It's the final season in Connecticut before the Sun move to Houston to bring the Comets back into the WNBA. And to discuss the happenings of this final version of the Sun, Emily Adams from the Hartford Courant joins Bleav in the W to chat about everything from the signing of Brittney Griner to the outlook of the young pieces.

We break down and analyze the entire saga of the Mohegan Tribe's sale process, the WNBA involvement and why the move to Houston was made. It's also a chance to reflect back on their stewardship of the franchise, helping bring professional basketball to Connecticut, one of the hubs of women's basketball. Of course, there's also Brittney Griner's decision to come to the Sun for a one-year deal and how she can guide a team of promising young players, including Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers and Aaliyah Edwards.

The podcast ends with a discussion of the career and legacy of Tina Charles, who announced her retirement this week and won her MVP award with the Sun in 2012.

Follow Emily Adams on X/Twitter: https://x.com/eaadams6
All of her work covering the Connecticut Sun and the UConn Huskies can be viewed here: https://www.courant.com/author/emily-adams/

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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A year removed from many picking the Seattle Storm as a dark-horse team in the WNBA Playoffs, the franchise has decided to lay dormant in free agency and jump into a rebuild. Joining Tyler to preview the Storm is Jeff Brown from Storm Chasers, an independent substack for in-depth coverage of the team.

Topics range from why the organization decided to fully jump into a rebuild when there was an opportunity to be aggressive. We also revisit the 2026 WNBA Draft class and how the Storm walked away with Awa Fam and Flau'Jae Johnson, then discuss when Awa is expected to join the team. Unlike other teams, the Storm have brought in veterans, like Stef Dolson, to lead the young Storm that has a ton of exciting young talent with Dominque Malonga, Jordan Horston and Jade Melbourne.

The podcast ends with a debate on what will make this a successful season for Seattle.

Make sure to check out Jeff's work at Storm Chasers here: https://www.stormchasersbasketball.com/

See his story on the Seattle Storm rookies detailing their experience at their first WNBA training camp: https://www.stormchasersbasketball.com/p/storm-wnba-training-camp-rookie-experience

Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social

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A quick preview of the Portland Fire's first season back in the WNBA. This expansion team isn't shaping up to have the same historic success that the Golden State Valkyries did last season but there are a handful of encouraging players on the roster. Tyler Byrum will explain why it shouldn't take long for the team to establish a culture and identity with players like Emily Engstler, Carla Liete, Karlie Samuelson and Meg Gustafson anchoring the squad. It's also an opportunity for Bridget Carelton to step up and be the focal point of a team for the first time in her career, earning big-time money in Portland.

The podcast ends with reasonable expectations for the team this season and creating a framework to build on in 2027 and 2028.

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