Since former owner and governor Wyc Grousbeck announced that the Boston Celtics would be put up for sale in 2024, there has been ongoing uncertainty about the franchise and its home-game venue, the Delaware North-owned TD Garden.

The Celtics have played their home games at the TD Garden since it first opened in 1995 as the Fleet Center. But when Grousbeck first announced his intention to sell, many hypothesized he would have to take a discount because he didn’t own the arena. 

When the team sold for a record-setting $6.1 billion to Bill Chisholm, those same people assumed the new ownership group would want to build a new arena in the city for the Celtics. Now a year and a half later, Chisholm has pushed back at the need for a new venue, telling Khari Thompson of the Boston Globe, “My starting point is if we can make it work, we’d love to stay where we are, and making it work means improving the fan experience and the player experience. If we can do those things and remain where we are now, that’s great.”

That said, Chisholm told WEEI’s ‘The Greg Hill Show’ in an August appearance that the team could pursue a new arena if that was the best avenue for success. 

What’s the big deal anyways? 

Simply put, money. Under the current agreement, Delaware North controls revenue from any non-basketball events held at the Garden, parking, concessions, premium seating, and sponsorship deals. 

The Celtics and Bruins play for seven, at most nine months of the season, with 41 and 42 regular-season home games, respectively. In the other 282 days, the venue can be rented for shows, including Disney On Ice, concerts, and college and high school hockey. All revenue from these events goes to Delaware North and the Bruins. 

For Celtics games, the team generates only limited sponsorship revenue. All concessions and parking revenue goes directly to Delaware North. 

In Sportico’s 2026 NBA Franchise valuations, the Celtics rank No. 7 with a valuation of $8 billion dollars. They rank behind less historically successful franchises like the Miami Heat and LA Clippers. That valuation is partly due to their lack of an arena. 

Pros of a new arena 

For Chisholm, the pros are simple: building a new arena would further boost the Celtics' value, which has already risen nearly $2 billion since the purchase. 

In addition to building the franchise’s value, Chisholm and the Celtics ownership group would receive the entirety of the revenue from concessions and ticket sales, 

From a fan perspective, as Chisholm noted in his conversation with The Globe, the fan experience is paramount in any venue. A new arena would allow for modern upgrades that may not be possible in the Garden, which turned 31 in 2026 and is now the seventh-oldest NBA arena. 

Cons of a new arena

When building new arenas, owners typically seek taxpayer funding from state governments to supplement the facilities. Billionaires who want taxpayer dollars to fund new arenas, while taking most of the profit, usually don’t sit right with state residents and can often spark a public feud. After a tumultuous offseason that saw the Celtics trade fan favorite and 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in what some fans saw as a money-saving move, Chisholm would risk further fan vitriol in only a year and a half of ownership. 

One of the Garden's biggest benefits is its prime location above North Station, which serves the MBTA’s Green and Orange Lines and the commuter rail, and is a short walk from multiple Red Line stops. Talks of a new arena have centered on the Seaport neighborhood, which is nearly impossible to reach by public transit. If and when Chisholm does move the Celtics, accessibility will be at the forefront of those discussions. 

Beyond the fan aspect of a potential move, Chisholm has every reason to try to make things work in the Garden. As part of the sale, Grousbeck retained 13 percent of the franchise and an alternate governor title, which he will keep until 2028, when he can sell the remaining equity to Chisholm at an increased valuation. A new arena would certainly boost the franchise’s value, making it more expensive for Chisholm and the rest of the new ownership group to buy out the former owner of his shares. 

That said, the Celtics' current agreement with Delaware North ties the team to TD Garden through the 2035-2036 season, so talks of a new arena are premature. However, that will likely do little to quell discussion about a new venue. 

Up next for the Celtics 

The Celtics will host the Charlotte Hornets in game three of a four-game preseason slate at TD Garden on Wednesday night as they continue preparing for the Oct. 20 opener in Detroit against the Pistons. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday night.