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Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca still plans to buy the Connecticut Sun, but as he said on Monday, nothing is official yet.
Pagliuca released a lengthy statement in which he clarified that the deal is not done, but if he is successful, he intends to keep “New England's WNBA team in New England” and to bring the Sun to bigger arenas around the region.
“While it is the PagsGroup policy to decline to comment on transactions until they are completed, out of respect for the WNBA and NBA, we feel compelled to clarify the status of a possible acquisition of the Connecticut Sun,” he said in the statement, shared via social media.
The Boston Globe reported over the weekend that Pagliuca was nearing a deal to buy the Sun from the Mohegan Tribe for a record $325 million. He also planned to invest an additional $100 million in the franchise to build a new practice facility in Boston.
“We believe our record-setting offer and deep commitment to growing the WNBA in the region that is home to the most passionate basketball fans in the nation will significantly benefit the league, the team, and all its fans,” the statement continued.
Even if Pagliuca's team and the tribe agree to a deal, it will still need the approval of the WNBA's Board of Governors. And even if the league approves the sale, that does not guarantee it would approve of relocating the Sun out of Connecticut.
“Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement to multiple outlets, per the Boston Globe.
“As passionate basketball fans and strong believers in women’s professional sports, we remain excited by this opportunity and would be honored to serve as the next stewards of this franchise, if the transaction can be approved,” Pagluica's statement concluded. “We look forward to continuing to work with the WNBA and NBA as the process unfolds.”
