Connecticut Sun’s Ownership Drama as Complicated as Any in Pro Sports

The Connecticut Sun has so many sale offers for ownership that it’s hard to keep track of who’s pursuing the team.

Matt Postins | Sep 5, 2025

Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey (3) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Sky during the first half at Wintrust Arena. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Mohegan Tribe owns and operates the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. That’s about the only thing that is clear about the team’s future.

On Thursday ESPN broke a report that the state of Connecticut was behind a proposal to keep the Sun in the state. The proposal? The Mohegan Tribe would sell a minority stake in the team at a valuation higher than the $250 million the WNBA offered the Tribe to buy the franchise earlier this year. In return, the Sun get a practice facility in Hartford that it can lease, and its home games would be split between Uncasville and Hartford.

The offer is a good one, but it represents just the latest turn in the drama surrounding the ownership of the team and the litany of offers that the Mohegan Tribe has received in the past several months.

How Many Offers Has the Sun Received?

The list is a long one. It starts with Steve Pagliuca, a Boston Celtics minority owner, who offered $325 million to buy the team, an offer that would have been the largest in league history. His intention was to, eventually, move the team, as reported in a piece by The Athletic (subscription required). The WNBA basically ignored it, as WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert didn’t present it to the league’s Board of Governors. The league has Boston in its sights as an expansion city and the fee to expand could approach $500 million. Moving the Sun there would cost the league potential money.

Another offer was made by former Milwaukee Bucks Marc Lasry. He was also willing to offer $325 million. Lasry, per The Athletic, didn’t want to move the team far. He just wanted to take it to Hartford. The WNBA told the Tribe that it could not sell to relocate, even to Hartford.

The WNBA made an offer for $250 million. That would have allowed the WNBA to assume ownership of the team, but it had no intention of keeping the team in Connecticut. Per The Athletic, the league intent was to buy the team and convey it to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who would move the team to Houston and resurrect the Comets.

The WNBA even tried to facilitate a move with another NBA owner when the Sun began exploring a sale last year. The city? Cleveland. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and the Tribe couldn’t agree to a deal. Cleveland now has an expansion franchise coming.

That four clear offers and one near-offer for a franchise that has won 10 games going into Saturday’s contest with the Phoenix Mercury. The Athletic reported that the Sun’s ownership and the WNBA haven’t spoken since July.

Based on recent history, it’s easy to see why. What isn’t easy to see is when this drama will end.

How Many Offers Has the Sun Received?

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