Rockets Owner Emerges as Leading Suitor to Purchase, Move Connecticut Sun

Houston has once again positioned itself as a serious contender for a WNBA franchise.

Apr 2, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Houston Rockets logo during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Rockets defeated the Mavericks 108-101. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Ownership of the Houston Rockets is in substantive talks with the Connecticut Sun over a potential purchase and relocation, per ESPN.

The discussions have been described as positive, with Rockets ownership improving its financial offer to a figure that the Sun may find acceptable. While a formal offer has been discussed, no exclusivity agreement has been struck, and no final decision has been made.

If completed, the deal would bring the WNBA back to Houston for the first time since the Houston Comets folded after the 2008 season.

League Support for a Return to Houston

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The WNBA has made clear that Houston is a priority market. At the league’s three-team expansion announcement in June. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert singled out Houston and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as “up next,” signaling strong league interest in the city despite not receiving an expansion team.

A relocation would also align with the WNBA’s broader strategy of increasing NBA ownership involvement. A sale of the Sun to Rockets ownership would continue that trend, which the league views as a pathway to stronger infrastructure, marketing power, and long-term financial stability. 

The Sun’s Complicated Sale Process

Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, began exploring investment options more than a year ago. The initial goal was to sell a limited partnership stake to help fund infrastructure development, but the process evolved into discussions about a full sale. 

Earlier this year, Houston was among the groups interested in purchasing the franchise outright, eventually raising its bid to $250 million, which ultimately matched Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia in expansion fees. In early July, Sun's ownership reached a separate agreement to sell the team for a record $325 million to a group led by a former Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, with plans to relocate to Boston. 

That deal began to stall when the WNBA reiterated that relocation decisions must be approved by the league’s Board of Governors. The league later offered to purchase the Sun iself for $250 million, a move that would have allowed it to guide the franchise to a preferred market, widely believed to be Houston.

Timing Matters With Free Agency Looming

Sun ownership has also explored the possibility of Connecticut-affiliated funds buying a minority stake in the team, though those talks have slowed in recent weeks. League and team officials hope to resolve free agency, as all but two WNBA veterans are currently unsigned.

The timeline remains uncertain while the league and players’ union negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, with a deadline set for January 9th. 

The Legacy of Houston in the WNBA

A return to Houston would revive one of the league’s most storied markets. The Houston Comets were an original WNBA franchise and the league’s first dynasty, winning four consecutive championships from 1997 to 2000 behind legends Sherly Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, and Tina Thompson. More than a decade later, Houston may finally be on the verge of writing its next WNBA chapter.

Recommended Articles

feed