BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 15: Lexie Hull #10 of the Indiana Fever reacts after making a basket against the Connecticut Sun during the first half at the TD Garden on July 15, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) Getty Images
Is it possible the WNBA is this stupid?
Could the league really be short-sighted, petty or greedy enough to block the Connecticut Sun relocating to Boston?
Early on Saturday, news broke that the Mohegan Tribe had agreed to sell its WNBA team to Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, who planned to relocate the team to Boston.
That should have marked a great day for all involved. The league gets a terrific market. The tribe gets a lot of money and Boston gets a team.
But upon news that a well-liked owner wants to spend a record $325 million (plus an additional $100 to build a practice facility) to take over a franchise that no longer has the resources to compete in its current spot, the league yanked on the reins.
When asked for a comment, the WNBA could have said:
“While nothing is finalized, we’re excited about what that bid says about interest in our great league.”
Or simply:
“It would be inappropriate to comment before things are more finalized.”
Instead, they told The Athletic:
“Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams. As part of our most recent expansion process, in which three new franchises were awarded to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia on June 30, 2025, nine additional cities also applied for WNBA teams and remain under active consideration. No groups from Boston applied for a team at that time and those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston. Celtics’ prospective ownership has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time.”
That sounds like a dumb public relations statement, possibly preceding an even dumber decision.
Of course, Boston didn’t bid. That would have been illogical. It doesn’t bode well for the WNBA if its Board of Governors doesn’t recognize that.
The WNBA should want smart owners. Any owner pursuing an expansion team for Boston during the last cycle would have been an idiot for a couple of reasons:
Because of its proximity to Connecticut, Boston was unlikely to get an expansion team without the Sun relocating anyway. If Boston had been granted a franchise in the recent cycle, that would have meant concurrent WNBA franchises in Boston and Connecticut. They’d be competing for fans, sponsors, media coverage and media rights. That would have diminished Boston’s starting point and crippled Connecticut’s already weakened position as the league’s smallest market.
Any smart owner hoping to bring the WNBA to Boston had to realize that relocating the Sun was clearly the wisest course of action. The new owner should want to grow the fan base while keeping the current Sun supporters, many of whom live in Worcester, Providence and Eastern Massachusetts. They could still play a game every year in Uncasville or Hartford as an olive branch to the Connecticut fans.
The Celtics sale was ongoing. Without knowing who owned the Celtics and what their priorities were would have left far too many unanswered questions about the market. Would they be working in a loose partnership with the new Celtics owner? Could the WNBA team use the Auerbach Center for practice, training etc. while waiting for their own facility? These would have all been questions they couldn’t answer yet.
The Globe quoted a source that said “the WNBA would rather save Boston as a potential expansion city in 2033.” That would mean the money from a new owner would go to the league and all of its owners instead of just the Mohegan Tribe.
If that’s true, Pagliuca should withdraw any and all interest. If greed is enticing them to make him wait for eight more years, he should tell the league to pound sand and find something else to invest in.
On top of that, Mohegan should sue. That’s a lot of money that could go toward helping the tribe.
Pagliuca’s offer now is an absurdly lucrative bird in the hand for the WNBA. There’s no guarantee that the economy will look the same in eight years. Plus, having his accepted bid in place raises the bids on future WNBA franchise sales.
Boston is a huge part of every league it’s in. Its teams draw fans and TV ratings. Boston fans show up for road games and buy merchandise. Pagliuca cares about winning.
The Connecticut players were actively campaigning for the move when they played their second sold-out game in TD Garden earlier this season. The WNBA has outgrown Connecticut.
This move is obvious. The WNBA should be embracing it. If they stand in the way now, everybody will regret it.
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