The future of the Connecticut Sun is unclear with reports swirling that the team is nearing a sale for $325 million to Steve Pagliuca, a minority owner of the Celtics who plans to move the team to Boston. The Sun and Pagliuca have both refuted that a deal has been finalized, and the team will remain at Mohegan Sun Arena through 2026. While Pagulica confirmed his bid, relocation decisions are made by the WNBA’s Board of Governors and not the individual teams. Other cities also remain higher on the priority list for landing a team.
Suffice it to say, things are a bit of a mess right now, though it remains a possibility that the team will stay in Connecticut. Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday told reporters, including CT Insider’s Alex Putterman, that the state will be “fighting like heck” to keep the Sun from relocating.
“When it comes to the Connecticut Sun, we’re late in the fourth quarter, we still have some catching up to do, but it’s not over until it’s over,” Lamont said. “… Connecticut’s the home of women’s basketball. The Sun ought to be right here.”
Lamont added that a local ownership group has made an offer that’s close to Pagulica’s bid to keep the team in Connecticut.
“I know we’ve got a very competitive bid, I know we have lots of local corporate support who want to make this happen,” Lamont said. “We’re doing everything we can to keep (the team) here in the state.”
While it remains to be seen if the Sun stay in the state, it’s a near-lock they will move from the Mohegan Sun. In the midst of the WNBA’s facility arms race, the Sun have some of the worst in the league. They practice in a local community center and their arena is among the league’s smallest.
The challenge for keeping the team in Connecticut is that a new owner would need to commit to building a state-of-the-art practice facility and find a new home arena. Hartford’s PeoplesBank Arena as a possibility, as it’s in the midst of a $138 million renovation.
Pagulica is reportedly willing to commit $100 million on top of his bid to build a new facility that could keep up with the top of the league — it would just be in Boston. When asked by CT Insider if the state would be willing to use public money to help fund a practice facility, Lamont said they would “do what it takes” to keep the team in Connecticut.
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