Connecticut’s decision to core Jasmine Thomas has knock-on effects for the rest of the roster, though less in terms of other free agents and more about who will play at the point. With nearly every other player signed through 2019, Thomas as a core player essentially locks last season’s Sun team in place for the new campaign, barring a trade. That is hardly a bad thing for Curt Miller and company, considering Connecticut is coming off its second straight 21-win season, and Diana Taurasi can’t get assigned to come into Connecticut and end the Sun’s season every year for the remainder of time. (Right? I mean, maybe we shouldn’t doubt Diana Taurasi in general.) Thomas’ numbers were down a bit in 2018 from her breakout 2017, but she remains an elite point guard at both ends, which is bad news for those hoping Layshia Clarendon (an all star and USA Basketball standout in her own right) and Lexie Brown (an uber-talented two-way player who excelled in limited minutes last year) would get to play more. Then again, figuring out how to balance Jonquel Jones, Chiney Ogwumike and Alyssa Thomas at the 4-5 is still an unsolved problem for Miller, too, so perhaps there are trades in the Sun’s future.