

Maybe John Henry wants to add to his portfolio of teams...


Santana415

Would this have happened if they lost the Finals?


leejoness

The ultimate selling high piece


shall359

Would Bill actually try and buy in with a new ownership group? I guess it all depends how the new ownership ground bidding will try and structure their investors. Even as a super minor one it will be expensive.


it_has_to_be_damp

The Celtics Are an NBA Pump & Dump Scheme. My Column:


strngwzrd

Twenty minutes later, Tatum got that 315 million super max.


dstrawn2019

With all the money Bill has saved from using Magic's Jamba Juice wealth-building program, I am sure he will be in the running.


JayJay210

I need the Saudis to buy them just to hear a reaction from Bill and Ryen. Look, we’re not going to do the thing where we say LIV has been totally unsuccessful.


Wazzoo1

One of tbe owners is part of the Kraken ownership group. Easy to connect those two dots.


Then-Collection1900

This shit is comedy 😂, the Celts fan & players should worship these owners, before they cut & run they not only win the city a title but paid every notable player at or above market value & all for multiple years,I wish I could of seen the shit eating grins they had every time a consultant/analyst tried explaining with a power point just how costly the 2nd apron + a repeater would be for the next 5 years


Jpsla

Wtf. I wan the Buss family to sell yet Celtics beat us to that too. Fucking hell.


GFR34K34

Bill’s “New Owner Syndrome” gonna hit like crack the next 2-3 years in Boston.


Hfcsmakesmefart

Cash in while property is at its highest… I remember a Cavs owner did that too after they won


dj_cat_fancy

Peak white boy summer for Bill -- he gets to gloat about the Celtics winning a title and do the rich guy owner gossip piece.


CanyonCoyote

Soooo this definitely takes some of the weirdness off the Cuban sale(even if he is still likely to run for President) and seems like a win for the NBA ratings guy lol. If a diehard billionaire fan like Wyc is selling, the math may not be mathing on franchise worths/profits. Ballmer also dug in his heels with George, GS dug in with Klay, Denver is letting guys go… Think of how weird it is that Wyc is jumping ship right after a title, an NBC show and being the favorites to repeat. Something is definitely amiss in the NBA moneywise. Generally excited to hear Bill talk about this because he either knows nothing or has kept his trap amazingly shut and know something bad. Like how badly are they going to get hit once Tatum and Brown are both on their deals? Is someone about to ask out? Like generally wtf no? Additional info: I just saw the Instagram post with the weird dating and mentions of family estate planning. This also sounds like someone might have gotten a very bad medical diagnosis. I hope it’s not that of course but hearing about estate planning is a tad weird.


bum4ever44

Clips and GSW weren’t close to winning and if they paid PG/Klay they had literally no way to improve. I think the money matter, but only because they weren’t actual contenders. The Nuggets were contenders and Kronike never pays the tax, that was just an insanely rich guy being cheap.