The owners of the Connecticut Sun have partnered with investment bank Allen & Company to explore the possibility of selling the franchise, Sportico reported Monday, May 12. The Mohegan Sun has owned the team since 2003.
The details of a potential sale are scarce, but many have speculated terms would include team relocation. More than 10 groups have submitted bids for WNBA franchises, which the outlet pointed out provides a built-in network of potential owners.
Owning a WNBA team is more expensive in 2025
The Mohegan Sun has not commented on a potential sale, but the cost of owning a WNBA team in 2025 coupled with the looming CBA negotiations that will likely increase that cost even more likely to have something to do with it. The Connecticut Sun infamously made the news in 2024 after players complained about sharing a practice court with a preschooler's birthday party — while the team was in the playoffs, and as teams around the country were committing to building new facilities.
The Phoenix Mercury, Las Vegas Aces, and Seattle Storm are among teams that have already opened state-of-the-art facilities, and the Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky, New York Liberty, and Los Angeles Sparks have all announced their own new facilities are on the way.
What issues face the Connecticut Sun?
The Sun has also faced a host of issues in the last year. The team lost its entire starting line-up during free agency, and in February the team refused to allow Marina Mabrey to leave. Mabrey requested a trade from the team, something that was largely unsurprising since the team's starters left and Mabrey has requested trades before.
Mabrey's agent Marcus Crenshaw accused the Sun of being anti-woman for not allowing the hooper to exit. "In this current age of women's empowerment and support of the players, the CT Sun threatening to force Marina Mabrey to play for them after her trade request is mind-boggling," Crenshaw told ESPN.
In response, Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti told ESPN the front office's decision has to do with the fact that it "wasn't in our best interest to move her because of the value that we gave up to get her, but also that we place on her."
Who owns the Connecticut Sun?
The Mohegan Sun became the first non-NBA owner group to own a WNBA team when the Orlando Miracle moved their team to Connecticut in 2003. The tribe paid $10 million to bring the team to Uncasville. Sportico also reported the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has recently refinanced its debt and successfully "pushed back $1.5 billion in debt due in 2026 and 2027 to 2030 and 2031."