The Mohegan Tribe’s purchase saved the Orlando Miracle when Magic owner Rich DeVos discarded the franchise in 2003, relocating it as the Connecticut Sun to a home in Uncasville less than 30 miles south of the ‘Basketball Capital of the World’ in Storrs.

But as the Sun developed into one of the WNBA’s most consistent teams over the following two decades in Connecticut, Mohegan Sun ownership struggled to keep up with the standard of investment being set amid a period of unprecedented growth for the WNBA. Now, despite frequent public reassurances that owners were committed to keeping the team, Sportico reported Monday that Mohegan Sun has hired investment bank Allen & Company to explore a potential sale.

According to Sportico’s WNBA team valuations released after the 2024 season, the Sun are valued at $80 million after bringing in $12.9 million in revenue last year. The last time a WNBA team was sold was in 2021, when the Atlanta Dream were purchased for between $7 million and $10 million by a group that included former UConn star Renee Montgomery. The Dream currently have the lowest valuation in the league at $55 million.

The exploding popularity of women’s basketball has led to landmark media rights deals, more sponsorship opportunities and increased in-person attendance for the WNBA, but it also set a new bar for what players expect as professional athletes. The Seattle Storm became the first team to open a dedicated WNBA practice facility in April 2024, and multiple franchises have since followed suit. The Golden State Valkyries were building a facility before ever signing a player as the league’s first expansion team since 2008, and Connecticut is the only team in the WNBA without access to a practice facility outside their arena or public plans to build one. The Sun currently use the gym at the Mohegan Tribe community center when the arena is unavailable, and they occasionally have to split the space with a fitness class or event —a child’s birthday party infamously interrupted a practice during the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs.

In 2025, Connecticut is paying the price on the court for the lack of proactive investment from ownership. The team’s entire starting 2024 lineup left either via trade or free agency during the offseason, including longtime franchise player Alyssa Thomas, five-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner and three-time All-Star Brionna Jones. Thomas was vocal about the role resources played in her signing with the Phoenix Mercury after the franchise opened a $100 million practice facility last year.

The Sun’s most notable free agent addition was 2013 league MVP Tina Charles, but Charles is closer to the end of her career than the beginning at 36 years old and hasn’t earned an All-Star selection since 2021. Connecticut also lost head coach Stephanie White, who was hired as coach of the Indiana Fever.

Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti said at first-year coach Rachid Meziane’s introductory press conference Jan. 16 that the team owners were having serious discussions about building a practice facility in Connecticut, but no specific timelines or plans were ever announced publicly.

“They value treating our women the right way, so they know that means facilities, and we’re in talks about how we’re going to get that done,” Rizzotti said. “If I’m being honest, I don’t think you can be a team right now that’s not looking into how to build a practice facility. I don’t think you can really compete for a player going forward if you’re not able to say to them, ‘Yes we are doing this.’ I can’t share everything right now, but it’s going to happen. You will not be in Connecticut without an ownership group that understands this.”

Beth Regan, chairwoman and justice of the Mohegan Tribal Council of Elders, also denied that ownership was interested in selling the team at Meziane’s introduction.

“We are here, this is where we want to be, so I wish people would put those rumors to bed,” Regan said in January.

Allen & Co. is the same bank overseeing the WNBA’s expansion process, which includes three confirmed new teams (the Valkyries, Toronto Tempo and a Portland franchise) over the next two seasons with another expected by 2028. At least nine cities have active bids for a WNBA franchise, and while Boston hasn’t formally submitted a bid, there was an investment group reportedly interested in bringing a team to the city back in February. The Sun played the first-ever WNBA game at Boston’s TD Garden last season against the Los Angeles Sparks in front of a sold-out crowd, and they will return to the city in 2025 to host the Indiana Fever on July 15.