Why Could WNBA Be Against Boston Relocation of Connecticut Sun?

Is the Connecticut Sun really for sale? Well, they’ve been practically gift-wrapped by the previous owners. The Connecticut Sun, originally born in Orlando, made their way to Uncasville in 2003 (yep, back when Britney was topping charts). Ever since then, they have been under the proud ownership of the Mohegan Tribe. However, after two decades, the tribe has shown that it is ready to pass the torch.

Back in May 2025, they hired Allen & Company, Wall Street’s go-to fixer for sports megadeals, to explore a sale. Safe to say, their phones rang off the hook. Even the billionaire Marc Lasry reportedly sniffed around. But in the end, it was Steve Pagliuca’s offer that flexed harder. The cherry on top that made the Sun favor Pagliuca was that he brought a $100 million commitment to build a brand-new practice facility.

Moreover, the TD Garden has already hosted two sold-out WNBA games featuring the Sun that showed a glimpse of the possible future. The crowd showed up, and the city absolutely buzzed. It was a full-blown demo of what WNBA basketball could look like in a city that worships the sport. Pagliuca, for his part, sees this as a long-awaited homecoming. With the league’s popularity booming, he’s making his move now: hard, fast, and with a historic $325 million on the table.

And the Sun’s parent company, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (MTGA), needs it too. They had a total debt of $3.1 billion, more than $470 million of which was set to mature in the 2025 fiscal year. This is why “Mohegan Leadership continues to run their process of looking at different avenues of investment opportunities for the CT Sun.” However, despite the mutual flirtation between the Sun and Boston, this isn’t a done deal… yet. Relocating this team isn’t something the WNBA Board of Governors will rubber-stamp overnight.

“Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams.” a WNBA spokesperson told The Athletic. “No groups from Boston applied for a team at that time and those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston. Celtics’ prospective ownership has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time.”

The league might have some big doubts. So, will the appropriate time come soon or not? Let’s explore…

Why Does the WNBA Prefer Boston as an Expansion Market Instead of Relocating the Sun?

The WNBA has a lot on its mind right now and has explicitly shared its plans for an expansion goldmine like Boston. The league wants to save the state for a future league expansion slot rather than allow the Sun to relocate there immediately. It identified Boston as a prime candidate for a new franchise as late as 2033. And even former NBA star Michael Carter-Williams and his mom, longtime basketball coach Mandy Carter-Zegarowski, began leading the charge for an expansion team this February, after a Thanksgiving conversation. 

Williams even teamed up with Boston native actor and producer Donnie Wahlberg to form Boston Women’s Basketball Partners – a group actively working to bring a WNBA expansion team to the city in the near future. He was interested in buying the Sun as well; however, we don’t see that playing out. So, now, they are focusing on bringing an expansion team instead of relocating the Sun. The Boston City Council also unanimously passed a resolution urging the WNBA and investor groups to bring a new franchise to the city, regardless of what happens with the Sun.

It’s because anyone following the NBA already knows that Boston is one of the biggest untapped sports markets without a WNBA team right now. So, if the league allows the Connecticut Sun to move there, they would lose out on a massive expansion fee. After the WNBA announced the addition of 3 franchises at a record $250 million fee, the average expansion fee won’t sit at the $50 million the Valks paid. So, expanding into Boston from scratch would let the league:

• Collect a fat check from the new ownership
• Build hype around a new team brand
• Choose the timing that suits its bigger media and scheduling plans

How Does the WNBA Approach the Expansion Application Process and Market Order?

The whole process is pretty simple:

1. Cities express interest.
2. They submit formal bids to the WNBA.
3. The league evaluates proposals based on ownership, market size, infrastructure, fan potential, and league history.
4. Top candidates get site visits and deeper assessments.
5. The WNBA selects cities that meet strategic goals.

One of Cathy Engelbert’s favorites, based on all these criteria, is Huston. As she once shared, “There are a variety of cities that obviously bid, and one of those I wanted to shout out — because they have such a strong history in this league and their great ownership group — is Houston.” She added, “The Houston Comets were just an amazing one, the first four inaugural championships in the WNBA. So I would say that’s the one, obviously, we have our eye on. [Owner] Tilman [Feritta’s] been a great supporter of the WNBA, and we’ll stay tuned on that.”

In the WNBA’s June 2025 expansion round, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia got their own teams. Apart from them, nine other cities applied (but Boston wasn’t one of them), and all of them now have priority for future expansion slots. If the league were to now turn around and give Boston a team via relocation (skipping the whole bidding process), it would severely undermine the fairness of that system.

