The WNBA’s Connecticut Sun are exploring a sale of the team that could include the franchise leaving its home at Mohegan Sun, if not New England entirely.
Sportico reported Monday afternoon that the Mohegan Tribe, which bought and relocated the Orlando Miracle to its casino complex in Uncasville, Conn., in 2003, hired investment bank Allen & Company to explore what sources expect would be sale of a controlling interest.
Allen & Company declined to comment, while the Sun did not immediately respond to a Sportico request.
Allen also ran the WNBA’s most recent expansion round, from which Toronto and Portland, Ore., were chosen to become the league’s 14th and 15th teams starting in 2026. (Cleveland is expected to receive the 16th franchise in time for 2028.)
The unchosen groups in that process would seem ready-made potential buyers for the Sun, who play out of 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena and in the league’s smallest media market. Donnie Wahlberg and Michael Carter-Williams were not part of that process, but have expressed interest in bringing a WNBA team to Boston.
The Sun drew a sellout crowd of more than 19,000 last August in their first-ever game at TD Garden, with the team committing to a second game this summer. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are scheduled to visit on July 15.
The Mohegan Tribe paid a $10 million expansion fee in 2003, a time of major upheaval for the WNBA. The Sun were one of two franchises to relocate that year following the NBA selling off its WNBA interests, while two others folded and a third followed at season’s end.
Today, business is booming. The Portland ownership group paid a reported $125 million for its franchise, which will include the cost of a new practice facility — increasingly a necessity as Golden State, Phoenix, Seattle, and Las Vegas have each opened their own since 2023.
The Sun practice at the mixed-use Tribal Practice Facility — a “trendsetter in the space” according to Sun president Jen Rizzotti when it opened in 2011, but now behind the modern standard. Former Sun star Alyssa Thomas ripped Connecticut’s setup in the fall, claiming players had to “share [their] court with a 2-year-old[’s] birthday party” before their first playoff game in September.
The Sun eliminated Clark’s Fever before losing in the league semifinals to Minnesota, then essentially flipped their roster. All five starters departed via trade or free agency, with coach Stephanie White jumping to Indiana (replaced by WNBA first-timer Rachid Meziane) and assistant general manager Morgan Tuck promoted to the lead role.
The revamped Connecticut Sun have a plan. It will be a little while before we know if it worked.
A team spokesman told The Athletic in March that “infrastructure improvements are being looked at to ensure the team’s growth and success in the league.”
Sportico valued the Sun at $80 million last season (before the recent expansion), tied for ninth in the league. They begin their 23rd season Sunday afternoon when they host the Washington Mystics.
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