“Morons” might just be Dave Portnoy’s favorite word these days, especially when it comes to folks who keep doubting the WNBA. The Barstool Sports founder has always been loud and proud about backing WNBA players, and he just got another reason to double down.

Remember when players wore the “Pay Us What You Owe Us” T-shirts to All-Star? Well, while many supported, there was a section bringing in losses and how they don’t ‘deserve’ it. Replying to which, “I see lots of morons trying to act like WNBA players don’t deserve more money,” Portnoy wrote at that time in his long message. People were split over his takes. But now he’s basically laughing in the face of every doubter, and it’s all thanks to the Connecticut Sun’s big, big news.

We’ve been hearing for weeks now that the Sun were up for sale. And now, it’s official. Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca is stepping in with a monster deal to buy the Connecticut Sun and move the team to Boston. Starting in 2027, the Sun will no longer play in Connecticut. Instead, they’ll be balling out at TD Garden, sharing space with the Celtics and the NHL’s Bruins.

Pagliuca’s also dropping $100 million to build the team a brand-new practice facility in Boston. Casual. But here’s the part that really broke the internet: Pagliuca and his group are set to pay $325 million for the franchise. That’s a record – by a long shot – for any WNBA team sale. The last team to be sold in the WNBA was in 2021 when real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener led a group that bought the Atlanta Dream for under $10 million. In the same year, Mark Davis paid roughly $2 million for the Las Vegas Aces.

And naturally, Portnoy, who’s worth about $150 million himself, had something to say:

“All the morons who said the WNBA players don’t deserve more money look like absolute morons 😂😂😂. 325 million for the franchise! Vegas was 50 million like 5 seconds ago!”

He’s right. The numbers don’t lie either. Every single team in the WNBA has basically exploded in value over the past year. According to Sportico’s latest analysis, the league is now collectively valued at a whopping $3.5 billion. The Indiana Fever are now worth $335 million, making them the third-most valuable franchise. That’s a 273% increase in just one year.

And leading the charge is the brand-new expansion team, Golden State Valkyries, who are valued at $500 million. It gets better considering Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, who already own the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, paid just $50 million to bring the Valkyries to life as the league’s newest team in 2024. That’s ten times less than what Pagliuca’s group is now paying for the Sun.

Even the three new teams that joined in recently came in with an NBA ownership group that paid $250 million just to get in. For context, that buy-in price in 2023 was still just $50 million, used by both the Valkyries and the Toronto Tempo. When we throw it up against the NBA, from 2001 to 2025, the average growth rate for NBA franchises has been around 15%, and the league even dipped during the 2008–2009 financial crisis. Meanwhile, the WNBA, has gone from an average franchise value of $96 million to $272 million, which is a 183% increase.

Sure, the scale’s different, but the trajectory is pretty impressive. For example, the NBA took five years to go from $207 million to touch $300 million. So yes, while we’re still waiting for the league and its team governors to officially approve the Sun sale, this feels like a massive win. Not just for Boston, not just for the Sun, but for the entire WNBA. The numbers speak louder than any debate.

Now circling back, let’s have a look at the league’s official statement.

WNBA weighs in as Connecticut Sun eyes relocation

Things are changing fast for the Connecticut Sun. After over 20 years in the state, the WNBA team is heading toward a major shift. The Sun have been based in Connecticut since 2003, after moving from Orlando, where they started out as the Miracle back in 1999. They were bought by the Mohegan Tribe that year for just $10 million.

They were the first WNBA team owned by a non-NBA group and the first to actually turn a profit. Since then, the Mohegan Tribe has hosted games at the Mohegan Sun Arena, right inside their entertainment complex. But in May, the team announced it was officially looking for a buyer. They even hired Allen & Company, a big investment bank, to help with the process. 

Now, that buyer has been found. But relocating a WNBA team isn’t that simple. There’s approvals, and a whole lot of paperwork. As the league said in a statement, “Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams.” But since the Mohegan Tribe themselves prefer relocation, and Pagliuca seems committed, it’s likely the move will go through.

The timing is interesting too. The WNBA just recently announced five expansion teams coming in the next five years – Portland, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Boston wasn’t on that list. In fact, the league said no groups from Boston even applied during the official expansion process. Still, the Celtics ownership group has now reached out, asking the league to strongly consider Boston. So, this relocation may be their way in. 

And here’s the thing. Despite limited facilities (sometimes the team practiced at a community center), the Sun have been one of the league’s most successful teams. They’ve made the playoffs 17 times and even had a streak of six straight semifinal runs. But this past offseason hit them hard. Their entire starting five from last year either left in free agency or were traded.

And right now, the Sun aren’t looking great. They’ve played two games at TD Garden so far. They’re sitting at the bottom of the standings. Still, with a sale in motion and a future in a bigger market, things could turn around. Better practice spaces, more exposure, and a fresh start in a city with deep basketball roots, this move could be the beginning of a whole new era for the Sun.

Let’s see how it all plays out.