The Phoenix Mercury could look a lot different next season, with two of their longtime stars no longer on the sideline. Brittney Griner is testing the WNBA free agency market for the first time in her career (she re-signed with Mercury on a one-year deal in 2024).
Griner's agent said the star began meeting with opposing teams on Tuesday in Miami, where she's playing in the new Unrivaled League. The unrestricted free agent said part of her reasoning for playing in Unrivaled is that she wanted to "show off her skills" for free agency.
She could re-sign a deal to stay in Phoenix, at least through the 2025 season. If that happens, Griner could be without one of her co-stars, as Diana Taurasi's future is up in the air. Taurasi said after the Mercury's season ended in the playoffs that she doesn't "take retirement lightly." She said that if she announces her retirement, it'll be because she means it.
It's the end of January, and free agency is underway. However, players can't officially sign deals until Feb. 1. Phoenix could use this period to start to build the roster around Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud, especially if the front office knows Taurasi won't return. According to Jeff Metcalfe of Sports360AZ, Taurasi is expected to retire.
Diana Taurasi 'expected' to retire after 20 years with Mercury
Taurasi already had an emotional farewell moment at Footprint Center when she returned to the floor in the fourth quarter of Sept. 19's game against the Storm to a standing ovation. Fans chanted "one more year" in hopes it wouldn't be a goodbye, but it seemed that was the end of her road in Phoenix.
If Metcalfe's report is true, Taurasi will go down in history as one of the best WNBA players of all time. The three-time champion is the league's all-time scoring leader, a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, the 2009 WNBA MVP, a ten-time All-Star, and made the All-WNBA Team 14 times. Taurasi helped change the game.
There hasn't been an official announcement about Taurasi's future, but one could be coming soon. Or, she could surprise us all and return for her 21st season. You can't put anything past Diana.