Celtics Co-owner Set To Buy Wnba’s Connecticut Sun For Record $325m

A group led by Celtics number proprietor Steve Pagliuca has reached a woody to bargain nan Connecticut Sun for a grounds $325m and move nan squad to Boston, according to a personification acquainted pinch nan sale.

The franchise wouldn’t play successful Boston until nan 2027 season. Pagliuca besides would lend $100m for a caller believe installation successful Boston for nan team, nan personification said.

The personification said to nan Associated Press connected information of anonymity connected Saturday because nan woody hasn’t been publically announced. The waste is pending support of nan convention and its Board of Governors.

“Relocation decisions are made by nan WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” nan convention said successful a statement.

The Sun person played 1 regular play crippled astatine TD Garden eac of nan past 2 years, including 1 against Caitlin Clark and nan Indiana Fever successful July.

The convention has announced 5 description teams that will statesman play complete nan adjacent 5 seasons pinch Portland (2026), Toronto (2026), Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) joining nan WNBA. Each paid a then-record $250m description fee.

Nine different cities bid for description teams, including Houston, which nan convention singled retired arsenic getting a squad successful nan early erstwhile it announced Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia successful June. Boston did not.

“No groups from Boston applied for a squad astatine that clip and those different cities stay nether information based connected nan extended activity they did arsenic portion of nan description process and presently person privilege complete Boston. Celtics’ prospective ownership squad has besides reached retired to nan convention agency and asked that Boston person beardown information for a WNBA franchise astatine nan due time.”

The Boston Globe first reported nan sale.

The Sun are owned by nan Mohegan Tribe, which runs nan casino wherever nan squad has played since 2003. The Tribe bought nan franchise for $10m and relocated it from Orlando that year. The Connecticut franchise was nan first successful nan convention to beryllium tally by a non-NBA proprietor and besides became nan first to move a profit.

The squad announced successful May that it was searching for a imaginable purchaser for nan franchise and had hired finance slope Allen & Company to behaviour nan probe.

The WNBA has knowledgeable accelerated maturation nan past fewer seasons and ownership groups person been investing much into their teams, including subordinate experiences. That has travel successful nan measurement of believe facilities. The Sun are 1 of nan fewer teams successful nan convention that haven’t announced immoderate plans for a caller training facility.

Connecticut practices either astatine nan arena successful nan casino aliases a section organization center.

Despite nan deficiency of facilities, nan Sun person been 1 of nan astir successful teams successful nan league, making nan postseason successful 16 seasons, including a tally of six consecutive semifinal appearances. But nan squad was deed difficult this offseason pinch nan full starting 5 from past play leaving either via free agency aliases trade.

Connecticut are presently successful past spot successful nan WNBA astatine 5-21. The squad sent retired a missive to play summons holders past week saying they’d still beryllium playing astatine nan casino adjacent year.

The past squad to beryllium sold successful nan WNBA was successful 2021 erstwhile existent property investor Larry Gottesdiener led a group that bought nan Atlanta Dream for nether $10m. A twelvemonth earlier, Mark Davis paid astir $2m for nan Las Vegas Aces.