Steve Pagliuca-backed Group Strikes Deal to Purchase Connecticut Sun. Sale Is Pending Approval by WNBA
Boston could be a new permanent home for the women’s Connecticut Sun basketball team in the future. Multiple sources confirmed with the Boston Globe that a group led by the Boston…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 27: Natisha Hiedeman #2 of the Connecticut Sun celebrates her three point shot in the first half against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on May 27, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Boston could be a new permanent home for the women's Connecticut Sun basketball team in the future. Multiple sources confirmed with the Boston Globe that a group led by the Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has secured a deal to purchase the Connecticut Sun basketball team and relocate it to TD Garden.
According to sources, Pagliuca will pay the Mohegan Tribe $325 million for the team and offer up $100 million for a new practice facility in Boston enabling the Sun to transfer from the tribe's casino facility in Uncasville, Connecticut. Sources said the Mohegan Tribe has been trying to sell the club for some time.
The sale, pending approval by the WNBA and its board of governors, would be the highest ever for a professional women's sports club.
A WNBA spokesperson confirmed to the Globe in a statement that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams” and that “no groups from Boston applied for a team” during the WNBA's recent expansion.
“Nine additional cities also applied for WNBA teams and remain under active consideration. 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,” the league statement continued. “A prospective Celtics owner has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time.”
The Sun have played in Connecticut since 2003, after the team moved there from Orlando. The franchise has quickly become one of the WNBA's leading scoring teams, reaching the NBA Finals four times, the most recent in 2022.
During the week of July 28, the Sun notified its season-ticket holders that the club will play its 2026 season at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Boston group seeking to buy the Sun wants to target a 2027 move for the team. The Sun would potentially play early-season games in Providence to avoid interfering with the Bruins' and Celtics' playoff schedule.
