Over the past week, the situation for Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury owner Robert Sarver looks to have gone from bad to worse.

Reports of Sarver using racist and misogynistic language led to a one-year suspension and $10 M fine.

Following the League’s decision, numerous players, prominent figures and even the team’s sponsor called for Sarver to step down or be removed.

In the wake of this tidal wave of backlash, Sarver announced  that he is preparing to sell both the Suns and Mercury.

“But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible – that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past. For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury,” Sarver said as part of a statement issued Wednesday.

The last NBA teams to be sold were the Utah Jazz in 2020 and Minnesota Timberwolves last year.  The last WNBA team to change ownership were the Atlanta Dream, also just one year ago.

However, getting the right price for two teams that are both showing good form could pose a challenge for Sarver.  Both the Suns and Mercury made Finals runs a year ago in their respective leagues.

The Suns value as a team is projected at around $1.8 billion alone.

Since the announcement of Sarver’s intentions to sell the franchises, multiple big name buyers have announced their interest in purchasing the Suns, including the founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos, former Disney CEO Bob Igner, and ex-Oracle CEO Larry Ellison to name a few.

Even if Sarver can find a buyer for two premier professional sports teams, the process of selling the teams may take quite a while to complete.

For instance, the Minnesota Timberwolves were purchased last year and the sale is expected to remain  pending until 2023 or longer.