The Connecticut Sun might be moving to Houston.<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s Alexa Philippou and Ramona Shelburne report<\/a> that the Houston Rockets ownership group \u201cis in substantive talks with the Connecticut Sun over the potential purchase and relocation of the WNBA franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n The uncertain future of the Sun had become a bit forgotten amidst the attention on CBA negotiations.<\/p>\n In July, the Mohegan tribe, which has owned the Sun since 2003, agreed to sell the team<\/a> for $325 million to Steve Pagliuca, a former Boston Celtics minority owner. The WNBA halted the deal, declaring that the WNBA Board of Governors, not individual teams, had the power to make relocation decisions. The league likewise expressed an intention to prioritize relocation to cities that had been previously vetted for expansion.<\/p>\n Houston was one such city on the WNBA\u2019s expansion radar, with Commissioner Cathy Engelbert even suggesting that Houston was \u201cup next\u201d<\/a> after it was not selected as a expansion city, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia earning the bids that will take the league to 18 teams by 2030<\/a>. So when the league subsequently offered to buy the Sun from the Mohegan tribe for $250 million and relocate the franchise to a preferred city, it was widely presumed that the league intended to move the Sun to Houston.<\/p>\n The Mohegan tribe resisted the league\u2019s overture. The state of Connecticut then stepped in, proposing using state funds to purchase a stake in the Sun to keep the team in Connecticut. Conversations about such an arrangement have slowed, according to ESPN.<\/p>\n Now, a direct sale of the Sun to Tilman Fertitta, the majority owner of the Rockets, will seemingly satisfy the Mohegan tribe and the league. It would also continue the trend of NBA owners (re)investing in the WNBA through franchise ownership, something that Engelbert has appeared to encourage.<\/p>\n Philippou and Shelburne additionally report<\/a>, \u201cThe discussions have been described as \u2018positive,\u2019 and Rockets ownership has improved its offer to a number the Sun might find acceptable.\u201d Although \u201ca formal offer has been discussed,\u201d things are not yet official, as \u201cthe parties have not signed an exclusivity agreement and there has not been a decision on the future of the franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about discussions regarding the sale of the Sun to the Rockets ownership group, the Mohegan tribe shared the following statement with Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports<\/a>:<\/p>\n Mohegan leadership continues to actively explore different avenues of investment opportunities for the CT Sun. We are excited with the growth of the WNBA and women\u2019s basketball, and are taking a rigorous, diligent approach to this work. We fully understand and appreciate the value of the phenomenal women\u2019s basketball we have had the privilege to support and lead for 23 remarkable seasons. No agreement has been reached at this time, and we are not at liberty to discuss the details of any potential concepts under consideration.<\/p>\n According to Philippou and Shelburne<\/a>, \u201cThe hope is that a resolution on the franchise\u2019s future can be determined before free agency.\u201d The Houston Chronicle\u2019s Michael Shapiro<\/a> adds that the official sale is expected \u201cto be completed in early 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n