Sales agrees to deal with Sun

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Nykesha Sales has agreed to terms with the Connecticut Sun, ending a contract standstill that has kept the former University of Connecticut star out of training camp.

The newest WNBA franchise made a new offer late Monday afternoon, and though it was not for the league maximum $85,000, agent James Tanner said Sales wanted to return to Connecticut.

"It's great to have this done," Tanner said. "Nykesha's very excited about playing in Connecticut. "That team, she feels like it's part of her family."

Sales was expected to be at the Sun's first exhibition game Tuesday against New York at Mohegan Sun arena. Tanner said he did not know if she will play.

The contract will be signed soon, Tanner said.

Sales, a former first-round draft pick, was a major factor in the Mohegan Indian tribe's decision to purchase the former Orlando Miracle.

Along with former UConn teammate Rebecca Lobo, Sales' larger-than-life face looks down from a Hartford billboard, reminding Connecticut basketball fans that "The Girls are Back in Town."

But until Monday, it looked as if UConn's all-time leading scorer might stay out of town. She was in Florida this weekend and said it did not look like a contract would be worked out.

Sales made the league's top salary, $79,588, last year as a member of the Miracle and was asking the Sun to keep her at the league maximum of $85,000 this year.

"This is not about Nykesha Sales," Sun General Manager Chris Sienko said Monday, after making the new offer but before getting word it had been accepted. "This is about the Connecticut Sun."

The Sun must meet a $622,000 team salary cap with players whose salaries totaled $707,000 last season in Orlando, Fla.

Neither side would disclose how much Sales' contract was worth. Sienko said it was comparable to an earlier offer Sales had rejected.

Sun officials said their marketing strategy was never built exclusively around Sales or the UConn fan base.

"We've always felt a need to capitalize on the UConn identity of players, but in order for the Connecticut Sun to succeed, the people of Connecticut have to grow to love the Connecticut Sun," said Mitchell Etess, vice president of marketing for Mohegan Sun.