Sources: Sun sold to Fertitta family, will relocate to Houston

connecticut sun Sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday that the franchise is being sold to the Fertitta family in a bid to bring the WNBA back to Houston.

Sources said the sale agreement is worth $300 million, a record-breaking price for a WNBA team.

The team will play one final season in Uncasville, Connecticut in 2026 before relocating in 2027. The official announcement is expected on Monday.

Sources said the franchise is expected to use the Comets name, reminiscent of when the Houston Comets were part of the league from 1997 to 2008, an iconic original franchise that won four consecutive championships from 1997 to 2000.

The WNBA had previously expressed strong interest in returning to Houston. In announcing the league’s three-team expansion last June, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert specifically highlighted the city of Houston and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as “the next one” and “who we have our eye on.”

ESPN reported in December that Rockets ownership was in concrete talks with the Suns to purchase the franchise. The sale of the Rockets’ ownership is the latest example of the WNBA moving toward forming more teams with NBA owners.

The Suns have been owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, when they purchased and moved the franchise (then the Orlando Miracle) from Florida to Uncasville.

The Sun initiated a process to explore investment options in 2024, initially seeking to assess opportunities for a limited partnership sale that would help build the infrastructure. Suns ownership initially struck a deal to sell the team for a record $325 million to a group led by former Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca that would have relocated the franchise to Boston, but the WNBA effectively blocked the deal from moving forward, stating that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors, not by individual teams” and that cities that have already gone through the expansion process are given priority over Boston.

Houston’s PaperCity magazine first reported the sale to the Fertitas.