Worcester to explore bringing Celtics' affiliate to the city
Photo/Peter Van Allen
The Maine Red Claws currently play at the 3,000-seat Portland Exposition Building.
At the request of City Councilor Sean Rose, city officials will reach out to representatives of the Boston Celtics’ minor-league affiliate in an attempt to bring yet another sports team to Worcester.
Rose’s motion to compel City Manager Edward Augustus to contact the Boston Celtics to bring G-League affiliate Maine Red Claws to the city was passed Tuesday.
“I just want to extend that olive branch if there’s ever any potential down the road,” Rose said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, calling Worcester one of the best sports cities in New England.
Before the meeting, Rose told WBJ the recent move of semi-professional basketball team Worcester 78’s to Salem opens the door for another basketball team to take its place.
Neither the Red Claws nor the Celtics could be immediately reached for comment Tuesday morning.
The city is building a $101 million ballpark for the new home of the Pawtucket Red Sox and already boasts professional hockey team Worcester Railers, collegiate baseball team Worcester Bravehearts and an arena football team Massachusetts Pirates.
Any potential move may have to wait a few years, as the Red Claws are locked into a lease with the Portland Expo Arena until at least June 30, 2024. The team has an option to extend that lease to the end of the 2029 basketball season.
A relocation would give each team a much shorter commute than the current two hours from Boston to Portland and it would follow a trend of NBA teams relocating their G-League affiliate after acquiring that team, which the Celtics plan to do shortly after announcing a deal to buy the team in July.
The Utah Jazz in 2015 purchased affiliate Idaho Stampede and relocated the team from Boise, Idaho to Salt Lake City a year later. The Phoenix Suns in 2016 moved affiliate Bakersfield Jam from Bakersfield, Calif. to Prescott Valley, Arizona after a similar purchase.
Not including the Celtics, at least 16 NBA teams own their G-League affiliate.
The Red Claws debuted in the 2009-2010 development league season as an affiliate of both the Celtics and the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Charlotte Hornets). That relationship with the Celtics became exclusive in 2012.
Portland has had mixed success as a minor-league basketball venue.
In their first two seasons, the Red Claws attracted sellout crowds and over 70 corporate sponsors to their home court at the 3,000-seat Portland Expo. But attendance has steadily declined since then. The team finished last season with a 19-31 record, the fourth-worst in the G League.
Information from MaineBiz was used in this report.
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Look at the number of sport teams that have left Worcester! I think its ingenious to call Worcester a sports town ?
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