No Cap Space WBB Team Previews: Phoenix Mercury

After turning over nearly their entire roster, the Mercury have a new Big Three and are hoping to put the pieces in place to be a long time contender.

May 05, 2025

The Phoenix Mercury, after a subpar 2024 season, decided to fully blow it up. Whether it’s in the NBA or WNBA, owner Mat Ishbia has made it clear: there is not tanking, there is no rebuilding. Their goal is to regularly contend by any means necessary. In the Mercury’s case, that meant making a blockbuster trade to kick off free agency, bringing in Dallas Wings star Satou Sabally and Connecticut Sun cornerstone Alyssa Thomas. But in the process, Phoenix turned over a massive chunk of their roster.

Will the star power at the top be enough to keep the Mercury in the type of contention that Ishbia expects them to be in?

2024 Lookback:

19-21 Overall (3-2 Commissioner’s Cup)

2024 Leaders:

Kahleah Copper: 21.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.3 APG

Brittney Griner: 17.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.5 BPG

Diana Taurasi: 14.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.4 APG

Who Left:

Rebecca Allen (Chicago Sky via Connecticut Sun via trade)

Monique Billings (Golden State Valkyries via Expansion Draft)

Natasha Cloud (New York Liberty via Connecticut Sun via trade)

Sophie Cunningham (Indiana Fever via trade)

Brittney Griner (Atlanta Dream via Free Agency)

Kiki Herbert-Harrigan (Dallas via trade)

Diana Taurasi (Retired)

Who’s Back:

Kahleah Copper

Celeste Taylor

Natasha Mack

Draft Picks:

No Draft Picks

Who’s New:

Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun via trade)

Satou Sabally, Kalani Brown, Sevgi Uzun (Dallas Wings via trade)

Sami Whitcomb (Seattle Storm via Free Agency)

Kitja Laksa (Fenerbahce via Free Agency)

Monique Makani Okoa (Charnay Basket via Free Agency)

Kathryn Westbeld (TARR KSC via Free Agency)

Lexi Held (PEAC Pecs via Free Agency)

2025 Strengths:

The Mercury are long and have a centerpiece defender who will expect everyone in her rotation to put the same effort on that side of the ball as she does. Alyssa Thomas, for all intents and purposes, was the player that helped forge Connecticut’s reputation as a dominant defensive unit. In Phoenix, she’ll have to step into the role of veteran superstar and demand a standard out of her teammates. If there is one thing the Mercury struggled with last year, it was on the boards. They ranked last in the WNBA in opponent offensive rebounds per game, total rebounds per game and three pointers made/attempted. In short, Phoenix was a bad defensive unit in a league that has the Dallas Wings in it.

With Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi gone, there is a chance to reset the deck a bit. Not to say either of those players aren’t great but it felt, from the outside looking in, that things had gotten a bit stale. Thomas’ arrival alongside a top end wing in Satou Sabally — known for some annoying and pesky defense internationally — means that Phoenix has the chance to reinvent themselves. They also have size, bringing in 6’7 Kalani Brown and returning Natasha Mack, who had plenty of good defensive moments last year. Are they gonna lock up everyone in the league? I don’t think so. But a strength of this team this year could be its’ defense, which would be a welcome change for many Mercury fans, I’m sure.

2025 Weaknesses:

Outside of Copper, the guard rotation is pretty bad. In order to land some of the top players in that four team mega trade, they had to let go of league mainstays like Sophie Cunningham, Rebecca Allen and Natasha Cloud. Cloud, in particular, was having a great season in 2025 and would’ve slotted in nicely as a point guard here. Now, you’re having to hope for a major leap from Celeste Taylor, Sevgi Uzun or any of the number of training camp contract players they signed. Sami Whitcomb is nice shooting depth but doesn’t strike me as a starting guard on a championship level WNBA roster.

Interestingly, it almost flies in the face of what we typically hold as a truism: that the WNBA is the hardest league to make. The way I see it, there are plenty of opportunities for young players to get a shot in this Phoenix backcourt. With so little future assets to use in a potential trade and not a lot left on the roster, the options are limited. If there is one thing I can see teams attacking, it’s at the guard spot. They have good forwards, centers and wings. Copper is a spectacular lead guard but behind her there isn’t a lot to work with. Since you have Thomas and Sabally, you don’t need a second dominant scorer but you’re gonna need someone to chase around the elite of the elite night in and night out.

2025 Outlook:

We affix the ‘super team’ moniker to those who manage to put together a big three or four of star level talent. To that end, Phoenix does have some super team energy. But they’re a little too close in essence to their NBA counterpart for my liking. Yes, they’re star driven but the Lynx and Liberty (and the Aces, but in a totally different way) showed us last year that you need stars AND depth. In this regard, the WNBA being so hard to make a roster on lends itself to the best teams being flush with the best talent.

Now maybe I’m being overly harsh and we need to wait it out with some of these lesser known names, undrafted free agents or European/Australian standouts like Helena Pueyo, Kitija Laksa or Shyla Heal. But the reality is that if past years are any indication with ‘super teams’, this year won’t be the one where Phoenix pops off. It’ll likely be in 2026. What I’m curious about is if this year was about getting your core that can contend and then, when the big money comes and the land rush of free agency under a new CBA happens, you fill out the bench. It’s so crazy it just might work. But for this season, I wouldn’t be too shocked if they hovered around 6-8 seed range again with some glimpses of what can be in the future.