All Access

Pro Deals

Pro Deals Weekly Digest

Standard

Pro Deals Alerts

Alert

Axios Pro Deals Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Pro Rata

Axios Pro Rata

Private equity executive Steve Pagliuca has offered to buy the WNBA's Connecticut Sun for a record $325 million, but huge questions remain.

Catch up quick: The Sun arrived in Connecticut in 2003 from Orlando and set up shop inside an Uncasville casino arena.

The team's still there, playing to a max capacity of just 10,000 per game. 

That's not the league low, but it's in the bottom third and has sparked relocation talks. Particularly given that nearby New York City has its own club.

Pagliuca is a former Bain Capital big who's co-owned the NBA's Boston Celtics since 2002 but recently lost the auction for a majority stake.

The intrigue: Pagliuca reportedly agreed to buy the Sun and relocate it to Boston, pending league approval. And this is where it gets interesting.

In a statement, Pagliuca said nothing specific about Boston. Instead, he said that his bid has the support of governors in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with "the objective of keeping New England's WNBA team in New England." No mention of Connecticut's governor.

He then shares his goal of the Sun playing in "larger capacity arenas in New England." No mention of the TD Garden, the arena where the Celtics play but the team doesn't own.

The bottom line: Pagliuca seems to be planting an expensive flag in the ground, in case the WNBA wants to relocate the small-market Sun.

He may not have all the details worked out, but he'll be flush with cash from the Celtics sale and wants to make it hard for the league to take another bidder.

Questions swirl around bid for WNBA's Connecticut Sun

Statements following the bid raise a number of questions, and eyebrows.

Blaze, the Connecticut Sun mascot, at a recent game in Boston

Blaze, the Connecticut Sun mascot, at a recent game in Boston. Photo: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Private equity executive Steve Pagliuca has offered to buy the WNBA&#x27;s Connecticut Sun for a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="record $325 million" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/40986919.1075/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYm9zdG9uLmNvbS9zcG9ydHMvYm9zdG9uLWNlbHRpY3MvMjAyNS8wOC8wMi93bmJhLWJvc3Rvbi1zdGV2ZS1wYWdsaXVjYS1jb25uZWN0aWN1dC1zdW4tZGVhbC1yZWxvY2F0aW9uLz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249cHJvX2RlYWxzX2FsbF9zdWJzJnN0cmVhbT10b3A/649613baa2db4d6159778679Ba518b815" data-vars-content-id="5974ac02-c5af-4b33-a45f-271cccd9b85e" data-vars-headline="Questions swirl around bid for WNBA&#x27;s Connecticut Sun" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/40986919.1075/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYm9zdG9uLmNvbS9zcG9ydHMvYm9zdG9uLWNlbHRpY3MvMjAyNS8wOC8wMi93bmJhLWJvc3Rvbi1zdGV2ZS1wYWdsaXVjYS1jb25uZWN0aWN1dC1zdW4tZGVhbC1yZWxvY2F0aW9uLz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249cHJvX2RlYWxzX2FsbF9zdWJzJnN0cmVhbT10b3A/649613baa2db4d6159778679Ba518b815" target="_self">record $325 million</a>, but huge questions remain.Catch up quick: The Sun arrived in Connecticut in 2003 from Orlando and set up shop inside an Uncasville casino arena.

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

transportation

business

c-suite

retail-news

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

charlotte

salt-lake-city

denver

fort-lauderdale

boulder

kansas-city

austin

chicago

dallas

detroit

washington-dc

atlanta

indianapolis

nashville

nw-arkansas

columbus

hollywood

richmond

san-francisco

boston

des-moines

houston

phoenix

miami

philadelphia

seattle

new-orleans

colorado-springs

huntsville

raleigh

san-antonio

twin-cities

pittsburgh

arapahoe

douglas

san-diego

tampa-bay

portland

cleveland

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Questions swirl around bid for WNBA's Connecticut Sun

What to read next