Steve Pagliuca released a statement on X on Sunday addressing reports that the Celtics minority owner was set to purchase the Connecticut Sun and relocate the WNBA franchise to Boston.
Pagliuca confirmed “no transaction has been agreed to,” but than a group led by “PagsGroup” has offered to buy the Sun and keep the team in New England. The effort, according to Pagliuca, is supported by both Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Rhode Island governor Daniel McKee.
Here is his statement in full.
“While it is the PagsGroup policy to decline to comment on transactions until they are completed, out of respect for the WNBA and NBA, we feel compelled to clarify the status of a possible acquisition of the Connecticut Sun.
“An investor group led by PagsGroup, and supported by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy and Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee, has offered to acquire the Connecticut Sun with the objective of keeping New England’s WNBA team in New England. No transaction has been agreed yet.
“As avid basketball fans and proven sports team operators, we admire the Mohegan Tribe for their great stewardship of the Connecticut Sun. Over the past two decades, the Mohegan Tribe has invested substantial time and resources into the Sun and has built a strong New England presence for the WNBA.
“Our objective, should we acquire the team, is to honor that legacy, further invest in the team, grow its devoted fan base in the region, and build a championship team that players and fans continue to be proud of.
“Central to our proposal is enabling the Sun to play in larger capacity arenas in New England. We believe our record-setting offer and deep commitment to growing the WNBA in the region that is home to the most passionate basketball fans in the nation will significantly benefit the league, the team, and all its fans.
“Our offer is subject to obtaining the required league approvals, as is the case for all such transactions. This approval has not been obtained thus far, and we cannot proceed without it. We will respect, cooperate with, and abide by all league rules and decisions on these matters.
“As passionate basketball fans and strong believers in women’s professional sports, we remain excited by this opportunity and would be honored to serve as the next stewards of this franchise, if the transaction can be approved. We look forward to continuing to work with the WNBA and NBA as the process unfolds.”
On Sunday, Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti confirmed the team had not been sold.
"Unless it comes out of official Connecticut Sun or Mohegan Sun channels, it’s not official," she said before adding, "any sale or relocation is subject to board approval, so it’s like non-disclosure agreement comes into play, so we’re not allowed to actually talk about specific groups that we may have been talking to. But I can say that I have met personally with different investment groups over the last few months, and it’s been a thorough process and we’re not quite at the finish line yet.”
Rizzotti also confirmed on Sunday that the Sun are planning to play the 2026 WNBA season at Mohegan Sun — the home of the franchise since 2003.
A report from over the weekend revealed Pagliuca was going to pay $325 million for the Sun and another $100 million to move them and get new training facilities.
Pagliuca was one of the bidders to acquire the Celtics when the Wyc Grousbeck group put the team up for sale. However, Bill Chisholm purchased the franchise for $6.1 billion.
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