A group led by Steve Pagliuca, part owner of the Boston Celtics, has secured a deal to acquire the Connecticut Sun for a groundbreaking $325 million, with plans to relocate the franchise to Boston. This transfer is expected to take effect starting in the 2027 season. Reports indicate that Pagliuca intends to invest an additional $100 million to construct a new practice facility in Boston.

The announcement came via an anonymous insider who spoke with The Associated Press on Saturday, emphasizing that the sale awaits approval from the league and its Board of Governors.

“Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” stated the league.

The Sun have participated in a regular-season match at TD Garden each of the previous two years, one such game featuring Caitlin Clark playing against the Indiana Fever back in July.

With the recent announcement of five new expansion teams in the league—Portland (2026), Toronto (2026), Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029), and Philadelphia (2030)—each having paid a record $250 million in expansion fees, Boston’s interest was noted even though it did not submit an application at the time.

“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 team has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time.”

The Boston Globe was the first to break the news regarding this sale.

The Connecticut Sun have been under the ownership of the Mohegan Tribe, who acquired the franchise for $10 million and moved it from Orlando in 2003. This relocation marked a significant milestone as the franchise became the first in WNBA history to be owned by a non-NBA franchise owner and was also among the first to achieve profitability in its operations.

In a letter addressed to season ticket holders, the Sun confirmed they would be playing at the casino again next year despite being in last place with a 5-21 record this season.

Perhaps indicative of the changing dynamics in the league, the last sale within the WNBA occurred in 2021 when real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener acquired the Atlanta Dream for under $10 million.