The Houston Rockets are reportedly shooting for the Sun, with sources telling ESPN last week that the NBA team's ownership group has entered "substantive" talks with the Mohegan Tribe to buy and relocate the WNBA franchise from Connecticut.
Calling the discussions "positive," a source told ESPN that Houston apparently improved upon the $250 million bid put forth by the WNBA to purchase the Connecticut Sun back in August.
However, as neither party has signed a formal agreement, the Sun's longterm future remains uncertain.
The Mohegan Tribe began exploring the sale in 2024, with Houston emerging as a possible landing place after the WNBA reportedly blocked the Sun's $325 million sale to former Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca — with the league preferring to find a buyer with past expansion team experience.
The Sun also fielded a bid from the State of Connecticut to keep the team in the area, though ESPN reported last week that those talks have slowed.
Notably, Houston boasts deep WNBA roots as one of the league's founding markets, with the Texas city serving as home to the four-time champion Comets from 1997 to 2008.
Of course, the league's current CBA negotiations are further complicating any transaction — especially after the WNBPA voted last Thursday to approve a potential strike.
The sale saga of the Connecticut Sun added a new chapter this week, as the state of Connecticut submitted a bid proposal on Thursday that would see the WNBA team remain in-state.
Owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, the state is just the latest entrant into an ongoing bidding war for the franchise, with Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, ex-Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and the WNBA itself all making offers ranging from $250 to $325 million in recent weeks.
Unlike previous relocation bids, the state's proposed sale plan sees the Connecticut Sun splitting home games between their current Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville and Hartford's larger PeoplesBank Arena, while also promising a new practice facility in the state capital.
Despite winding down 2025 in 12th place, the Sun have amassed a loyal local following, selling out their 10,000-capacity arena four times this year in a state buoyed by NCAA basketball powerhouse and current national champion UConn located less than an hour away.
"The best place for the Connecticut Sun is Connecticut because we have this very fierce fan base for women's basketball," Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz told ESPN. "We love the [UConn] Huskies. We love watching the Sun… and we've seen that the Connecticut Sun players have been great community leaders and role models."
The Connecticut Sun is still on the chopping block, with reports surfacing Tuesday that the WNBA made a $250 million offer to buy the team in order to control its final landing place.
The Mohegan Tribe — the Sun's current owners — are reportedly still seeking clarity on the league's preferred relocation destination, after two prospective outside bids stalled in front of the Board of Governors.
Multiple offers remain on the table, including two $325 million bids from groups in Boston and nearby Hartford, Connecticut — as well as a plan to raise capital via minority investments rather than a full sale.
Recent reports point to the league's desire to control the Sun's fate while preserving certain markets for expansion, with the Mohegan Tribe under pressure to bend to the WNBA's interests.
The WNBA offer to buy the Connecticut Sun outright is reportedly part of a larger plan to flip the team to a different prospective ownership group without an additional relocation fee — and rumors say Houston is in the lead.
The Mohegan Tribe already turned down a low-ball bid out of Cleveland, with WNBA later awarding the Northeast Ohio city an expansion team for a $250 million fee.
NBA co-ownership was a clear priority during the league's most recent expansion, with officials now looking to force that strategy onto the Sun's future.