Could Sun sale result in lawsuit?
Report claims commissioner never notified board of Pags bid
Good morning, all and welcome to law and order!
This potential sale of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun is becoming more exciting to watch than an actual game. On Saturday the Boston Globe reported that Steve Pagliuca, minority owner of the Boston Celtics, was the leader of a group that had reached a deal to purchase the Sun for a league record $325M and relocate the team to Boston. On Sunday, Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti stated the team had not been sold. On Monday the Hartford Courant, which got scooped big time on the story, alleged it had the scoop that former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry was bidding for the team and would keep it in Connecticut. The only problem was the website Sportico broke that story last week. But, hey, when you’re the hedge fund-owned Courant, why let the facts ruin your narrative.
Now comes word from the website Front Office Sports that the Pagliuca group submitted its bid, during an exclusive negotiating period with the Mohegan Tribe and it was accepted. The deal was submitted to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert but she never notified the league’s Board of Governors. Meanwhile, the period of exclusivity ran out, allowing the Lasry group to express interest in the franchise.
I am no lawyer, but something is rotten in Denmark. You cannot tell me if Lasry’s group ends up with the franchise, Pagliuca doesn’t have a case. He followed all of the steps, checked all the boxes, and the league commissioner decided to run out the clock?
We are constantly being reminded the WNBA would rather award Boston an expansion franchise, much as it awarded teams to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. Englebert also keeps saying Houston deserves the next franchise with Boston supposedly on the drawing board for 2033. That is eight years from now. No way Pagliuca or any group interested in bringing a team to Boston is going to wait that long.
Meanwhile, the following question has to be asked: why does the WNBA keep awarding expansion franchises but throwing roadblocks into existing franchise shifts? The answer is obvious. The Mohegan Tribe gets to keep all of the $325M from the sale of the team. An expansion franchise has to fork over $250M to the league and by 2033 that fee could be higher. And unlike MLB or the NFL, which evenly divides the expansion fee among the existing teams, the WNBA keeps the $250M for operating expenses. In other words, the WNBA - despite franchise values increasing and the league’s supposed success - needs the expansion dough. It realizes zip from the sale of the Sun. It needs the expansion money to bankroll its survival.
For his part Pagliuca has taken the high road, releasing the following statement:
My hunch is Pagliuca may not be as kind, if he ends up on the outside looking in.
Some other thoughts crossing my mind for Tuesday, August 5, 2025:
Yes, that was former Hartford Yard Goat Warming Bernabel named National League Player of the Week, in his first week in the majors, no less.
And yes, that was former New Britain Rock Cat Trevor Story named American League Player of the Week:
The NCAA announced on Monday that it will keep the 68-team tournament format for men’s and women’s basketball for this coming season, but that conversations will happen to consider expanding the field in the future. In other words, the tournament will expand. There is too much money to be made not to add to the field.
Former SAG-AFTRA Executive Director David White has been named acting head of the NFLPA. The players union has been without a head since Lloyd Howell Jr. stepped down last month amid several controversies.
Finally this quote from OffBall co-founder Michaela Hammond: “The next big sports personality will come from the creator class. That is where sports media is going, and more and more investment will go to incubating them versus traditional sports media personalities.” OffBall, by the way, is a website that bills itself as a curator of sports and culture.
Thank you for reading and subscribing to the newsletter. Have a terrific Tuesday.
DAN