WNBA: Can Alyssa Thomas take the Mercury back to title contention?

Although players cannot officially sign new contracts until Feb. 1, the WNBA’s free agency period is upon us, and dominoes are beginning to fall.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Alyssa Thomas, an 11-year veteran of the Connecticut Sun, will be dealt to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen, and the No. 12 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Ty Harris also is being sent to Phoenix in the trade.

This wasn’t technically a free-agent signing, as Thomas had been cored by the Sun, meaning she had to sign off on any possible trade destination. That’s good news for Mercury fans—she wants to be in Phoenix. Her arrival, hand in hand with Brittney Griner’s departure to the Atlanta Dream, suggests that second-year head coach Nate Tibbetts is making the most of his first real opportunity to customize a roster that was mostly set in stone ahead of his initial campaign last season. So what does Thomas bring to the desert?

A new approach to playmaking

One of the easiest ways to predict what a coaching staff is looking for in a player is to analyze what they were willing to forfeit. Looking at the overall trade, Natasha Cloud’s inclusion sounds a plethora of alarms. Cloud was brought to Phoenix by way of the Washington Mystics last offseason, serving as the Mercury’s primary distributor in her lone season with the Mercury. She averaged 6.9 assists per game, good for third in the league. That’s not an easy number to replicate, but Thomas was second in assists per game last year with 7.9. Her passing ability as a strong-framed forward is one of the many facets that earned her the nickname “The Engine.”

Not only is Phoenix inheriting a new playmaker, they’ll have to adapt to a completely new style of distribution. Cloud was a more typical passer, doing her damage from above the break and operating out of the pick-and-roll. Thomas finds her angles from the elbow, mid-post and spots that aren’t traditionally thought of as playmaking hot spots. Having a playmaking forward often endorses a more guard-heavy scoring load. With only four players currently under contract for the 2025 season (Thomas, Harris, Kahleah Copper and Sophie Cunningham), don’t be surprised if Tibbetts urges the organization to target more guard firepower in free agency.

Defensive aspirations

“Defense wins championships” is an age-old saying that has rings in the ear of every basketball player who has been accused of lackluster effort on the less glorious side of the ball. Whether it really wins championships is moot, because it definitely helps win games. The Mercury, for one, didn’t win many games off their third-worst defense last season.

Thomas, a six-time All Defense selection, won’t just be assuming the playmaking responsibilities of Cloud; she’ll be the new anchor of a defense that’s losing two-time Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner. Once again, big shoes to fill. But, it’s worth noting that Griner has visibly lost a step on that end of the court, unable to replicate the highlight-prone athletic ability of her Baylor and early WNBA years. Thomas’ shorter stature and ability to play multiple positions allows for a great deal of switchability—a trait that’s steadily becoming one of the most valuable in the sport. She’s not a rim protecter, but she’s one of the few players who doesn’t look out of place no matter who she’s matched up against.

In a league recently dominated by lengthy power forwards like the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart and Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, it’s hard to picture title contention without a wing/forward stopper. Thomas is just that. If the Mercury are able to generate enough scoring and cohesion around the veteran, she’ll answer the impossible question of guarding the league’s scoring titans.

Phoenix is still incomplete

Thomas is a unique piece for any team in basketball. Her skillset is far from that of a traditional combo forward-center. She’ll provide instant defense and playmaking, but scoring is no longer her forte. Her 10.6-point-per-game average last season was her lowest since 2018. It could realistically be argued that Ty Harris is the bigger scoring threat in the trade, coming off a year in which she shot 40 percent from 3 and averaged 10.5 points a night.

Mercury fans should be excited, but still on the edge of their seat as free agency begins. With fewer players under contract than an Unrivaled club, they’ll need to make some more moves before they can be considered a contender again.