This will do nothing to slow down the talk about expansion coming to the NBA, multiple sources said. For months, sources had said the sale of the NBA’s other iconic franchise, the Boston Celtics, was holding up the process, and particularly the final figure. That figure turned out to be a record $6.1 billion — a staggering amount that, sources said, was particularly surprising given the Celtics don’t own their arena, TD Garden. That number was 50% higher than the previous record of $4 billion that was paid by Mat Ishbia in 2023 to acquire the Phoenix Suns.