The WNBA Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the Connecticut Sun's relocation to Houston for the 2027 season, ending the franchise's 27-year run in Uncasville and Mohegan Sun Arena. The move was announced Wednesday following a closed-door session in New York. No purchase price was disclosed, but two people familiar with the transaction said the acquiring group valued the franchise above $100 million, a multiple last seen in the Golden State Valkyries expansion deal.
Connecticut has operated since 2003 under the ownership of the Mohegan Tribe, which acquired the franchise from its Orlando Miracle origins for an estimated $10 million. The Sun reached six WNBA Finals but never won a title. Average attendance this past season was 6,021 per game, fourth-lowest in the 12-team league. Mohegan Sun Arena seats 9,323 for basketball. The Houston group has not yet named a venue, but Toyota Center—home to the NBA's Rockets—seats 18,055 and has hosted WNBA games before when the Houston Comets folded in 2008.
The approval comes six weeks after CNBC published its first formal WNBA franchise valuation study, which pegged the Golden State Valkyries at $1 billion despite playing just one season. The Valkyries' Chase Center home averages 18,064 announced attendance, filling seats the NBA Warriors do not need on off nights. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters in Lake Tahoe last week that the Valkyries "raised the bar" for what markets and ownership groups now understand a WNBA team requires: billionaire principal owners, an NBA partnership for venue access, and a metro population above 6 million. Houston qualifies on all three. Connecticut does not.
The relocation also resolves a geographic problem. With the Sun's move, the WNBA loses its only franchise in the Northeast outside of New York. The league now has three teams in California, two in Texas, and none in New England. Engelbert has said publicly the league plans to expand to 16 teams by 2028. One person with knowledge of the timeline said the league office expects to announce at least one new East Coast franchise—likely Philadelphia or Toronto—before the Sun play their final Mohegan game in October 2026. That would soften the optics of abandoning a region that has supported the league since 1999.
Houston is the WNBA's second attempt at the market. The Houston Comets won the league's first four championships from 1997 to 2000, then folded in 2008 after ownership could not secure an arena lease or local broadcast deal. Tilman Fertitta, who owns the Rockets, declined to invest in a standalone WNBA team at that time. He has not commented publicly on the Sun relocation, but the new ownership group includes two Houston-based family offices and one former Comets executive, according to a league filing reviewed by a person with direct access. If Fertitta grants Chase Center access, the franchise inherits the NBA's sponsorship infrastructure, which includes $42 million in annual venue naming rights.
The Connecticut Sun front office will remain in place through the 2026 season. General manager Darius Taylor signed a two-year extension in March 2025. None of the Sun's current players are under contract beyond 2026 due to the league's collective bargaining agreement, which allows restricted free agency at the end of each deal. Unrestricted free agency begins in 2027 for players with six or more years of service. The Sun have four players in that category, including two-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas, who told reporters in March she would "evaluate options" if the franchise moved. Thomas is from Maryland. Houston is 1,400 miles from her hometown.
What to watch: The Houston ownership group must file a formal team name and branding package with the league office by October 15, 2025, per WNBA franchise rules. Expect Nike and the league's apparel committee to push for a name that allows jersey sales to start before the 2027 tip. Also watch whether Fertitta makes a public statement or quietly takes a minority stake, a move that would unlock Toyota Center without requiring him to lead the bid. Finally, Engelbert is scheduled to appear at the CAA World Congress of Sports in New York on June 4, where she will likely face questions about East Coast expansion.
The Mohegan Tribe has not announced what it will do with the $25 million practice facility it built in 2020.
The takeaway
Connecticut exits after 27 years as Houston becomes the WNBA's second billion-dollar proving ground, leaving the Northeast without a team.
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