Robert Sarver agrees to sell Phoenix Suns and Mercury to Mat Ishbia for $4 billion

Mortgage executive Mat Ishbia has agreed in principle to buy a majority stake of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury from the embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion, the sides announced Tuesday.

The sale is expected to take several weeks to complete. Ishbia — who is chairman, president and chief executive of United Wholesale Mortgage, which bills itself as the nation's largest mortgage lender — will be subjected to a vetting process by the NBA, and once that is complete, the league's board of governors will have to approve the sale.

The board isn't scheduled to meet until March, though it could convene virtually if the vetting process is completed beforehand.