With the news of the Boston Celtics sale to Bill Chisholm being approved and Portland Trail Blazers announcement of the agreement for a pending sale to Tom Dundon, we wanted to see how NBA teams do after these major ownership shifts. RotoWire.com used data from Basketball-Reference.com to see how NBA teams that have been sold since 2010 do the season following the major ownership changes.
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How Do NBA Teams Do After Major Ownership Changes?
Avg. W/L % Before | Avg. W/L% After | Avg. Change In W/L% |
.452 | .491 | +.039 |
How Many NBA Teams Do Better After Ownership Change?
Teams Performing Better | Teams Performing Worse | Teams Performing Similar |
60% | 35% | 5% |
Impact of Ownership Changes on NBA Teams' Performance
While NBA teams at large saw their overall winning percentage improve after being sold to a new owner, the group at large has been far from championship material, with the Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks being the only clubs to win a title after changing hands.
For Golden State, the franchise's four titles this century came after Joe Lacob and Peter Guber bought the Warriors from Chris Cohan for $450 million in 2010, while Toronto's sale in 2011 was a bit more complicated.
That's because the Eastern Conference stalwarts are owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, which is a consortium that also runs the Toronto Maple Leafs. Back in 2011, Rogers Communications and BCE Inc. purchased a majority stake in MLSE from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for close to $1 billion, with the two companies owning 37.5% of the conglomerate, while Larry Tanenbaum holds between 20%-and-25% of the MLSE holdings.
Under the new leadership at MLSE, the Raptors were able to secure the club's lone NBA title in 2019, while winning division titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020, setting a new bar for success in Ontario along the way.
Finally, the deal to sell the Bucks from Herb Kohl to Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry for $550 million in 2014 came some seven years before Milwaukee's first NBA title since 1974, though the pair of tycoons went on to flip the franchise in 2023 to Jimmy and Dee Haslam for $3.5 billion.
How Much Success Have NBA Teams Had Under New Ownership?
Overall, NBA teams that were sold between 2010 and 2023 saw their club's winning percentage improve by .039 from the before times (.452) to after the deal was completed in the immediate season (.491), with 60% of teams that were sold performing better than before, compared with 35% that did worse and 5% that performed similar.
Of the lot that changed hands, the Charlotte Hornets (2010 and 2023), Bucks (2014 and 2023) and Brooklyn Nets (2010 and 2019) were the only clubs dealt multiple times, illustrating the consistency in ownership across the 30-team league.
For Boston, the franchise's new era under the leadership of Chisholm (who bought the club for $6.1 billion), sees him replace Boston Basketball Partners LLC, who were led by Wyc Grousbeck since 2002 after he bought the club for $360 million from Paul Gaston. New Blazers owner Tom Dundon is getting the Western Conference club from the estate of Paul Allen for $4.25 billion, with the late Microsoft co-founder (and his estate after his death) owning the club from 1988 (when he bought them for $70 million) onwards.
Looking forward, Chisholm and company enter the season with the 15th best title odds (alongside the San Antonio Spurs), with the team from DraftKings Sportsbook giving them +6000 odds of winning the club's 19th Larry O'Brien trophy in 2026.
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List of Teams and Year of Ownership Change
Team | Year Ownership Change |
Golden State Warriors | 2010 |
Washington Wizards | 2010 |
Brooklyn Nets | 2010 |
Charlotte Hornets | 2010 |
Toronto Raptors | 2011 |
Philadelphia 76ers | 2011 |
Detroit Pistons | 2011 |
Memphis Grizzlies | 2012 |
New Orleans Pelicans | 2012 |
Sacramento Kings | 2013 |
Los Angeles Clippers | 2014 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 2014 |
Atlanta Hawks | 2015 |
Houston Rockets | 2017 |
Brooklyn Nets | 2019 |
Utah Jazz | 2020 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 2021 |
Phoenix Suns | 2023 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 2023 |
Charlotte Hornets | 2023 |
Q&A: How NBA Sales Impact The Next Season
Q: How do NBA teams perform after major ownership changes?
A: According to RotoWire.com's analysis of Basketball-Reference.com data, NBA teams sold since 2010 tend to see a modest improvement in the season following an ownership change. On average, teams improved their winning percentage from .452 before the sale to .491 after, marking a +0.039 increase. While the improvement isn't guaranteed, the numbers show that new ownership often brings a competitive bump.
Q: What percentage of NBA teams improve after an ownership change?
A: The majority of NBA teams perform better after new ownership takes over. Since 2010, 60% of teams improved their win-loss record in the season following a sale, 35% performed worse, and 5% stayed the same. While not every team benefits, the odds slightly favor improvement when a franchise changes hands.
