The WNBA is opposed to a second bid for the Connecticut Sun that would move the team to Hartford, sources said, as the league remains intent on directing the team to one of nine cities that lost out on expansion last month.
Former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry is the lead investor of a Hartford-centric group that has reportedly offered over $300M for the franchise with a plan of moving the Sun to PeoplesBank Arena and building a practice facility near the city’s Constitution Plaza. This comes on the heels of a $325M offer from Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, along with an accompanying $110M practice site.
But sources insisted today that because Hartford — like Boston — did not apply for a franchise in the most recent round of expansion, the WNBA’s Board of Governors would almost certainly vote against a relocation to either city. Instead, sources said the league is still in active conversations with the nine cities that did bid for expansion teams through Allen & Co over the past year and prefers the Sun relocate to one of those places.
Those cities are Houston, Austin, Charlotte, Denver, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, Nashville and St. Louis —with Houston considered the likely frontrunner after Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in June, “Houston would be up next, for sure. There might be opportunities there.”
Also, according to sources today, any team that purchases and moves the Sun would have to pay an additional undisclosed relocation fee, which would likely push the overall purchase to over $400M or more.
Last month the WNBA announced expansion franchises for Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.