Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

WNBA relocation rumors heat up with reported Sun sale

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Aug 2, 2025 5:30 PM ET

The Connecticut Sun took a significant step toward relocation on Saturday.

Per media reports, Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca reached an agreement to purchase the franchise for $325 million, potentially paving the way for the organization to shift its headquarters to Beantown as soon as the 2027 season.

However, there could be roadblocks.

Per The Athletic's Ben Pickman, a league spokesperson emphasized that other cities "have priority over Boston" in adding a WNBA franchise.

"Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams," the spokesperson wrote.

"As part of our most recent expansion process ... nine additional cities also applied for WNBA teams and ... currently have priority over Boston," the statement said. "No groups from Boston applied for a team at that time."

Here’s a statement from a WNBA spokesperson to @TheAthletic re: a potential sale of the Sun to Steve Pagliuca (and a potential move to Boston) https://t.co/O8D8Ts05DM pic.twitter.com/lqPhIqkjWi
— Ben Pickman (@benpickman) August 2, 2025

On June 30, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia were chosen as future WNBA homes. This season, the league added the Golden State Valkyries, and the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will join in 2026.

During the recent expansion decision, other cities, including Charlotte, Denver, Kansas City, Houston and Nashville, were among those to submit bids.

Considering the proximity of Uncasville, Connecticut, to Boston (a less than two-hour drive), it might make more sense for the Sun to remain in the northeast than move operations elsewhere.

The Sun already have a connection to the area. TD Garden, the home of the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins, hosted its first WNBA game last season when the Sun played the Los Angeles Sparks.

Per the team's official website, the teams played a sold-out crowd of 19,156, which it noted was the largest crowd in franchise history.

On July 15, TD Garden hosted a Sun-Indiana Fever game in front of another sellout.

Afterward, Sun center Tina Charles said, "It was an amazing experience," later describing it as "a success."

Based on the pending Sun sale, that might have been a trial run to a more sustained league presence in Boston. If so, the other cities that were in the running for an expansion franchise will lose their priority.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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