The Connecticut Sun are set to be sold to Tilman Fertitta for $300 million and will relocate to Houston in 2027, according to a person familiar with the agreement.
The deal, which has not yet been publicly announced, still requires approval from the WNBA Board of Governors. The team will remain in Connecticut for the upcoming season before moving and rebranding as the Houston Comets.
The move will end a 23-year run in Connecticut, where the franchise relocated in 2003 from Orlando. The reported $300 million sale price would mark the highest in WNBA history, surpassing recent expansion fees paid by ownership groups in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
A competing $325 million bid led by Steve Pagliuca had proposed moving the team to Boston, but the league intervened, emphasizing that relocation decisions fall under the authority of the Board of Governors rather than individual teams. The league also noted that cities like Boston would need to go through the formal expansion process.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert had previously indicated that Houston was next in line for a team, reinforcing the direction of the deal.
The potential return of the Comets revives one of the league’s original franchises, which won four consecutive championships from 1997 to 2000 before folding in 2008. The relocation also continues a broader trend of NBA-affiliated ownership groups entering the WNBA, including teams tied to the Golden State Warriors and other franchises.
If approved, the move would provide long-term clarity for the franchise as it prepares for free agency and aligns with the league’s push for upgraded facilities under its new collective bargaining agreement.
