WNBA Releases Blunt Statement on Possibility of Sun Relocating to Boston

'Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,' the league said in the wake of Steve Pagliuca buying the Sun.

Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca reportedly agreed to buy the Connecticut Sun with plans to move the team to Boston. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

On Saturday the news broke that the Connecticut Sun could be on the move to Boston, as Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca agreed to purchase the team for a record sum with plans to relocate to Massachusetts. The WNBA, however, may have something to say about that.

In wake of the news, the league released a rather blunt statement outlining the issues with the current narrative that a new ownership group can relocate the Sun to Boston.

"Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams," the WNBA said in a statement to the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. "As part of our most recent expansion process, in which three new franchises were awarded to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia on June 30, 2025, nine additional cities also applied for WNBA teams and remain under active consideration. No groups from Boston applied for a team at that time and 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. Celtics’ prospective owner Bill Chisholm has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time."

There is undoubtedly a mountain of red tape to cut through to relocate a team. However, it was noted in the initial report that the preferred choice of the current owners, the Mohegan Tribe, is to sell and relocate the Sun. If all major parties involved are motivated and willing to make a relocation happen, would the W really stand in the way?

Regardless it seems Pagliuca has his work cut for him if he is indeed focused on getting the Sun to play in TD Garden.

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