Rockets Owners in Talks to Buy and Move WNBA’s Sun

Publicly, the sale of the Connecticut Sun appeared to have stalled after a whirlwind summer with multiple parties making offers in excess of $300 million to buy the WNBA team.

Underneath the surface, talks were continuing with one of the interested parties. 

The Sun have been in ongoing discussions with Houston Rockets ownership regarding a possible sale and subsequent relocation of the team to Houston, multiple sources confirmed to Front Office Sports. 

ESPN was first to report the state of discussions. 

“Mohegan leadership continues to actively explore different avenues of investment opportunities for the CT Sun,” Mohegan leadership said in a statement to FOS. “We are excited with the growth of the WNBA and women’s basketball, and are taking a rigorous, diligent approach to this work. We fully understand and appreciate the value of the phenomenal women’s basketball we have had the privilege to support and lead for 23 remarkable seasons. No agreement has been reached at this time, and we are not at liberty to discuss the details of any potential concepts under consideration.”

The NBA declined to comment. 

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert reports to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who defended the league’s involvement in a FOS interview in September. “They very much want a team,” Silver said then of the Rockets’ WNBA ambitions.

The Mohegan Tribe became the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team when they bought and moved the Orlando Miracle in 2003. It was reported in May 2025 the Tribe hired investment bank Allen & Company to begin actively pursuing a sale. 

In June, the WNBA announced its plans to expand to 18 teams by 2030 by adding teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Each ownership group paid a record-high $250 million expansion fee. The expansion bids that lost out included Miami, Denver, Nashville, and Houston, which was led by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. During the press conference WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called out Fertitta by name and said “Houston would be up next for sure,” when answering a question about the timeline for evaluating bids. 

According to multiple sources, discussions were had at the league level early in the year about facilitating a sale of the Sun to the Cleveland ownership group. This would have made room for the Rockets ownership group to be granted an expansion slot. However, the Sun were advised that they could field higher offers and declined to sell to Cleveland. 

The Sun subsequently received a record $325 million offer from a Boston group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca in July. Multiple sources told FOS the Tribe agreed to that deal and it was presented to Engelbert but never to the WNBA’s board of governors. During this time the league continued to emphasize that relocation decisions were not up to individual teams and were at the discretion of the board. The Sun fielded another offer from former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry which matched Pagliuca’s and proposed moving the team to Hartford, Connecticut.

The WNBA also offered to buy the Sun for $250 million, which would have given the league control over an ensuing sale and relocation. 

Political leaders in Connecticut have been outspoken in opposing any deal that results in relocation. In September, the state’s attorney general, William Tong, pressed Engelbert to produce a group of documents that could shed light on the league’s plans for the Sun. Those included the membership agreement between the WNBA and the Sun, the league’s rules and regulations, and copies of any appraisals, offers, and expressions of interest for the team. On Dec. 10, the AG’s office told FOS the league had provided documents, which it had reviewed and was assessing.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal warned the WNBA in September that its reported interference in negotiations could violate antitrust laws, and said he would “demand investigations and enforcement actions from the appropriate federal authorities if it takes any step to hinder or constrain Connecticut’s negotiations.” The prior week, Sen. Chris Murphy posted a thread on social media calling out the league for pressuring the Tribe to “accept a low-ball offer from a Trump-backed billionaire,” referring to Fertitta, who is Trump’s ambassador to Italy 

September also saw the state of Connecticut offer to buy a minority stake in the Sun as part of a deal that could keep the team in state.

Governor Ned Lamont has also been vocal about wanting to keep the Sun in Connecticut, although last month he admitted it’s an “uphill climb,” according to CT Insider.

In August, Hartford mayor Arunan Arulampalam held a press conference blasting the league over reports it was planning to block a deal that would keep the team in state.

The offices of the attorney general, the two senators, the governor, and the mayor did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.

The Houston Comets were the WNBA’s first dynasty, winning the league’s inaugural title in 1997 and three more over the next three seasons. The team folded in 2008 due to similar reasons plaguing teams across the league, financial strain and poor ownership. Between 2002 and 2009 six franchises ceased operations: the Comets, the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Sacramento Monarchs, Miami Sol, and Portland Fire. Three others—the Utah Starzz, Detroit Shock, and Miracle—were sold and relocated.