Because the league controls team relocation, the Sun\u2019s ownership group no longer sees a path where it can sell with the expectation the team will move to Boston, according to a source familiar with the franchise\u2019s thinking.<\/p>\n
The WNBA Finals wrap up this month<\/a>, when the league\u2019s collective bargaining agreement will also expire. Minnesota Lynx star and union vice president Napheesa Collier\u2019s strong negative comments<\/a> about the league and its commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, last week indicate the talks will be as rocky as they were at the start of this season.<\/p>\n The league is not inclined to alter its internal scheduling process and timeline for expansion just for Boston\u2019s sake, and certainly not before knowing if changes in salary-cap structure and revenue sharing \u2014 both key points for the WNBPA \u2014 are in store whenever a new CBA is hammered out.<\/p>\n The league has said that while it believes Boston has what it takes to host a WNBA team, the recent interest from potential ownership groups came well after the deadline to submit a bid for an expansion team.<\/p>\n The interest of the Pagliuca group also did not include a viability study that looked at such factors as potential for corporate sponsorship, arena space, and ticket prices \u2014 items other cities turned in to the league.<\/p>\n The league awarded three cities new franchises: Cleveland, to begin play in 2028; Detroit, in 2029; and Philadelphia, in 2030. The reported expansion fee was $250 million for each.<\/p>\n Other cities reported to have bid include Miami, Kansas City, Mo., Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville. But Houston is at the top of that list.<\/p>\n Another factor in the league\u2019s thinking: In the likely event team valuations continue to escalate, an expansion fee required to place a team in Boston would increase beyond the $325 million offered by Pagliuca (and that money would not have gone to the WNBA, but to the Mohegan Tribe, owner of the Sun).<\/p>\n That bid, matched by a consortium led by former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry<\/a> that is interested in keeping the Sun in Connecticut, gave the Sun enough of a taste of the league\u2019s inflating values that it has no interest in selling the franchise for less to either the league or a Houston group fronted by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.<\/p>\n Plus: Each of the expansion ownership groups \u2014 including the Golden State Valkyries, which began play this year; and the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, which begin play in 2026 \u2014 are tied directly to the ownership of their cities\u2019 NBA teams.<\/p>\n Bill Chisholm, who assumed ownership of the Celtics<\/a> this summer, should be looked at as the Boston WNBA team\u2019s owner in waiting. <\/p>\n At his introductory press conference in late September<\/a>, Chisholm\u2019s careful response to a question about the WNBA and Boston underscored he is taking cues from the WNBA by not jumping onto the fast track for expansion hopes.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Boston should have a team,\u201d said Chisholm. \u201cThis is the best sports city in the country and this is the birthplace of basketball, so we should have a team. Getting this done, and we\u2019ve been in the seat for a month or so, it\u2019s definitely something we\u2019re going to look at. I know the WNBA has a process. We\u2019ll do what we can to expedite things, but there is a process there. But philosophically, it makes so much sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Healey told the Globe last month<\/a> that she was working with Pagliuca, Chisholm, and the league to get a team to Boston quickly. <\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office said there is no news to report, with Healey saying in an email to the Globe that \u201chaving a WNBA team here would be a win for the players, for the league, and for the fans. I\u2019m continuing to advocate hard for a WNBA team in Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, talks around any type of transaction concerning the Sun have shifted from Massachusetts to Connecticut. <\/p>\n