The 30th season of WNBA doesn't tip off until early May, but there's no shortage of news related to the league, both on and off the court.
On the heels of a new seven-year labor deal, struck between the league and its union in March, news broke that Tilman Fertitta reached a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun and move the franchise to Houston. The team will play there starting in 2027.
How have WNBA franchises done after relocating? RotoWire.com dug into the data to find out, adding to our WNBA betting insight.
This data and analysis comes from RotoWire.com, where the best sports betting promo codes are always available for readers and sportsbook customers.
According to reports, Fertitta paid a league-record $300 million to buy the Sun and move them next year to Houston, where he owns the NBA's Rockets.
Trends For Upcoming Houston Team
We'll have to wait until 2027 to find out how the second iteration of the Houston Comets fares on the court. But we can look back at the WNBA's 30 seasons for precedent.
The club that's relocating to Houston next year, the Connecticut Sun, has moved once before. The franchise launched as the Orlando Miracle in 1999 before moving north to Uncasville in 2003, where they've found a lot more regular-season success.
The original form of the franchise posted a .469 winning percentage in Orlando. Since relocating to the Nutmeg State, the franchise has gone .554 and earned 16 postseason appearances between 2003 and 2025. But Connecticut has never won a title, losing the WNBA Finals in 2004, 2005, 2019 and 2022.
At Caesars Sportsbook, the Sun are at the bottom for 2026 WNBA championship futures odds at +17500, alongside the two new expansion teams, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo.
Overall, Houston's next WNBA franchise has a cumulative.544 winning percentage, even after the Sun missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons. That .544 mark is a better winning percentage than the two other clubs (currently in Las Vegas and Dallas) that have moved.
Once the Sun relocates to become Houston Comets 2.0, all three franchises that have ever moved in the WNBA will be in their third city.
Also see: WNBA Pay Revolution: Projected 2026 Salaries Under the New CBA
Las Vegas Aces Have Been A Success
The Las Vegas Aces have captured three of the past four WNBA championships (2022, 2023 and 2025) and posted a .688 winning percentage since arriving in Sin City in 2018.
That is the most success that any WNBA team has had after finding a new home. But the franchise still has a losing record overall (a .496 winning percentage) because of its .400 mark as the San Antonio Silver Stars (2003 to 2017) and .468 percentage as the Utah Starzz (1997 to 2002).
At BetMGM Sportsbook, the Aces are the favorites to be champions again in 2026, at +275 odds, followed by the Indiana Fever (+325) and Minnesota Lynx (+400).
Dallas Wings Still Trying To Recapture Form
The Dallas Wings are also in their third home base. Since moving to the DFW in 2018, the Stars have had a .380 mark, with five postseason berths and zero titles. As the Tulsa Shock (.289 winning percentage and one postseason spot from 2010-15) they were even worse.
Going into 2026, now under the leadership of former longtime University of South Florida women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez, the Wings have +6000 odds at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook to win the championship.
That recent history tanked what had been solid ground as the Detroit Shock from 1998 to 2009. That iteration of the franchise won 53.0% of its games and three WNBA championships (2003, 2006, 2008) in eight playoff appearances.
The Wings are the only current WNBA team that won a title in another city.
The original Houston Comets won the first four WNBA championships, from 1997 to 2000, but that franchise went out of business in 2008. Can the new Comets replicate the era when Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper built the first dynasty in U.S. women's professional basketball history?
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