A source told ESPN s Alexa Phillips that a group led by Celtic minority shareholder Steve Paliuka has reached a deal

A source told ESPN's Alexa Philip that a group led by Celtic minority shareholder Steve Paliuca has reached an agreement to acquire the Connecticut Suns for a record $325 million and move the team to Boston

The team will not play in Boston until the 2027 season. Paliuca will also invest $100 million to build a new training facility for the team in Boston, a source told the Associated Press.

"The relocation decision is made by the WNBA Council, not by individual teams," the league said in a statement. The Suns have played regular seasons at TD Gardens over the past two years, including July’s matchup against Caitlyn Clark and the Indiana Heat. The

league announced that five expansion teams will start playing in the next five seasons, with Portland (2026), Toronto (2026), Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) joining the WNBA. Each company paid a record $250 million expansion fee at the time.

Nine other cities bid for expansion teams, and the league announced in June that it included Houston, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, specifically pointed out that the city will win a team in the future!

"There were no Boston team applications at the time, and other cities were still considering because they did a lot of work in the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston," the WNBA said. "The potential ownership team of the Celtics also contacted the league office to ask Boston to get strong consideration for WNBA teams in due course."

"Any sales agreement that migrates a team to another market will require WNBA approval and will also be subject to confidentiality terms," the Mohgen leadership wrote in a statement released Saturday. “So we can’t comment on any details about who, if anyone, submitted a offer or sought to invest in the Connecticut Suns.” The WNBA has experienced rapid growth over the past few seasons and the ownership group has been investing more money for the team, including the player experience. This is achieved through practice facilities. The Suns are one of the few teams in the league that have not announced any plans for new training facilities. Despite the lack of venue facilities, the Suns have been one of the most successful teams in the WNBA, making it to the playoffs in 16 seasons, including six straight semi-finals. But the team was hit hard during the offseason, with all five starting players last season either passing free agents or leaving through trades. The most recent team in the WNBA was sold in 2021, when real estate investor Larry Goldsdina led a team to acquire the Atlanta Dream Team for less than $10 million. A year ago, Mark Davis bought the Las Vegas Ace for about $2 million.