By JOHN ALTAVILLA

The Connecticut Sun have called a 3 p.m. press conference to make what they termed in a press release “a major announcement.”

For weeks, speculation has centered around a trade with the Minnesota Lynx. The deal would send Lindsay Whalen and the Sun’s No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft to the Lynx for former UConn guard Renee Montgomery and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, which the Sun would use to take Tina Charles of the Huskies.

The Sun would not confirm the trade on Tuesday morning, but it appears to be a done deal.

The Courant reported on Sunday that a WNBA source said that there was better than a 50-50 chance the Sun and Lynx will agree to the trade.

The trade and subsequent drafting of Montgomery would reunitie best friends and All-Americans.

After Charles scored 25 points and had 13 rebounds in Saturday’s 88-47 win over No. 7 North Carolina, she said she hadn’t heard about the impending deal.

Whalen is the former University of Minnesota star who joined the Sun in 2004 and has developed into a perennial All-Star. Whalen and her husband, pro golfer Ben Greve, are Minnesota natives who met in college. Both of their families have urged them to come home.

The deal makes sense on a number of fronts. It brings home players to each team that fans strongly identify with, and the Lynx likely don’t need Charles as much as they might need an extra guard. They already have Charde Houston, Nicky Anosike, Rebekkah Brunson and 6-foot-5 Quanitra Hollingsworth inside.

They seem much thinner at guard with Seimone Augustus, Kelly Miller and Roneeka Hodges – all free agents. Only Candice Wiggins and Montgomery, back-to-back first-round picks, are under contract with the Lynx.

http://www.courant.com/sports/basketball/connecticut-sun/hc-websundealjan12,0,1669957.story