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WNBA coring decisions: team-by-team breakdown of what we learned

By Howard Megdal

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 3: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx reacts during game against the Indiana Fever on July 3, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 3: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx reacts during game against the Indiana Fever on July 3, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, AZ – AUGUST 31: DeWanna Bonner #24 of the Phoenix Mercury talks with media after the game against the Seattle Storm during Game Three of the WNBA Semifinals on August 31, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – AUGUST 31: DeWanna Bonner #24 of the Phoenix Mercury talks with media after the game against the Seattle Storm during Game Three of the WNBA Semifinals on August 31, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In Phoenix, the Big Three were otherwise settled — Brittney Griner signed through 2019, Diana Taurasi through 2020 — so coring DeWanna Bonner makes perfect sense, particularly after the campaign she just enjoyed. The plan in Phoenix is clearly to start from those three and build around them, and it nearly worked in 2018, with the Mercury coming up one game short of the WNBA Finals. Bonner is in the midst of her peak, making her second all star team in 2018, and at 31, should continue to provide Phoenix’s opponent with unanswerable matchup questions for years to come. The decision does mean that Briann January, the criminally underrated point guard, will hit free agency this offseason. A two-way playmaker who shot 47 percent from three last season will fit with plenty of teams.

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