However, there’s a lot more to it after a franchise applies.

How Does the WNBA’s Approval and Governance Process Affect the Sun’s Relocation?

Hear it from Steve himself, “Our offer is subject to obtaining the required league approvals, as is the case for all such transactions,” Pagliuca wrote on social media. “This approval has not been obtained thus far, and we cannot proceed without it. We will respect, cooperate with, and abide by all league rules and decisions on these matters.”

If that didn’t clarify it enough, the league recently doubled down on shutting down any rumors of a finalized move on the basis of the franchise’s decision to sell. “Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” the league said in a statement. So, unless the board approves, no leaf moves.

Also, Pagliuca showed his team’s pitch to Cathy Engelbert, but it never made it to the full board for a vote. After about a month, their exclusive rights expired, so now, others can step in with offers too. Now, there is another main group in the mix, which includes Marc Lasry (who used to own the Milwaukee Bucks) and wants to keep the Sun in Connecticut. The WNBA has the final say and could decide that the team has to stay in Connecticut. If they do, the Mohegan Tribe—who currently own the team—has said they’ll support that. However, when Front Office Sports asked the league in an email why it might force the team to stay put, the WNBA didn’t reply.

Why Is Maintaining the Connecticut Fan Base Important for the WNBA?

Connecticut isn’t glamorous, but the Sun are one of the W’s most successful franchises, based on their viewership.

• They consistently draw solid attendance:  for the 2024 WNBA season, they had 8451 fans per game. This was the highest average in the league.
• A study by Vivid Seats found that the Sun is the most popular WNBA team across much of the New England region, including Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
• They’ve made it to the playoffs in 15 of their 21 seasons in Connecticut and have also made 8 straight berths.
• Their fans actually care
• They are owned by the Mohegan Tribe, which gives the WNBA one of its most unique ownership stories and its only tribally-owned pro team.

Then there is also the UConn connection, as Olivia Nelson-Ododa said, “With Connecticut being such a basketball-dominant state, you have UConn and you have (the Sun), I think just having the ability to have a team here and for fans to come out and enjoy basketball on a pro level has been amazing for 20-something here. Just to have that here and have it be a staple for the W, I think it’s been really good, especially just having that exposure for fans.”

What Financial and Strategic Issues Does the WNBA Consider with the Sun’s Potential Move?

Boston should not roll out the welcome mat just yet. Connecticut still thinks it has a shot at keeping its WNBA team. “It’s not time to wave good-bye to the Connecticut Sun quite yet,” Governor Ned Lamont told reporters on Monday.

“Can’t believe everything you read,” Lamont added. “When it comes to the Connecticut Sun, we’re late in the fourth quarter, we still have some catching up to do, but it’s not over until it’s over. We’re fighting like heck. Connecticut is the home of women’s basketball. The Sun ought to be right here.” Lamont also added that he is in contact with a CT-based ownership group, most likely Marc Lasry, who also wants to keep the team here and has made an offer that competes with the Boston one.

“I know we’ve got a very competitive bid, I know we have lots of local corporate support who want to make this happen,” Lamont said. “We’re doing everything we can to keep (the team) here in the state.” When asked whether public money might be part of the deal, perhaps to help fund a new practice facility, Lamont didn’t rule it out: his administration, he repeated, would “do what it takes to keep the Sun in Connecticut.” If Connecticut wins the bid, the Sun would shine indoors at Hartford’s PeoplesBank Arena (formerly the XL Center), which can seat around 16,000 basketball fans.

Even Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam made it clear the capital city is ready to suit up. “Women’s basketball matters so much in the state of Connecticut,” Arulampalam said. “It is our one (major-league) professional team, and I will tell you that from the governor to corporate leaders to the city of Hartford, we’re not going to let the Sun go without giving it a real fight.“

Meanwhile, A spokesperson for Boston Women’s Basketball Partners told The Boston Globe that they’ve been in talks with the Mohegan Tribe, who reportedly still hope to keep the team in-state. “In terms of the path forward for us, it looks more and more like it’s going to be expansion,”  AJ Gerritson told the Globe. Things don’t stop there. Rhode Island has entered the group chat as well. WPRI reported Friday that officials there are also eyeing a move to lure the Sun to Providence.

Regardless of where the Sun ultimately sets or rises, the $325 million price tag on the team’s sale has awoken everyone in the league. It’s the largest sale in WNBA history, and players have taken note. With collective bargaining agreement negotiations ongoing, the historic price only bolsters athletes’ calls for a larger slice of the revenue pie. And that’s another financial roadblock the league would have to consider.