The Phoenix Mercury achieved their main objective following a big offseason, punching a ticket to the WNBA playoffs with the Atlanta Dream’s Friday night win over the Dallas Wings.

The Mercury sit just behind the Dream with the fourth-best record in the WNBA and are on track to secure a top-four seed.

2. Las Vegas Aces, 26-14 (5 GB)

3. Atlanta Dream, 25-14 (5.5 GB)

4. Phoenix Mercury, 24-14 (6 GB)

5. New York Liberty, 24-15 (6.5 GB)

6. Indiana Fever, 20-18 (10 GB)

7. Seattle Storm, 21-19 (10 GB)

8. Golden State Valkyries, 19-18 (10.5 GB)

9. Los Angeles Sparks, 17-19 (12 GB)

10. Washington Mystics, 16-23 (14.5 GB)

The Mercury bid adieu to a pair of franchise legends over the winter. Three-time WNBA champion Diana Taurasi retired, while nine-time All-Star Brittney Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream.

As much as those two meant to the organization, getting a fresh start wasn’t necessarily a bad thing after three straight losing seasons.

Taurasi and Griner’s exits also opened a pathway for Phoenix to acquire Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.

Thomas is having her best year, surpassing 2023 when she was the MVP runner-up. She’s averaging 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.7 steals. She’s also shooting a career-high 54.1 percent from the field.

Sabally, meanwhile, is the team’s leading scorer with 16.7 points per game and earned her third All-Star nod.

Thanks to their contributions, Phoenix remained comfortably over .500 with Kahleah Copper recovering from knee surgery and unable to make her season debut until mid-June.

Another benefit of the post-Taurasi and Griner era is that head coach Nate Tibbetts could open up the offense a bit more. The attack was no longer centered around a traditional big with limited range and an aging legend who was no longer an efficient shooter.

The Mercury are seventh in both offensive rating (103.7), per WNBA.com, and three-point percentage (33.5). They were eighth in those two categories in 2024.

When it comes to the WNBA championship race, the overarching problem for Phoenix is the same as it is with every team that isn’t the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty.

Minnesota and New York were the two finalists last year, and they look like the two strongest contenders once again.

Lynx star Napheesa Collier is a strong bet to win MVP, and head coach Cheryl Reeve has the deepest squad in the league. The Liberty, meanwhile, can roll out a lineup that features Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, Natasha Cloud and Emma Meesseman.

Should the Mercury get matched up against either of those two teams, they’d be at a clear disadvantage.

Even if Phoenix’s playoff run ultimately ends in a semifinal exit, the organization has laid a solid foundation ahead of the free-agency bonanza that’s going to unfold in a few months.