The WNBA pushed again on a proposed sale of the Connecticut Solar to a gaggle led by Boston Celtics minority proprietor Steve Pagliuca, however crew possession continues to work towards a deal. ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and Romona Shelburne report that the Mohegan Tribe, which owns the franchise, will current a number of choices to the league to doubtlessly salvage the sale.
The Mohegan Tribe has 4 seemingly proposals to the WNBA. The primary is a full sale to the Pagliuca-led possession group. The second is a sale to former Milwaukee Bucks proprietor Marc Lasry and his group with the intention of protecting the crew in Connecticut however transferring to Hartford. The tribe may also take into account promoting a minority stake within the franchise or permitting the league to buy it at full worth and relocate from the Mohegan Reservation.
With the preliminary sale proposal got here the intention for Pagliuca to relocate the Solar to Boston. That stipulation specifically led the WNBA to talk out, clarifying that “relocation selections are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and never by particular person groups” and that the league already has its personal agenda for enlargement cities, which doesn’t embrace Boston.
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The Mohegan Tribe is reportedly pissed off with the WNBA’s stance and feels that the league needs a single resolution. That’s, the Solar’s relocation to a market of the WNBA’s selecting and at a price of its selecting. ESPN additionally experiences that the WNBA supplied — forward of Pagliuca’s bid — to buy the crew for $250 million, paving the way in which for the league to ultimately promote it to an possession group in considered one of its most popular enlargement markets.
The Solar will stay in Connecticut for the 2026 season, crew president Jennifer Rizzotti introduced amid the longterm uncertainty. The franchise’s season ticket renewal is up for subsequent season and Rizoti mentioned it acquired “constructive emotions” from the fanbase about remaining on the town for the 2026 marketing campaign.
If the WNBA approves the Solar’s sale to Pagliuca, it could include the very best price ticket for a girls’s sports activities franchise in U.S. historical past. Pagliuca submitted a $325 million bid and likewise intends to spend $100 million on a brand new follow facility in Boston. The Solar would play its house video games at TD Backyard, the place it held two video games over the past two years and bought out the world on each events.
Connecticut is the WNBA’s smallest market, and the Solar performs at Mohegan Solar Enviornment, which seats a modest 10,000 followers. The Solar relocated from Orlando in 2003 when the Mohegan Tribe bought the franchise.
