The new collective bargaining agreement will launch the WNBA into arguably the most important era in the league's history, but Connecticut will not be able to experience it for very long. The Sun will say farewell to The Nutmeg State after the 2026 season and relocate in Houston under new ownership, a decision that is upsetting the residents and fans who took great pleasure watching the team compete inside Mohegan Sun Arena for the last 23 years. A longtime United States congressman is also up in arms.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, an 80-year-old democrat who has represented Connecticut in political office for more than four decades, is calling for a federal investigation into the sale of the WNBA franchise. He believes the league manipulated the process to guide the squad to Space City, a location the W was already looking at for future expansion.

“What’s really frustrating is that the team is moving without any apparent caring about the fans,” Blumenthal told Ben Horney of Front Office Sports. “I’m really angry about it, because clearly the WNBA put their thumb on the scale and exerted pressure—in fact, they virtually blocked any deal that would have kept the team here in Connecticut.”

The Sun initially garnered interest from ownership groups that intended to put the team in Boston and Hartford, respectively. Fans would have preferred either scenario, especially the latter, to shipping the franchise to Houston, but the Mohegan Tribe had limited influence to wield. A team can only be relocated at the discretion of the WNBA, as Front Office Sports' Annie Costabile explained in a highly informative video below.

Blumenthal is convinced that the W showed favoritism in approving the Sun's sale to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for a record $300 million. The NBA affiliation and opportunity to play in an established arena like the Toyota Center likely appealed to the league. Furthermore, the Houston Comets were an original franchise that won the championship in each of the WNBA's first four seasons. They folded in 2008.

Senator Richard Blumenthal obviously did not want his state to lose its most prominent professional sports franchise. He is making strong accusations against the WNBA.

“There seems to be a lot of evidence that they engaged in anticompetitive, monopolistic conduct that could violate the Sherman Act (a law designed to promote fair competition on the free market},” he said.

The Connecticut Sun, who will become the Houston Comets starting in 2027, know there is only so much they can do right now. Players and coaches will try their best to leave New England on a high note in its upcoming “Sunset Season.”