Houston Rockets ownership is in substantive talks with the Connecticut Sun over the potential purchase and relocation of the WNBA franchise, sources told ESPN this week.

The discussions have been described as “positive,” and Rockets ownership has improved its offer to a number the Sun might find acceptable, a source close to the situation said.

The source said that while a formal offer has been discussed, the parties have not signed an exclusivity agreement and there has not been a decision on the future of the franchise.

The WNBA previously indicated strong interest in a return to Houston. At the league’s three-team expansion announcement in June, commissioner Cathy Engelbert specifically highlighted Houston and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as “up next” and “the one we have our eye on.”

The Sun have been owned by the Mohegan tribe since 2003, when they bought and relocated the franchise from Orlando, Florida, to Uncasville, Connecticut. A sale to Rockets ownership would mark the latest example of the WNBA moving toward having more teams with NBA owners.

The Sun launched a process to explore investment options over a year ago, initially seeking to assess opportunities for a limited partnership sale that would help fund an infrastructure build.

Earlier this year, Houston was among the groups that expressed interest in buying the Sun outright, eventually raising its offer to $250 million, the amount that Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia paid in an expansion fee earlier this year.

In early July, Sun ownership reached a deal to sell the team for a record $325 million to a group led by former Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca that would have moved the franchise to Boston. The WNBA effectively blocked the deal from progressing any further, holding firm that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams” and that cities that have already gone through the expansion process have priority over Boston.

The WNBA then offered to buy the Sun for $250 million, which would have allowed it to facilitate a sale to a market of its choice. There was a belief at the time that the league was looking to move the Sun to Houston after Houston did not get an expansion team in June.

Sun ownership has more recently explored a potential opportunity where funds affiliated with the state of Connecticut could be used to buy a minority stake in the franchise. But those talks have slowed, sources told ESPN.

The hope is that a resolution on the franchise’s future can be determined before free agency, where all but two league veterans are not under contract. The exact timing of free agency, though, is uncertain as the league and players’ union continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, with a deadline for a deal currently set for Jan. 9.

The Houston Comets were an iconic original franchise that won the league’s first four championships (1997-2000) and was home to some of women’s basketball’s biggest stars in Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson before the franchise disbanded after the 2008 season.

Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua’s tumultuous Thursday began with an apology and ended with more controversial remarks.

In between, he had a career-best performance. 

After catching 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday’s overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Nacua once again expressed his frustration with how NFL referees handled the game.

Nacua previously suggested game officials shared similarities to attorneys. The remarks came after the third-year wideout claimed some referees throw flags during games to ramp up their camera time.

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After the Seahawks 38-37 win propelled Seattle to the top spot in the NFC standings, Nacua took a veiled shot at the game’s officials. 

“Can you say i was wrong. Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol,” he wrote on X.

The Pro Bowler added that his statement on X was made in “a moment of frustration after a tough, intense game like that.”

RAMS STAR PUKA NACUA ACCUSES REFS OF MAKING UP CALLS TO GET ON TV: ‘THE WORST’

“It was just a lack of awareness and just some frustration,” Nacua said. “I know there were moments where I feel like, ‘Man, you watch the other games and you think of the calls that some guys get and you wish you could get some of those.’ But that’s just how football has played, and I’ll do my job in order to work my technique to make sure that there’s not an issue with the call.”

But, this time, Nacua’s criticism resulted in a hefty fine. The league issued a $25,000 penalty, according to NFL Network. 

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) runs with the ball during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle.  (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Nacua had expressed aggravation on social media just days after the 24-year-old asserted during a livestream appearance with internet personalities Adin Ross and N3on that “the refs are the worst.”

“Some of the rules aren’t … these guys want to be … these guys are lawyers. They want to be on TV too,” Nacua said, per ESPN. “You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys just saw me on “Sunday Night Football.” That wasn’t P.I., but I called it.'”

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle.  (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

On Thursday, reporters asked Nacua if he wanted to clarify his stance on the suggestion referees actively seek being in front of cameras during games. 

“No, I don’t,” he replied.

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Also on Thursday, Nacua apologized for performing a gesture that plays upon antisemitic tropes.

“I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people,” the receiver said in an Instagram post. “I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people.”

Rams coach Sean McVay dismissed the idea that all the off-field chatter surrounding Nacua was a distraction leading up to Los Angeles’ clash with its NFC West division rival. 

“It wasn’t a distraction at all,” McVay said. “Did you think his play showed he was distracted? I didn’t think so either. He went off today.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ecuadorian police have arrested two suspects in the killing of soccer player Mario Pineida, who was shot in an attack this week that also killed his partner and wounded his mother, underscoring the rising violence in the Andean nation.

The 33-year-old Barcelona de Guayaquil defender and former national soccer team player was shot and killed on Wednesday. Latin American soccer clubs and fans have since mourned his death.

Ecuador’s prosecutor’s office said on Friday on X that suspects Cristian P.G. and Jimnery P.B appeared before a judge, who then ordered their so-called preventive arrests, based on the judge’s understanding that there’s enough evidence against them as well as a risk of them fleeing from justice.

Police said the shooting attack took place in Samanes, a northern neighborhood of the coastal city of Guayaquil, some 265 kilometers (165 miles) southwest of the capital, Quito.

Security camera footage from the scene shows Pineida and his partner leaving a butcher shop and then being shot by two men, one wearing a motorcycle helmet and the other a cap. Local authorities have not released the name of Pineida’s partner.

Pineida played eight games for Ecuador but was not part of the team qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. His last game for Ecuador was at the 2021 Copa América, as a late substitute in a group-stage game against Brazil. He also played in the 2017 edition.

In November, a 16-year-old soccer player of Independiente del Valle died from a stray bullet, also in Guayaquil. Two months earlier, Maicol Valencia and Leandro Yépez, both players of Exapromo Costa, and Jonathan González, of 22 de Junio died from gunshot wounds.