For six years, the Connecticut Sun knocked on the door of WNBA immortality.
No matter their roster or postseason draw, the Sun made six straight trips to the WNBA semifinals, a streak eclipsed only by the dynastic Minnesota Lynx of the 2010s, to establish themselves as one of the league’s preeminent franchises.
Despite playing in the WNBA’s smallest media market, consistent success became the norm. But after ending last season with a Game 5 semifinals loss to the Lynx, the Sun again failed to achieve an elusive breakthrough: a championship. Six years of playoff shortcomings meant Connecticut’s time was up.
The Sun underwent a seismic shift this offseason overhauling their roster, hiring a new coach and promoting a new general manager. And now, Connecticut ownership could take steps that would even more dramatically reshape the team.
The Mohegan Tribe has owned the franchise since 2003. The Sun play at Mohegan Sun Arena, and they practice there or at the nearby Mohegan Tribal Community and Government Center — a mixed-used facility that also serves as a cultural center, office space and recreation facility for tribal members. The Tribe has evaluated capital investments for the franchise as well as potential new projects. A spokesperson for the Mohegan Tribal Leadership told that “infrastructure improvements are being looked at to ensure the team’s growth and success in the league.”
The spokesperson added: “Like owners of any other business, we are always assessing the viability of major infrastructure investments.”
A potential capital investment could come in the form of selling minority stakes in the franchise to fund the construction of a new practice facility. That was the case in Seattle, where Storm ownership sold about 10 percent of their business to help fund their $64 million basketball performance center, which opened last spring.
An arms race is taking place across the WNBA with more than half of the 13 franchises announcing plans to build practice facilities or upgrade already existing practice facilities within the last three years. Connecticut’s current facility set-up has drawn criticism from current and former Sun players as other franchises have been rapidly moving to provide first-rate facilities for players. Neither new general manager Morgan Tuck nor team president Jennifer Rizzotti have announced definitive plans or a timeline for new Connecticut facilities.
“Of course, that’s what we want, everybody wants that,” Tuck said. “But we’ve had facilities that have provided what our players have needed to be one of the most successful teams in the league over the last six or seven years. … We still need to improve.”
Such possible improvements come at an important juncture for the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, the team’s parent company, and the WNBA. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s total debt stood at $3.1 billion, the company’s chief financial officer said last month on an earnings call. More than $470 million of that debt matures in the 2025 fiscal year; the company wrote in its annual filing report that the debt could restrict the company from “exploring or taking advantage of new business opportunities.”
The WNBA franchise operates under Mohegan Sun, which is one of the Tribal Gaming Authority’s entities. The Mohegan Sun umbrella has lower debt than the overall corporate entity. As of Dec. 31, it had $193 million in cash balances and had $158 million of borrowing capacity under its senior secured credit facility. The latter should provide the Tribe financial flexibility in the case of further investment in the franchise.
Still, even as recently as two weeks ago, a prospective WNBA ownership group in Boston floated the idea of bringing the Sun to the city. More than 10 groups across the nation placed bids to become the forthcoming 16th expansion franchise, including several that involved current NBA ownership groups. Considering the high interest, the chance of acquiring a new franchise might be slim. Sources around the league wonder how skyrocketing expansion interest could also change the sale price of an existing team if one were up for public sale.
Nevertheless, Tribal Leadership said the franchise is an “important part of the Mohegan family.”
“We are thrilled to watch these professionals deliver results on and off the court,” Mohegan Tribal Leadership said in a statement. “Like all aspects of our operations, we continue to evaluate investment needs on a regular basis to ensure their overall success and growth. As we have always said, we remain committed to investing responsibly, while also doing what we can to grow the Connecticut Sun fan base, support the team’s continued success as well as the overall growth of the league and women’s athletics.”
The Sun had previously overcome off-court limitations with the success of their basketball product. One league source, who was granted anonymity because the person is not authorized to discuss the team’s business publicly, said: “It was a destination to play at for a long time because they had a lot of buy-in from high-end players.”
That appears to have changed.
All five of last season’s regular starters left during this offseason’s free agency, including three who had spent their entire careers — a collective 23 seasons — with the organization. One of those players, Alyssa Thomas, sought a move to a championship contender (Phoenix) with superior facilities. The Lynx also explored trading for Thomas, league sources told , and looked at signing her fiancée and former Sun teammate DeWanna Bonner. Phoenix also heavily courted Bonner, league sources said, yet the desire to win immediately, among other factors, led Bonner to the Indiana Fever.
Connecticut is left with some players who appear unwilling to commit long-term. League sources told that Natasha Cloud requested a trade after being sent to Connecticut in the deal for Thomas. Cloud told reporters in early February one of the difficult aspects of being traded was “being sent to Connecticut as a 33-year-old.”
“It just wasn’t what I expected,” she said. “I just want the best situation for myself and my family moving forward. And I just want to be in an organization that truly invests from top to bottom, facilities, team, location, all of that. I want to compete for championships.”
Last week, she reiterated to The Next, “It is nice to be valued by an organization in Connecticut as much as they have valued me in this trade. But at 33, I just need certain things for my career…I gotta protect the way that I provide for my family.”
Another player, Marina Mabrey, made headlines recently by requesting a trade. Connecticut sent a 2025 first-round pick and a 2026 first-round swap, among other assets, to Chicago to acquire Mabrey during the 2024 season in an attempt to make one final push for a championship. Mabrey now finds herself in a substantially different environment than when she arrived. Mabrey’s agent, Marcus Crenshaw of The FAM agency, criticized the Sun’s decision to not trade Mabrey and called it “mind-boggling” in a statement to ESPN.
“I don’t have anything bad to say about Connecticut at all,” Mabrey told . “I’ve had a really great time there. I’ve enjoyed the people that were there. I liked the environment that they created. They’ve been successful for years for a reason, so I would never disrespect Connecticut like that because they gave me a chance to play in the semifinals, and compete for a championship. That’s what I wanted, and I got it. But now the team looks completely different.”
Tuck said the Sun and Mabrey “see the situation a little bit differently” and there’s no plans to move her. The decision calls into question why Connecticut was willing to part ways with last year’s WNBA Most Improved Player in DiJonai Carrington and 3-and-D wing Rebecca Allen but not Mabrey or Cloud.
“Sometimes it works in the way that the player likes and sometimes it doesn’t,” Tuck said, “but that’s just sometimes a part of the business.”
Tuck said that last season, the franchise was “very aware” it was likely at the end of a championship window with its old core. Head coach Stephanie White left after last season for the same role with the Fever, which led to the Sun hiring first-time WNBA coach Rachid Meziane. They also hired Tuck, a first-time general manager who joined the front office in 2021.
Now, as they enter a new era, the Sun appear reluctant to tank. Doing so isn’t necessarily a short-term solution because draft lottery odds consist of a two-year cumulative record. Furthermore, the Sun owe a 2026 first-round pick swap to Chicago as a result of the Mabrey trade.
Yet by rebuilding this season as most of the league angles to make the playoffs, Connecticut could start to position itself well for the 2027 draft, which will likely include college stars JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo and Madison Booker.
However, Tuck said, “The goal is to remain competitive.” Proven veterans on the roster will help, she said, but she also noted that the franchise still has “a little ways to go” before their roster is set.
“I do believe that (success) is possible again,” she said. “I do think you can build something that’s very successful and become a team that sustains success longer than any other team had. I’m still very confident in what we can do.”
As possible infrastructure investments loom, Tuck is hoping to replicate the winning of the past. The question remains, however, how significant this winter’s exodus will impact their future.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Connecticut Sun, WNBA, Sports Business
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