(Photo credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)

Owners of the Houston Rockets are progressing in talks to purchase the Connecticut Sun and relocate the WNBA franchise, ESPN reported Friday.

No formal offer has been made, and the two parties have not entered an exclusivity agreement, per the report. At the same time, Sun owners haven't made a firm decision about the future of the franchise.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has expressed an interest in a franchise, but Houston was passed over when the WNBA announced in June that it was adding teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia between 2028 and 2030.

The WNBA will have 15 teams when it expands to Portland and Toronto in 2026.

ESPN reported that commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Fertitta that Houston would be 'up next.'

The Sun are owned by the Mohegan Tribe, which purchased the former Orlando Miracle ahead of the 2003 season for $10 million. In May, the franchise hired New York investment firm Allen & Co. to explore selling and relocating the Sun.

In July, the Sun sent a letter to fans saying the team would play at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., for at least another season.

'We know there has been a lot of conversation in the media about the future of the team, but please know that we will be playing the 2026 season here at Mohegan Sun Arena,' read the memo, according to The Hartford Courant.

A sale could bring a windfall to the tribe. ESPN reported June 30 that the expansion fee for owners bringing teams to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia is $250 million.

The Sun have never won a WNBA title but have lost four times in the league finals, most recently in 2022.

In the 2025 season, they finished in 11th place in the WNBA at 11-33.

--Field Level Media