There are a lot of WNBA teams in a so-called "rebuilding" phase right now, but the Mercury are actually rebuilding right now. Twenty-year vet Diana Taurasi announced her retirement on Tuesday and Brittney Griner moved to the Dream earlier this month, which means for the first time in a very long time, the two players most synonymous with the team will not be on the court.
It's likely the team expected Taurasi to step back, and it seemed pretty clear that they were unwilling to negotiate with Griner, who said this month that she's looking forward to showing something new on the court with the Dream. The Mercury signed Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally to great acclaim and excitement during free agency, and the combination of the two has the potential to make the Mercury a contender this season.
Phoenix Mercury roster
As it stands now, the Mercury are most in need of an extremely solid guard, and should consider adding Emma Meesseman to their roster as well. To date, here's the 2025 Phoenix Mercury:
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Satou Sabally | Forward |
Anna Makurat | Guard |
Kathryn Westbeld | Forward |
Murjanatu Musa | Center |
Alexa Held | Guard |
Kahleah Copper | Guard/forward |
Natasha Mack | Forward |
Sevgi Uzun | Guard |
Celeste Taylor | Guard |
Kalani Brown | Center |
Alyssa Thomas | Forward |
Sami Whitcomb | Guard |
Kitija Laksa | Guard |
Phoenix Mercury potential starting lineup
As it stands now — ahead of any big moves the Mercury might still have up their collective sleeve — there are two options when it comes to the team's starting lineup:
Option one: Brown, Taylor, Copper, Thomas, Sabally
Option two: Whitcomb, Taylor, Copper, Thomas, Sabally
With either option, the key objective for the Mercury will be getting the ball into Thomas' hands. If they want to, the Mercury have the opportunity to play around with their roles on the court. Thomas can run things as a point forward, and as long as the offense goes through her the Mercury will be a formidable threat.
Once the ball is in Thomas' hands, she can get it to Copper and Sabally in the wing. Sabally in particular is an excellent 3-point shooter, and this is an area where she can shine (and where Head Coach Nate Tibbets has already demonstrated he likes to focus on). Thomas, who is one of the league's best passers, could also kick it to Sabally or Copper who then pass it back to her and allow her to get lay-ups in the paint, her scoring specialty.
If Thomas and Sabally can lock into their own vibe, the two could play similarly to how Thomas and her fiancée DeWanna Bonner played at the Sun, though without the telepathic connection the latter have on the court. Thomas, Sabally, and Copper have the potential to be a truly lethal three-headed threat, it's just going to be up to them to make it happen.