The Phoenix Mercury lost two cornerstones of their franchise this offseason. Diana Taurasi retired and Brittney Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream in free agency. Nevertheless, the Mercury made some big splashes, bringing in Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.
With those two additions, the Mercury ensured that Kahleah Copper still had two All-Star-level teammates next to her. Alyssa Thomas has been an MVP candidate for several seasons now and gives the Mercury a steady two-way presence. Satou Sabally, when healthy, is an All-WNBA-level player who can score on all three levels.
Especially offensively, Copper, Thomas, and Sabally are an imposing trio. Nevertheless, confidence in the Mercury is not high. The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant predicted on No Offseason that the Mercury would miss the playoffs and her college Ben Pickman brought up questions about the Mercury’s depth.
While the Mercury snatched up two of the most sought-after free agents, their offseason was otherwise rather quiet. Besides, their three All-Stars, the only players on the training camp roster with WNBA experience are Sami Whitcomb, Kalani Brown, Celeste Taylor, Sevgi Uzun, Alexis Prince, and Natasha Mack.
Whitcomb is already 36 years old, and Taylor, Mack, Prince, and Uzun have not yet established themselves as high-impact role players in their WNBA careers. EuroLeague veteran Kitija Laksa could quickly impress in her first WNBA season, but the Mercury just don’t have a lot of depth. Losing just one of Copper, Thomas, and Sabally to an injury could make the Mercury less competitive than the majority of the league.
The Mercury don’t want to miss the playoffs
Missing the playoffs in the 2025 season would be a huge blow to the Mercury. After losing Taurasi and Griner the Mercury had two options: enter a rebuild or bring in other top players to stay competitive. They opted for the second option, obviously wanting to be a competitive team.
In total cash, Copper, Sabally, and Thomas are three of the ten most expensive players in the WNBA. Missing the playoffs while spending that much money on three veterans would be disastrous for the Mercury.
Like most of the league, Copper, Thomas, and Sabally will be free agents after the 2025 season. There is no guarantee that they will re-sign with the Mercury, especially if they fail to make the playoffs. If that happened, the Mercury would have given up significant assets only to lose some of their best players after the season.
Missing the playoffs, whether it is because of injuries or because of shortcomings on the court, is a nightmare scenario the Mercury must desperately avoid.