The sale of the Connecticut Sun to the Fertitta family is a great thing for Texans and the city of Houston (the family also owns the Rockets), but presents a problem for the WNBA. Without the Sun, the league lacks a team in the Northeast — and the region has spent years developing itself into a hub for women's basketball.
UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma commented on the dilemma that faces the league and Northeastern women's basketball. A WNBA team gives young girls and women something to aspire to, and there's a risk that without one, the interest in the sport could wane.
ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported that Auriemma noted the team's former owners — the Mohegan Sun tribe — "stepped up when they were needed and brought a team to Connecticut, as Connecticut deserves to have a team b/c we're a proven [place] where people would support women's basketball." Auriemma is certainly an expert on the support for women's basketball that exists in the state. He added, "Now [with them] moving, I think it leaves a void."
The Sun will play one more season in Connecticut
Plenty of Sun fans have already purchased season tickets, with some buying in before the new CBA was even signed. Luckily for everyone involved, the team will remain in Connecticut for the 2026 season, and will make the move to Texas ahead of the 2027 season. That gives the players and staff time to adjust and make preparations, and also gives fans one more season to run it back with the team.
The move to Houston isn't entirely surprising. There were rumors the team might be up for sale for months, and Houston was previously vetted as a potential home for an expansion team down the line.
When announcing the next three expansion teams in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Detroit, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert noted that Houston was "next in line." The city was previously home to the Houston Comets, which were formed in 1997 as one of the founding teams in the league. The franchise ultimately folded in 2008 after a successful run and are still one of the most successful teams in WNBA history.
Moving the team from Connecticut to Texas pushes that timeline up, and allows fans in Houston to immediately begin to buy into the new squad.
It also gives the state of Texas two WNBA teams — Dallas is alredy home to the Wings.