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Phoenix Mercury: Devereaux Peters signs seven-day contract

By Joseph Zucker

INDIANAPOLIS - JULY 1: Devereaux Peters #14 of the Indiana Fever handles the ball during the game against the San Antonio Stars during their WNBA game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on July 1, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2016 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - JULY 1: Devereaux Peters #14 of the Indiana Fever handles the ball during the game against the San Antonio Stars during their WNBA game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on July 1, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2016 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Devereaux Peters Agrees to Deal with Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury signed WNBA veteran forward Devereaux Peters, the team announced Monday.

Peters hasn’t played in the WNBA since 2016, when she made 30 appearances for the Indiana Fever. Over five years in the league, she’s averaging 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but they’re largely the result of her coming off the bench for nearly the entirety of her WNBA career to date.

Peters has been especially effective on defense, boasting an 18.6 percent defensive rebounding rate and a 4.3 percent block rate, according to Basketball Reference. In her first four years with the Minnesota Lynx, Peters’ defensive rating never reached higher than 97.9, per WNBA.com.

It remains to be seen, though, how much Peters can contribute to the Mercury as they look to climb into the top four of the league.

The 28-year-old missed all of 2017 after undergoing hip surgery, and she failed to make the final cut for the Washington Mystics when they trimmed their roster ahead of the regular season.

There’s no question Peters should have a role to play for the fifth-place Mercury.

Phoenix is without Sancho Lyttle for the rest of the season after she tore her ACL on June 30. The WNBA trade deadline passed July 23, and the Mercury didn’t make a meaningful deal to address Lyttle’s injury.

While Peters won’t replicate Lyttle’s production (7.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game), she adds much-needed depth to the team’s frontcourt.

Mercury fans may see Peters may her debut Tuesday night. The Mercury return from the All-Star break to host the Seattle Storm in what’s the rubber match between the two teams. Phoenix won the first game 87-82 on the road May 20. The Storm returned the favor with an 87-71 win three days later at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

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