Selling Sunset: The Connecticut Sun Are Relocating to Houston

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

By Mary Merensky

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — On Friday, March 27, it was announced that the Connecticut Sun will

be relocating to Houston after being bought by the Fertitta family in a $300 million deal,

marking the highest ever sale of a WNBA team. The Sun will remain playing at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville for the 2026 season, then move to Houston in 2027.

Once the move to Houston is complete, the team is expected to be renamed the Comets, honoring Houston’s historic franchise in the WNBA. The Houston Comets competed in the WNBA from 1997 to 2008 and won four consecutive championships during the 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 seasons.

While many league officials have been anticipating the WNBA’s return to Houston, Connecticut Sun fans have fought relentlessly to keep the team in the state, or at least in the New England region. This news also comes just a little over a week since the Bridgeport Islanders, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, announced their move to Hamilton, Ontario.

Over the past WNBA season, rumors of a potential relocation of the Connecticut Sun franchise

had started to pick up, with the most likely landing spots being Boston, Hartford, and Houston.

Back in August of 2025, the owners of the Sun had reached a deal with Steve Pagliuca, a former minority owner of the Boston Celtics, for a record-breaking $325 million. This deal would have moved the franchise to Boston but was ultimately blocked by the WNBA due to the relocation of teams being determined by the league itself and not team ownership.

Although this move is not ideal for Sun fans in Connecticut, it should serve as a big upgrade for the players. Many members of the Sun, present and past, have had nothing but praise for their loyal fanbase, but have had some critiques when it comes to the team's location.

The Connecticut Sun is the only team in the league without a dedicated practice facility, which

has heavily impacted the way players can prepare for games. As reported by Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant, before Game 1 of the Sun’s playoff series against the Indiana Fever in 2024, the Sun were forced to practice on one half of the court due to a community event taking place on the other end.

These types of conditions have prevented many players from wanting to play for the Sun,

especially when there are other teams in the WNBA that have state-of-the-art facilities.

With the addition of two new expansion teams, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, who

will join the WNBA this upcoming season, it seems that the league is looking to move into major cities with bigger markets, and the current location of the Connecticut Sun does not fit the bill.