Report: Rockets ownership deeply involved as talks to purchase, relocate Sun heat up

Emily Adams, Hartford Courant on Dec 19, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

HARTFORD, Conn. — After months of uncertainty, the Connecticut Sun are progressing toward a deal to sell and relocate the team to Houston, according to a report from ESPN.

ESPN reported Friday that Houston Rockets ownership is in “substantive talks” with the Mohegan Tribe and has improved its offer to a number the Tribe “might find acceptable.” Previous bids to purchase the Sun from ownership groups in Boston and Hartford both exceeded $325 million, with additional funds promised toward a dedicated team practice facility. While a Houston offer has been discussed, ESPN reported that no exclusivity agreement has been signed by the parties.

The potential sale and relocation of the Sun has been chaotic from the start. The Mohegan Tribe originally reached an agreement in July to sell the team to former Celtics minority governor Steve Pagliuca, who would have moved the team to Boston. A group in Hartford, led by former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, submitted a competing bid, but the WNBA indicated that it would not approve the franchise relocating to either city.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont supported a proposal for the state to purchase a minority stake in the team, though there is no indication that the league would be supportive of that move either. The proposed use of public funds to invest in the Sun also drew criticism from state Republicans.

Reports have long suggested that the WNBA’s preferred destination for the Sun is Houston, which submitted a bid for a team, led by Rockets owner Tilman Feritta, during the league’s most recent round of expansion. The WNBA has established a pattern of preference toward NBA ownership groups in its expansion process, and it seems that preference also extends to the Sun’s potential buyer. Of the six expansion teams awarded since 2023, all have gone to bids led by current NBA owners: Golden State, Portland, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.

Houston ultimately missed out on an expansion franchise because its bid was at least $50 million short of the $250 million fee paid by Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, according to the Houston Chronicle. Cleveland will join the league in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said back in June that Houston “would be up next, for sure” to receive a team. The Houston Comets, which folded in 2008, were one of the league’s eight original franchises, and they are still tied for the most championships in WNBA history with four straight from 1997-2000.

It will be challenging for any final decisions to be made about a sale until the league approves its new collective bargaining agreement, set to take effect in 2026. The WNBA Players’ Association opted out of the current CBA in October 2024, but negotiations have moved slowly, and the parties have already extended the deadline to approve a new CBA twice. The current deadline to reach a deal is Jan. 9.

The WNBPA also announced Thursday that its membership voted to authorize the union’s executive council to call a strike, if necessary. The support for a potential strike was overwhelming with 93% of players participating and 98% voting in favor.

Player salaries are expected to increase dramatically under a new CBA, but it is unclear what the structure will look like, especially as the union pushes for greater revenue-sharing opportunities. ESPN reported that the WNBA hopes to have clarity about the future of the Sun before free agency begins with only two veterans in the league under contract entering 2026. But free agency also cannot open without a new CBA in place, so the timeline for a resolution remains uncertain.

The Mohegan Tribe has owned the Sun since 2003, when it spent approximately $10 million to relocate the franchise from Orlando. The team has a dedicated fan base in the New England region, selling out of season tickets in 2025 for the first time in franchise history. Despite missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016, Connecticut averaged its highest-ever per game attendance at 8,653, and it sold out more than 19,000 seats in a one-off game at TD Garden for the second year in a row.