The WNBA world was shook up over the weekend when the Connecticut Sun announced it has reached an agreement with Rockets owner Tilman J. Fertitta’s company, Fertitta Entertainment, to move the franchise to Houston.
Under the the agreement, plans are relocate the Sun to Houston and bring back the historic Houston Comets name. Pending league approval, the franchise is expected to begin play at Toyota Center for the start of the 2027 WNBA season.
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And now, the Sun have their first front office hire as the Comets with the addition of ESPN analyst Kevin Pelton, as per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
Pelton is expected to join the Comets’ front office in full-time capacity once the relocation from Connecticut to Houston is completed in time for the 2027 WNBA season. His official role with the franchise will be assistant general manager and vice president of analytics.
Sun expected to rebuild as Houston Comets with young core next season
The Connecticut Sun finished the 2025 season at 11-33, and eventually missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
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But they have a solid young core to build around including talented players like Saniya Rivers, Aneesah Morrow, Leïla Lacan and Aaliyah Edwards. They also hold the No. 12 and No. 15 overall picks in the upcoming WNBA Draft.
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With the Sun expected to rebrand to the Comets following the move, it will bring back one of the WNBA’s original franchises. The Comets won the first four championships in league history behind Hall of Fame players such as Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, among others.
The Comets’ final season in the WNBA was 2008 after the league took over the team and ultimately decided to shut it down. Interestingly, the Sun were once a relocation team too, having been the Orlando Miracle before the move to Connecticut. The 2026 season will be the franchise’s 23rd as the Sun.
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