HOUSTON — Representatives with the Houston Rockets are in negotiations to acquire the Connecticut Sun and relocate the WNBA team to Houston, according to ESPN, which heard from sources close to the discussion.
The talks have been characterized as “positive,” with the Rockets ownership increasing its offer to a number closer to one the Sun’s leadership may agree with. The parties have not yet signed an exclusivity agreement, which ensures a potential partner won’t communicate with competitors while finalizing a contract or purchase.
The Sun has been in talks with the WNBA for a new home since 2003. The team’s owner, The Mohegan Tribe, put the team up for sale in May to market off the WNBA’s boom in popularity. A minority owner of the Boston Celtics even offered $325 million for the team in July, but the deal was ultimately blocked by the WNBA’s leadership.
There have been several ownership groups in recent months showing interest in the Sun, and the WNBA even offered to buy the Sun for $250 million recently, so the organization could have relocated the team to a market of its choice.
That said, the WNBA has expressed a strong interest in returning to Houston, which was once the first dynasty of professional women’s basketball. The powerhouse Houston Comets won the first-ever four WBNA championships from 1997-2000. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert even characterized Houston and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as “the one (they) have (their) eye on” in June press conferences.
Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations for the Rockets, said in July that Houston doesn’t want to give up on acquiring a WNBA team. The WNBA announced an expansion to 18 teams back in June, adding teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
“The addition of three WNBA expansion teams is a testament to the trajectory of the league and the excitement surrounding women’s basketball,” Sheirr said in a statement to Chron, a Houston local news source, this summer. “We remain committed to exploring every avenue to bring a WNBA franchise back to the City of Houston.”
Ideally, the Sun’s future in the WNBA will be decided before free agency begins, where all but two players on the team will no longer be under contract. The WNBA players’ union is still negotiating an agreement of when free agency will begin, and a deal deadline is set for Jan. 9, ESPN reported.