Celtics ownership discusses potential move from TD Garden

When the Boston Celtics were sold to Bill Chisholm, nearly the first thing that was brought up in many minds was what it meant for the Celtics current place of residence at TD Garden. 

The Celtics current lease at the Garden runs through the 2036 season, but it isn’t a crazy thought to think that Chisholm — who purchased the team for $6.1 billion — would want to build his own arena to maximize profits. 

Back in September, Chisholm made it clear that he likes the team playing in the Garden. 

“The first thing is, I really like the Boston Garden, personally,” Chisholm said. “I think that the team and the players, more importantly, really like Boston Garden, and equally importantly the fans really like the Boston Garden. So that's a starting point.

“I think the Celtics and Bruins, they belong together.” 

But in a recent interview with the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, it certainly sounds like the new owner’s tune is starting to change. 

“It’s pretty much the same as it was at the beginning of the season,” Chisholm said. “The philosophy there is the same. The Garden is a great place to play. It’s consistently ranked one of the best places in the league for player and fan experience. It’s loud, a lot of energy, and it’s got a storied history.

“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. And if that doesn’t work there, we’ll think about other places. But my goal here is to see if we ideally make it work where we are, and I think there’s a commitment with us, with the Bruins and Delaware North, with all of that. That’s where we want to end up and we’re working on it as we speak.” 

This sounds a lot more like politicking for a better deal with Delaware North than moving forward with a plan to build a new arena. 

In their current deal, the Celtics don’t see any revenue from concessions, parking or any concerts or other events held in the building throughout the year. The team also sees limited profits from sponsorships and premium seating. 

In all likelihood, Chisholm would prefer a new deal that sees more profits sent his way, and if that were to happen than any conversations surrounding a new arena in the Boston area would end, at least until the current lease is close to ending.