Connecticut Sun May Relocate to Boston by 2027
Reported on Saturday afternoon, there are discussions about the Connecticut Sun potentially moving to Boston by 2027. The Mohegan Sun Tribe, which currently owns the team, is set to sell it to a group led by Steve Pagliuca, an established sports owner in Boston.
Pagliuca has long aimed to buy the Boston Celtics from fellow owner Wyc Grousbeck, but recently, another group spearheaded by Bill Chisholm was selected for that purchase. Now, Pagliuca is taking women’s basketball under his wing.
In what would be a record-setting transaction, Pagliuca is agreeing to pay $325 million for the Sun and is also planning to contribute $100 million towards a new training facility in Boston. This would mark the highest sum ever paid for a professional women’s sports team, for context, Pagliuca and his fellow owners bought the Celtics in 2002 for $360 million.
Currently, the Sun doesn’t have its own training facility in Uncasville, Connecticut, where they’ve been based.
Importantly, the sale requires approval from the WNBA, and inside sources indicate that the league will consider Boston a possible expansion city by 2033.
The WNBA’s Expansion Plans
The WNBA is currently home to 13 teams, with the Golden State Valkyries being the newest addition. Next season, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will join, while teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia are expected to emerge over the next five years.
The Sun has played a couple of regular season games at TD Garden in Boston, one against the Los Angeles Sparks last year and another against the Indiana Fever this year—both were sold out events that featured Celtics players.
After last year’s game against the Sparks, star Dihony Carrington expressed her excitement about the atmosphere, saying, “It feels good. I felt like every game could feel.”
Currently, the Sun, long regarded as one of the best teams in the WNBA, is in a rebuilding phase, struggling with a dismal 5-21 record. Pagliuca has hoped for quite some time to bring a WNBA team to Boston, with support from local officials like Governor Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu. Previous attempts to secure teams for Boston have been made by figures like Michael Carter-Williams and Donnie Wahlberg, who sought involvement through sales or WNBA expansion.
The Mohegan Tribe has already informed season ticket holders about plans for the team’s participation in Uncasville during the 2026 season, but the proposed move to Boston is slated for 2027.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
