In the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Connecticut Sun’s fate now hinges on a $325-million tug-of-war shaped by geography, money, and league politics. One bid is being pushed by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, who envisions to bring the team to Boston with a brand-spanking-new $100-million practice facility in 2027. The other is from former Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, backed by state incentives to move it to nearby Hartford. Needless to say, either would end the team’s two-decade run at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Significantly, the WNBA’s involvement in the process indicates that numbers alone will not determine the Sun’s fate. Under the circumstances, it appears less concerned with the closeness of the bids than with where, and under whose stewardship, the franchise will next take root. Boston’s case is straightforward: a wealthy buyer with NBA ties, an established sports market, and infrastructure on the horizon. Hartford’s argument is less familiar in league boardrooms but politically appealing in Connecticut, where the orange, blue, and white have been both a point of pride and a reliable — if relatively small — draw.
Lasry’s proposal, in particular, carries community sentiment and local government backing. That said, it faces the seeming disfavor of the Commissioner’s Office, which sees greater upside in larger, strategically aligned markets. The hesitation toward Hartford speaks to a broader commercial ecosystem the WNBA wants to cultivate. At the same time, Pagliuca’s offer appears to take a back seat to that of Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. Houston, a former WNBA champion and the largest US market without a current team, is said to have drawn strong internal interest.
Fertitta is viewed as an ideal buyer, offering deep pockets, a proven NBA infrastructure, and a city with historical ties to the WNBA through the old Comets franchise. Never mind that the relocation would literally and figuratively not be without cost. Per news reports, the league is considering an additional relocation fee on top of the purchase price. The veritable monkey wrench serves to both boost its revenue and subtly direct negotiations toward its favored destination. More than a mere line item, the levy signals how head honcho Cathy Engelbert is actively shaping the terms and trajectory of the sale.
For the Sun’s current stakeholders, the state of affairs creates a delicate balance. The Mohegan Tribe, which owns the team, must temper the record valuations against the intricacies of securing league imprimatur. Engelbert’s decision not to immediately present Pagliuca’s Boston bid to the Board of Governors hints at an approval process where timing and alignment matter even more than the bottom line. The exclusivity window may have lapsed, but it does not necessarily mean the door is open to Hartford — or even to Boston — absent her blessing. In such a scenario, buyer enthusiasm is only one side of the equation; the WNBA’s strategic map is the other.
Through all the wheeling and dealing, Connecticut is compelled to watch and react. Fans see not just a potential relocation, but the erasure of one of the league’s most enduring regional connections. Players have pointed to the lack of a dedicated practice facility as a competitive disadvantage, but the factoid does little to soften the blow of a departure. If the Sun leave, the WNBA will gain a market that suits its growth plans. Unfortunately, it will also lose a franchise woven into the state’s sporting identity. The sale, whenever it concludes, will say as much about the league’s long-term ambitions as about the fate of a single team already imagined to be somewhere else.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
