The Phoenix Mercury have been busy this offseason. When the news broke that Brittney Griner wanted to explore free agency for the first time in her career and that Diana Taurasi was considering retirement, it looked like the Mercury may be in trouble. Phoenix quickly recovered from losing Griner by trading for Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.
Thomas and Sabally were some of the biggest stars on the market this offseason, and landing them was quite the accomplishment for the Mercury. Even if Taurasi retires, Phoenix will still have three All-Star-level players on the roster. If Thomas, Sabally, and Kahleah Copper are all healthy the entire season, the Mercury may even be able to compete with the New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces, and Minnesota Lynx.
The Mercury’s roster is not flawless, though. One significant issue with the roster, as currently constructed, is its lack of 3-point shooting. In 2024, the Mercury’s three best 3-point shooters were Sophie Cunningham, Rebecca Allen, and Diana Taurasi. Cunningham was traded to the Indiana Fever, Allen is now a member of the Chicago Sky, and Taurasi might retire ahead of the 2025 season. Alyssa Thomas does not shoot threes, and Sabally still has to prove that her 3-point shooting from the 2024 season is sustainable.
So, the Mercury have one clear weakness they need to address before the start of the 2025 season. Their latest signing will immediately help with that.
Kitija Laksa will give the Mercury a boost in 2025
The newest addition to the Mercury’s roster is Kitija Laksa. The Latvian forward currently plays for the Italian club Famila Schio and leads her team in scoring over 12 EuroLeague games with 15.6 points. Laksa is a versatile, solid all-around player, but the skill that will be most valuable to the Phoenix Mercury is her 3-point shooting.
Laksa currently averages 41.7 percent shooting on high volume. Over 12 EuroLeague games, she has taken 72 threes and converted 30 of them. She currently ranks fifth in 3-point percentage in the entire league.
The way Laksa scores is just as impressive as her numbers, and her style of play should fit in well with the star-studded Mercury. Laksa leads Schio in scoring without having the ball in her hands too much, meaning she will be a great fit around the Mercury’s stars, especially Alyssa Thomas. Thomas is one of the best passers and playmakers in the WNBA, and Laksa moves well without the ball. She should be able to get plenty of great looks when playing with Thomas.
Laksa can also operate off the dribble and create her own shot, though. While she will likely not play as big of a role with Phoenix as she does with Schio at the moment, she should be able to provide a nice scoring boost off the bench or whenever the Mercury’s stars are not in the court.
The 28-year-old may not have played a WNBA game yet, but, on paper, she seems like a perfect fit for the Mercury, offering exactly what they need from their role players.