Connecticut Sun reportedly exploring multiple options for sale

The GIST: The struggling Connecticut Sun, who will officially miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016, aren’t just contending with on-court troubles — the saga surrounding the team’s potential sale is just getting started. Let’s break down yesterday’s fascinating ESPN report.

⏪ The background: On August 2nd, the NBA’s Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca reportedly reached a deal to buy the Sun from the Mohegan Tribe for $325M, with plans to relocate the squad to Boston by 2027, host home games at TD Garden, and build a $100M practice facility.

• But the W pumped the brakes, saying this relocation was not approved as Boston wasn’t one of the 12 cities that applied for a WNBA expansion team over the last three years.

❓ The issue: The W is growing rapidly, with Toronto, Portland, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia all joining the league by 2030. If the Sun do sell and relocate, the WNBA reportedly prefers the team move to a city that submitted an expansion bid, chief among them Houston, previously home of the defunct Comets franchise.

⏩ The latest: According to ESPN, the WNBA reportedly offered to buy the Sun for $250M and facilitate a move to a market they decide on, but the Mohegan Tribe turned them down after Pagliuca’s $325M offer. That record amount was then matched by a group hoping to keep the team in Connecticut, with plans to move from Uncasville to the state capital, Hartford. Alrighty then.

• The Mohegan Tribe is now submitting four proposals to the league: the $325M Boston offer, the $325M Hartford sale, a minority stake option, and finally, a direct sale to the W, which would allow the league to put the Sun wherever they please…but for $325M, not $250M.

• In addition to the expansion bid snub, the WNBA reportedly has other concerns about Boston, including possible scheduling conflicts at TD Garden, an NBA, NHL, and concert venue where the Sun have hosted two sold-out games. All to say, this story is far from over.