\u201cHouston Rockets ownership is in substantive talks with the Connecticut Sun over the potential purchase and relocation of the WNBA franchise,\u201d ESPN reported Friday.<\/p>\n
Led by Tilman and Patrick Fertitta, Houston Rockets<\/a> ownership is in substantive talks with the Connecticut Sun over the potential purchase and relocation of the WNBA franchise, ESPN reported Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe discussions have been described as positive, and Rockets ownership has improved its offer to a number the Sun might find acceptable,\u201d ESPN\u2019s Alexa Philippou and Ramona Shelburne wrote<\/a>, citing a source close to the situation.<\/p>\n As for the timing of a deal, it might not be far away, though the precise window is in question. ESPN explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n The hope is that a resolution on the franchise\u2019s future can be determined before free agency, where all but two league veterans are not under contract. The exact timing of free agency, though, is uncertain as the league and players\u2019 union continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement… with a deadline for a deal currently set for Jan. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n However, ESPN cautions that an exclusivity agreement has not been signed. From Philippou and Shelburne\u2019s report<\/a>:<\/p>\n The source said that while a formal offer has been discussed, the parties have not signed an exclusivity agreement, and there has not been a decision on the future of the franchise.<\/p>\n The WNBA previously indicated strong interest in a return to Houston. At the league\u2019s three-team expansion announcement in June, commissioner Cathy Engelbert specifically highlighted Houston and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as \u201cup next\u201d and \u201cthe one we have our eye on.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sun have been owned by the Mohegan tribe since 2003, when they bought and relocated the franchise from Orlando, Florida, to Uncasville, Connecticut. A sale to Rockets ownership would mark the latest example of the WNBA moving toward having more teams with NBA owners.<\/p>\n Chron.com\u2019s Michael Shapiro reports<\/a> that the latest bid from Fertitta\u2019s group is above $250 million, which exceeds the recent WNBA expansion franchise prices<\/a> and should satisfy the sale goals of Sun ownership. The team would then be known as the Houston Comets, Shapiro reports.<\/p>\n From 1997 through 2008, the Comets were Houston\u2019s original WNBA franchise. Led by iconic names such as Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson, the Comets won the league\u2019s first four titles in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. But fan interest gradually waned as the team lost relevance in the years that followed, and that eventually led to the club being dissolved by the end of the 2000s.<\/p>\n In recent years, however, interest in women\u2019s basketball has picked up throughout the United States \u2014 with younger stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese driving a new wave of fandom. That resurgent fan interest has led to improved economics for the sport and the league, and in turn, that has prompted increased interest in WNBA franchises.<\/p>\n In addition to having Toyota Center as a ready-made arena and a\u00a0state-of-the-art practice complex<\/a>, the Rockets\u00a0also\u00a0jointly own<\/a>\u00a0their own regional sports television channel in Space City Home Network, which would be a natural fit to broadcast WNBA games during the NBA offseason. Thus, perhaps in contrast to some other cities, Houston has ready-made infrastructure to immediately support a new team.<\/p>\n Adam Silver talked WNBA relocation yesterday at the @FOS<\/a> TunedIn Summit.<\/p>\n Both NBA + WNBA commissioner now note Houston as a preferred landing spot for relocation or expansion franchise.<\/p>\n Silver on Houston\u2019s still-alive bid for the Connecticut Sun:<\/p>\n \u201cThey very much want a team.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/mgt89XXkoD<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) September 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n It is not yet clear when the Sun plan to relocate, assuming a deal is ultimately finalized (with Houston or another market). The timetable remains fluid, and Sun officials announced in August that the team\u00a0would play at its existing arena in 2026<\/a>. Thus, the soonest year for a potential new home is 2027.<\/p>\n In May, owners of the\u00a0Sun\u00a0hired<\/a>\u00a0investment bank Allen & Company to explore the sale of the franchise. Mohegan Sun, a subsidiary of Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, has owned the club since its relocation from Orlando in 2003.<\/p>\n The Sun play in the WNBA\u2019s smallest media market, and they finished 2025 with the league\u2019s third-worst record (11-33). Thus, speculation\u00a0has swirled for some time<\/a>\u00a0that a move could prove necessary.<\/p>\n