Alyssa Thomas spent all eleven seasons of her WNBA career with the Connecticut Sun. That era is officially coming to an end, as ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported that the Sun and Phoenix Mercury are finalizing a trade centered around the five-time All-Star.
Thomas never outright requested a trade or said that she wanted to leave Connecticut but in retrospect her departure from the Sun does not come as a complete surprise. She already talked about the Sun being behind other teams when it comes to facilities, giving off the impression that she was not happy with her situation anymore.
Plus, the Sun had already failed to get over the hump and win a championship with Thomas several times, and losing head coach Stephanie White to the Indiana Fever did not improve their chances for the 2025 season. The Sun cored Thomas rather than letting her become an unrestricted free agent, which meant the only way she could leave was via a sign-and-trade. If the Sun were worried that Thomas would leave after next season anyway, trading her was the only way to ensure they would not lose one of the top players in the league for nothing.
Losing Thomas is still a huge blow to the Sun. She has led Connecticut on several deep playoff runs and has consistently played at an MVP level. That is not the kind of production a team replaces easily.
Landing Thomas won’t be cheap for the Mercury, but it is a risk worth taking. Phoenix is already expected to lose Diana Taurasi to retirement soon—maybe even ahead of the 2025 season—and Brittney Griner chose to explore free agency for the first time in her career. While that does not mean that Griner desperately wants to leave Phoenix, the Mercury also cannot take her presence for granted anymore. Trading for Thomas means that the Mercury will have at least one other All-Star next to Kahleah Copper. It could also entice Griner to re-sign with the Mercury.
Alyssa Thomas is not the only Sun star who may be on her way out of Connecticut. DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones are both unrestricted free agents. Depending on what the Sun receive in return for Alyssa Thomas, the team may not be able to compete with the likes of New York, Las Vegas, and Minnesota, and Jones and Bonner may decide to leave Connecticut as well.
As more details about the trade emerge, it will be easier to estimate the situation and see where the Sun can go from here.