Following the 2024 season which saw another unceremonious postseason exit for the Connecticut Sun, a number of high-profile departures ensued including Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, DiJonai Carrington, former coach Stephanie White and former general manager Darius Taylor.
All of those departures led to plenty of talk that the Sun were about to undergo a rebuild. What was unclear was what was really going on in Connecticut.
We later found out that the franchise was put on the market with a possible relocation attached. A Boston Globe report then suggested that Steve Pagliuca, a minority Boston Celtics owner and co-chairman of Bain Capital, had reached a deal to pay $325 million to the Mohegan Tribe to purchase the Connecticut Sun and relocate the team to Boston by 2027.
Given where the Sun are in the standings, one could expect 2027 would be a point where the team begins its emergence from its rebuild. Completion of transactions and/or relocations typically lead to a front office being more apt to open up a checkbook once again.
The WNBA and Pagliuca himself have put out statements that were essentially made to douse cold water on the hot flames. Here are our thoughts on this reported pact.
WNBA Posturing
When the WNBA put this statement out, it appeared to be the textbook definition of public relations posturing. Said statement was first sent to the Globe then eventually found its way to Ben Pickman at the Athletic.
After all, it mentions expansion more than it does relocation. What is being reported with the Sun is a relocation process, not one of expansion.
The top of that statement may be the only thing that matters. It mentions how relocation decisions are made by the Board of Governors – meaning the other owners. Relocating a franchise from Uncasville to a major market like Boston is a slam dunk for any owner.
Franchise Valuations
So much has been made recently about valuations of incumbent franchises.
We know that the Golden State Valkyries are valued at $500 million and the team is in its first season of existence. We know that the New York Liberty – defending champions and the team that plays in the W’s flagship market – now are valued at $450 million and Clara Wu Tsai is bullish about a future $1 billion valuation for the franchise.
The Indiana Fever’s franchise valuation has skyrocketed as of late in its Caitlin Clark era – that franchise is worth over $300 million.
One does not have to be an economist to know that a franchise based in Boston will be worth more than one based in Uncasville – and the value of the WNBA as a whole will increase. That is why this relocation will be a no-brainer for the Board of Governors.
Mohegan Tribe
There is a bit of a bittersweet feeling with this news.
Having a Native American tribe as one of the ownership groups within the WNBA certainly does a lot for the W’s progressive image.
But money talks more than ever in today’s WNBA – and it appeared the Mohegan Tribe simply did not have the money to compete with big-budgeted owners such as those of the Liberty, Fever, Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm among others.
Much of the conversation in today’s WNBA has revolved around practice facilities. Virtually any prospective owner ought to enter the W with a plan to invest money into a state-of-the-art practice facility. Pagliuca is planning on doing that once the Sun moves to Boston.
Steve Pagliuca
Speaking of Steve Pagliuca…
As mentioned earlier, New Englanders are familiar with this name given he is the minority owner of the Celtics. In addition, Pagliuca is a co-chairman of Bain Capital. He also owns a stake in Atalanta BC which is based in Italy.
Here is a statement that was put out by Pagliuca himself.
What this looks like is a deal that has been reached in principle between Pagliuca and the Mohegan Tribe but has yet to be approved by the Board of Governors. That BOG ought to give its seal of approval to this deal because this will come down to money – and there is more money in Boston than there is in Uncasville.
New England
If one takes a close look at the statement put out by Pagliuca, it mentions how his vision for the franchise is for it to play home games at arenas throughout New England.
This reminds us very vividly of what the Toronto Tempo have planned when it debuts next year. The Tempo intend to play games at other Canadian cities – along with its flagship venue of Coca-Cola Coliseum – to truly make it Canada’s team.
One would guess that would include a Connecticut venue. That way, the team could relocate to Boston and still maintain at least some of its fanbase in the Nutmeg State.
Also – all Boston-based franchises already have New England-wide fanbases. This is a difference from when the NHL’s Hartford Whalers left Connecticut and moved south to become the Carolina Hurricanes.
Sixth Woman – Colors
We may have mentioned this before, but we would like to reiterate what we believe the Boston team’s colors should be.
The team would almost certainly adopt a new name given “Sun” was a reference to the Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino that the current Connecticut team plays at.
As for the colors, we would like to see it keep its orange and blue but add Celtics green to the color scheme. The orange can be a homage to the old Sun franchise and it, perhaps, could add a hue of blue that would pay homage to the Orlando Miracle – which relocated to become the Sun in the early 2000s.
