Have the Sun really been officially sold? (and a Liberty @ Sun preview)

Nothing has really changed since Friday, well, at least on the court, so I figured we’d go off the board and off the court for the preview of the second game of a series with the New York Liberty.

If you’ve been in a cave or on the town Saturday, multiple reports stated that the sale of the Connecticut Sun to Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca for $325 million is done and the franchise would be moving to Boston in 2027.

That seems pretty straightforward, but it is far from it at the moment. Before I start, I want to iterate and reiterate that the most likely scenario for the end of this saga is for the Sun to indeed be in Boston in 2027.

Marina Mabrey chases down a ball after battling with Stephanie
Talbot Friday (David Butler / Imagn Images)

But - and a big but - there are many things that are not adding up as finalized. Let’s start with Pagliuca, who is technically the Celtics minority owner, but not for much longer. The team recently sold for $6.1 billion (yes, with a b) and Pagliuca’s bid was not selected, instead the team is going to Bill Chisholm and the Symphony Technology Group. 

Reading between the lines, Pagliuca is a bit salty about not being chosen, and (he is not alone in this) has his doubts that Chisholm is going to be able to come up with the $6.1 billion to finish the sale. If it doesn’t, Pagliuca could still step in and save the day, at least in his mind.

Which leads us to the timing of the sale report. If it was Pagliuca who leaked it (and that’s my theory), he didn’t make many friends in the WNBA offices, who quickly gave a stern rebuttal to anything surrounding the sale of the Sun being anywhere near being ready to sign on the dotted line. And the league even namechecked Chisholm as a possible future Sun owner, which seems like a direct shot at Pagliuca.

Next, the $325 million raises eyebrows, and rightfully so, but it seems a tad high given the circumstances. The WNBA just charged Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia $250 million for expansion teams, so maybe it makes a little sense, but it is way above what people were estimating just a couple of months ago, and given what we’ve just discussed about Pagliuca, are we really trusting that number?

Finally, there’s the issue of TD Garden finding (or wanting to find) the dates to host the Sun full-time, especially if it’s Pagliuca and not Chisholm running the show. Already some reports are saying the Sun may have to play 2027 in Providence, and that’s a long way off, who’s to say TD Garden ever changes its mind and we have the Providence Sun, which the league clearly does not want if it can help it.

So, to repeat again (yeah, I work in education), Saturday’s announcement raises more questions than it answers, and while Boston is by far the most likely location for the Sun to end up eventually, will it be 2027 with Pagliuca - who is 70 years old - as the primary owner? I have lots of doubts.

Anyway, a little on Sunday’s game, shall we?:

NEW YORK LIBERTY @ SUN

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Place: Mohegan Sun Arena; Uncasville, Conn.

Records: New York 17-10; Connecticut 5-21

TV: NBC Sports Boston; WNBA League Pass

Line: New York -7.5

Absences: New York - Breanna Stewart (bone bruise, out); Nyara Sabally (knee, out); Kennedy Burke (out, calf); Emma Meesseman (probable, non-injury related).

Connecticut - NONE.

 

History between them: Interestingly, the Liberty had beaten the Sun six straight times at Mohegan Sun Arena before Friday, which included both games there in the 2023 WNBA semifinals (the Sun did win Game 1 in Brooklyn). The Sun actually won a game in Brooklyn last season, too, and did in this year’s preseason as well, but lost the season series 3-1 in 2024. The two teams have met four times in the playoffs, with the most recent being the aforementioned 2023 semifinals, which New York won in four games.

What to look for: You always look for what adjustments teams make, and Sandy Brondello is a world-class coach, so I’m sure she’ll have something up her sleeve, which might also be Emma Meesseman, who is expected to make her Liberty debut Sunday. Sabrina Ionescu got no help on Friday, which was a bit weird, Leonie Fiebich and Marine Johannes combined to go 1-for-12 from the field, and you’d figure with all the attention Ionescu was getting, they would be open. But neither likes to go to the rim much, and the Sun used that to their advantage, and we’ll see if they adjust, or someone like Stephanie Talbot could help.

On the other end, the Liberty also had the same idea to pressure Marina Mabrey and Connecticut’s young guards, and they actually did it pretty well, despite losing the game. Leila Lacan and Saniya Rivers did show the ability to get to the rim a little and I think New York is going to force them to do it more Sunday afternoon. Mabrey turned the ball over six times Friday, so I’m sure the Liberty will go after her as well.

Key players:  New York: Emma Meesseman- After Friday’s Liberty performance, you have to figure Meesseman sees decent minutes Sunday. She may be a bit rusty and not solve all New York’s problems immediately, but after getting torched on the defensive glass Friday as well, they’ll take any help they can get.

Connecticut: Leila Lacan - Did you know Lacan just turned 21? You wouldn’t know it with how she’s started her WNBA career, but eventually (probably now) people are going to gameplan for her, and it might not be as easy for her. Her defense has been nothing short of phenomenal, we’ll see what Brondello has for that.

Advanced stat:  1.099 - Points per possession Connecticut has allowed this season, now just .004 behind Chicago to get out of last place in that category. It would be a start and a milestone in their improvement.

Tactical spotlight: It seemed like the Sun prepared for Mabrey to get blitzed in pick and roll coverage Friday, so Mabrey was prepared to pass early to Tina Charles or Olivia Nelson-Ododa, but it wasn’t a true blitz, so Mabrey threw it away multiple times before she read the coverage correctly. If they aren’t going to blitz, Mabrey can keep the ball and create things, but we’ll see if Brondello does indeed go back to the blitz in the chess match.

Everyone knows Ionescu is going to be the focal point of the Liberty offense, but as I alluded to before, how do the Liberty get Fiebich and Johannes more involved? What makes players like Lacan and Rivers special on defense is their ability to recover (Aneesah Morrow does this well also) after helping. Fiebich and Johannes looked like they wanted to pull the trigger a couple of times, but didn’t, I think they will Sunday.

Inside the numbers: 8 - Number of players Rachid Meziane and the Sun used on Friday, fewest of the season, even though no one is on the injured list (knock on wood, please). It certainly proved to be effective, so we’ll see if Haley Peters, Lindsay Allen, Migna Toure, or Rayah Marshall sees the floor Sunday.

Prediction: 86-80 New York