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In a postseason of attrition, it seemed possible that a tough-nosed squad led by Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper could win it all. The Phoenix Mercury tore through the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, proving they could topple…well, almost anyone.
Almost, of course, is the operative word here. Phoenix went from looking like near favorites to win the 2025 WNBA Finals to a swept, injured, and somewhat questionable team that was left in the dust in a 4-0 sweep by the Las Vegas Aces.
It was the Aces’ third championship in four years. A dynasty created at the hands of Phoenix on their home court. The same dynasty Phoenix has hungered to begin since acquiring Copper, Satou Sabally, and Alyssa Thomas over the last two seasons.
Phoenix is now in an unfortunate spot headed into the offseason. It’s a spot all WNBA teams are headed into beginning October 31, the day the current CBA expires, and the day that many feel could come and go without an agreement on a new deal. A large gap between what the WNBPA is seeking from the league and what the league wants to cover in turn may delay this new deal.
The list of free agents the Mercury are seeing hit the market include:
DeWanna Bonner (UFA)
Kahleah Copper (UFA)
Satou Sabally (UFA)
Alyssa Thomas (UFA)
Sami Whitcomb (UFA)
Monique Akoa Makani (Reserved)
Lexi Held (Reserved)
Kitija Laksa (Reserved)
Natasha Mack (Reserved)
Kathryn Westbeld (Reserved)
Kiana Williams (Reserved)
Unrestricted free agents, or UFAs, are free agents who can’t be protected by their previous team with a matching offer. They’re free to sign wherever they want. A reserved free agent is a player with three or less seasons logged in the WNBA whose contract has expired.
Phoenix thankfully shouldn’t be too hard of a sell to impending free agents, new and old. Updated facilities of their own in addition to the fact that they were, at least, in the Finals and an obvious contender should be persuasive.
But, what else can Phoenix do to prove they have a sustainable core headed into 2026, assuming at least Copper, Sabally, and Thomas stay on board for another run?
The answers could lie in what went wrong in the very series that made them look like paper tigers.
All postseason, Thomas was an absolute force for Phoenix despite her limitations as a shooter. Averaging 16.9 points per game along with nine rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.7 steals, she was every bit of “The Engine” for the Mercury.
In the Finals? Thomas’ averages dipped slightly, with two key games—Game 2 and 3—seeing her drop just 10 and 14 points, respectively, and being held to just three rebounds in Game 2. She did not as easily slice through the paint for easy kick out opportunities, but was instead seeing a court featuring a ton of space for herself in the midrange and three point line, while her teammates were draped defensively. Thomas has taken an average of less than one three point shot per season in her career, with her work on offense coming primarily in the post for the last 11 seasons.
It was a key adjustment made by the Aces that forced others, especially Phoenix’s bench, to have to step up. The Mercury’s Big 3 could only be dominant if all three could do what they did best, and with Thomas figured out, that was impossible.
The Mercury’s bench was also simply not reliable in the Finals when put up against the suddenly scorching bench unit of the Aces led by Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans. Those two guards stepped up in key moments for Las Vegas and Phoenix’s bench of Whitcomb, Westbeld, and Bonner just couldn’t match their effort.
Again, there’s plenty of talent,starting and bench,to go around in 2026 given the abnormally long list of free agents coming up. Phoenix can certainly shore the bench up this way, adding more goodwill to their pitch for Copper, Thomas, and Sabally to stick around.
There’s also a matter of one small, but present, elephant in the room, and that’s head coach Nate Tibbett’s. He did a great job of leading this squad to a Finals berth, and has shaken off some of the (extremely warranted) criticism he drew from his initial pitch to fans when being introduced as the new skipper.
Yet he was thoroughly outcoached by Becky Hammon in this championship series. It was obvious who was hungry for their third chip in four years, and who was looking to just join the club. He’s still waiting just outside the door, hearing A’ja Wilson’s pink tambourine provide the rhythm of the night for Las Vegas.
“This is a symbol of just the joyfulness we have right now, and I’m grateful to be with this bunch.”
A’ja Wilson on the importance of her pink tambourine after winning the WNBA finals 🏆 pic.twitter.com/WKKqRcKI41
— espnW (@espnW) October 11, 2025
Tibbetts shouldn’t lose his job over this loss, but we’ve seen quite a lot of turnover at the head coaching position for losses in the postseason that seemed to defy the expectations set for those teams. The New York Liberty fired Sandy Brondello one year after she helped bring the franchise their first championship ever.
Noelle Quinn is also out of a job after failing to steer a talented Storm roster to a Finals appearance. It’s not out of the question that the Mercury, after seeing how badly Hammon had his number, relieve [Tibbetts] of his duties. It likely boils down to how key players’ exit interviews go, but it does seem like he has buy-in from Phoenix’s stars.
So, again, where does Phoenix go from here?
They go where every other team in the league is going: firstly, into negotiations with hopes that they can secure proper raises, accommodations, benefits, and more from the league they’ve poured their hearts and bodies into. Secondly, the Mercury head into the breach of free agency with hopes that their stars could taste the chance at toppling a third Goliath in a row during the 2025 postseason, and want to come back for seconds.
