The WNBA has received a proposal from the state of Connecticut that would give the state minority ownership of the Connecticut Sun.
According to an ESPN report, the state’s bid would value the team higher than the $250 million that the WNBA has proposed. The league’s preferred market for the franchise is believed to be Houston, Front Office Sports reported previously.
The new proposal would keep the team in the state, splitting its home games between the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, its current home, and PeoplesBank Arena about 45 miles away in Hartford. The Mohegan Sun Arena fits fewer than 9,000 fans for Sun contests, while the PeoplesBank Arena can fit around 16,000.
The state, which wants the team to play more games in Hartford, would also reportedly build a new practice facility in the city that it would lease to the team.
A spokesperson for Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued a statement to Front Office Sports:
“The Connecticut Sun have a loyal fanbase here at [a] time when the WNBA is continuing to reach new heights. … UConn has produced more WNBA stars than any other college and our goal is to defend that claim by finding a way to keep the Sun stay in Connecticut with their fans.”
The WNBA and Sun will meet next week to discuss options. The franchise, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, had agreed to a $325 million deal in July with Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca that would move the franchise to Boston. FOS reported that WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert never presented the offer to the league’s board of governors.
Last month, CT Insider reported that former Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry matched the $325 million offer in a proposal that would move the team to Hartford full-time. However, FOS previously reported that Pagliuca and Lasry’s proposals would require a relocation fee on top of the $325 million bids, which could sway the deals.
The state’s proposal of splitting the games between the two locations reportedly allows it to bypass paying a relocation fee.
The WNBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Sun directed requests to the Mohegan Tribe, which did not respond to a request for comment.
Pagliuca did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while a spokesperson for Avenue Capital Group, which Lasry co-founded, declined to comment.
