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The Phoenix Mercury began the 2025 WNBA free agency period with a bang, acquiring former Connecticut Sun star and perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas via sign-and-trade, and they quickly followed it up by adding 2023’s Most Improved Player, Satou Sabally, in another sign-and-trade with the Dallas Wings.
Both Thomas and Sabally are headed Phoenix as part of the same transaction: a four-team, 13-player behemoth that, according to Across the Timeline, is the largest trade in WNBA history in terms of sheer number of assets moved. And now that the dust has finally settled, we have our first glimpse of a new-look Mercury team that, despite recently losing an all-time great player (and perhaps two), appears to have struck the delicate balance between remaining competitive in the immediate future while also establishing a framework to build upon for years to come.
Sabally joins Copper, Thomas as part of Mercury’s new core
For the last decade-plus, the Mercury were defined by their two franchise players: Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner. The duo led Phoenix to a WNBA championship in 2014 and had made the playoffs in all but one season since then, with Mercury management constantly retooling its cast of complementary talent to keep the team competitive—even after it had become clear that both Taurasi and Griner had begun to decline athletically.
Now, with the 34-year old Griner having signed with the Atlanta Dream and the 42-year old Taurasi mulling retirement, a new era in Phoenix is officially underway. The Mercury now have a new core of players, including Sabally, Thomas and Kahleah Copper, to build around, and while the rest of Phoenix’s roster has yet to be finalized, general manager Nick U’Ren can take comfort knowing that the hardest part—locking up not just one, but several star-level talents who complement one another on the court—has been accomplished.
“[Sabally’s] positional versatility, diverse skillset and competitive drive make her one of the biggest difference-makers in our league,” U’Ren said in the Mercury’s official press release. “Teaming her with Kahleah and Alyssa will allow us to play the kind of dynamic brand of basketball we want to play, the kind our fans deserve.”
The Mercury have been one of the slower-paced teams in the WNBA in recent years, ranking no higher than No. 8 in possessions per 40 minutes in each season dating back to 2021, and while that isn’t a bad thing in itself, their rosters generally lacked the ability to play meaningfully uptempo basketball. That should change in 2025; Copper’s level of athleticism on the wing is unmatched, and Thomas and Sabally are both forwards who can rebound the ball, push it in transition and make plays for others.
It would be a stretch to call this iteration of the Mercury “positionless,” but they’re certainly set up to have more lineup optionality. Sabally, in particular, is capable of playing several positions, and she’s looking forward to seeing what Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts has in store for her.
“He knows how I play, he knows how to set me up, he knows how to make me better,” Sabally said at her introductory press conference, pointing out how her length and flexibility can make a difference on defense as well—another area in which the Mercury have recently been lukewarm at best. At the very least, they’ll now be able to dictate more plays defensively, thanks to Sabally’s and Thomas’ activity and ability to effectively switch onto different opponents.
How will the Mercury’s depth chart play out?
Of course, the Mercury had to pay a hefty price to bring Sabally and Thomas aboard. Phoenix traded away Natasha Cloud, Sophie Cunningham and Rebecca Allen, losing its veteran point guard and two of its best perimeter shooters, and while the team has handed out a smattering of training camp contracts since then, many of the fits are theoretical; several of the players the Mercury have signed, such as Kathryn Westbeld, Lexi Held and Anna Makurat, have no previous WNBA experience.
Phoenix also has no draft capital, having traded the No. 12 and No. 19 picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft. If the draft was today, the Mercury wouldn’t be picking at all.
That’s not to say U’Ren is completely done assembling his team, but the way things are looking right now, the Mercury will be trotting out almost an entirely new roster for 2025. Only four players—Copper, Natasha Mack, Celeste Taylor and Amy Atwell—are returning from 2024, and Copper is the only one whose spot on this year’s team is guaranteed.
That’s a lot of roster turnover. The Mercury will be relying on two other former Wings, Kalani Brown and Sevgi Uzun, early and often, while veteran guard Sami Whitcomb also figures to play a medium-sized role in the team’s backcourt. Again, though, none of those players were in Phoenix last season, so it will be critical that the Mercury’s new trio of stars establishes its on-court chemistry as quickly as possible.
