WNBA could seize franchise sale, possibly bring back Houston Comets
Another week, another revived hope of a Houston Comets return.
The Houston Comets were the WNBA’s first dynasty. Will one franchise’s relocation bring a Comets revival?
Another week seems to bring another reason the WNBA could return to Houston.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta led a bid to land a WNBA expansion franchise and revive the Houston Comets across the past year, only to fall short when the league’s three newest franchises were awarded to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in late June. Houston was then cited as a possible relocation target for the Connecticut Sun, only to reportedly lose out to a $350 million bid from former Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca. But the move from Uncasville, Connecticut to Boston is reportedly no longer guaranteed.
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Houston missed its chance of a new WNBA franchise in the latest round of expansion bidding. Is there an alternate routge to a Comets revival
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Why the holdup on a record relocation fee, one that would surpass the $250 million apiece paid for each of the three recent expansion teams? The WNBA league office seems to want more control over the relocation process. A league statement earlier this month stated “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,” adding the nine bids—including Houston’s—should receive priority consideration over Boston.
The current stalemate should have a resolution this summer, with the Sun ownership set to present four sale options to the WNBA, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and Ramona Shelburne. The final option should perk up the ears of hoops fans in Houston. Sun ownership could sell the franchise in full to Pagliuca, or do the same to the group led by former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, who would move the team to Hartford. The Mohegan Tribe could also maintain a majority share of the Sun and sell a minority share. Then there’s Houston’s preferred route. The Sun could be sold for $325 million to the WNBA, which could then could shop that team to its preferred owner.
It doesn’t take a WNBA detective to connect the dots from there. Not only is Houston one of the nine locations that the WNBA stated should get preferential treatment in the bid for a relocation team. The league’s commissioner went out of her way this summer to laud Houston’s bid for a WNBA team. Listen to Cathy Engelbert at the expansion press conference in July, and it’s hard not to hear a commissioner who wants to revive the WNBA’s original dynasty.
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“There are a variety of cities that bid, and one of those I wanted to shout out, because they have such a strong history in this league and their great ownership group, is Houston,” Engelbert said. “So, the Houston Comets were just amazing, won the first four inaugural championships in the WNBA, so I would say that’s the one obviously we have our eye on. Tilman has been a great supporter of the WNBA and we’ll stay tuned on that.”
Engelbert cited Houston as a top candidate for the next WNBA team in July. Houston has confirmed its desire to land a WNBA team in recent weeks. One major hurdle remains: the money. Houston’s expansion bid, per sources familiar with the bidding process, fell below $200 million — short of the $250 million expansion fee. It’s unclear whether Fertitta and Co. would hit that benchmark if given a second opportunity, but it’s unlikely a Fertitta-led bid hits the $325 million that it would take the WNBA to buy the Sun.
The math isn’t quite adding up here. Let’s bring one more theory into play.
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Perhaps the WNBA is taking a long-term view here, one with eyes set on revenues in the 2030s rather than a relocation price in 2025. Houston is the nation’s fourth-biggest city, a massive media market in a swath of the country without major WNBA representation (the league already has teams in New York, Chicago and Washington D.C, plus Toronto, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Detroit by 2030). The WNBA could see a team in Houston as another key to a broader, more expansive media-rights deal, creating a clear explanation for a diminished expansion price. The sacrifice of up to $100 million in the short term will peeve some league owners. But if Houston is a marquee media market for the WNBA by 2030, the short-term pain could be worth some serious long-term gain.
Houston hoops fans are dying not only for a return of professional women’s basketball, but also a revival of the WNBA’s four-time champion from 1997-2000. Early-summer events seemed to place the dream of a Comets revival out of reach. The latest turn has hopes renewed, with the league office bringing a potential saving grace.