But at the same time, a team\u2019s front office can\u2019t get stuck in the past \u2014 those heroes can\u2019t play forever, meaning that a plan for success must be in place to ensure that a new legacy continues.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why this past offseason for the Phoenix Mercury<\/a> was so pivotal. Coming off of three straight losing seasons, it was time to move on from franchise cornerstones Diana Taurasi<\/a> and Brittney Griner<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think when [general manager] Nick [U\u2019Ren] got the job, obviously the roster construction was a certain way,\u201d head coach Nate Tibbetts said. \u201cThe hope was last year, to put a competitive team around DT [Diana Taurasi] in possibly her last year. I thought we did that.\u201d<\/p>\n A complete roster overhaul was in store, time to decide between swinging for the fences or playing it safe with a rebuild. U\u2019Ren and Tibbetts chose the bolder path \u2014 one that redefined what the Mercury could be, but with no guarantee that it would work out.\u00a0<\/p>\n In what ultimately became the largest trade in WNBA history<\/a>, Phoenix exchanged pieces with three other teams, with the prized return being Alyssa Thomas<\/a> and Satou Sabally<\/a>. They joined Kahleah Copper<\/a>, one of only two Mercury players returning from the 2024 season<\/a>, to form a new \u201cBig Three\u201d \u2014 Thomas, a perennial MVP candidate; Sabally, a rising star, and Copper, a proven all-around spark plug.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t the typical trade, however. Thomas and Sabally were both set to become unrestricted free agents, but received core designations from their previous teams. Although both the Connecticut Sun<\/a> and Dallas Wings<\/a> agreed to work out a trade with their respective stars, it still meant that they could ultimately choose where they wanted to go.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter what team I was going to play on, for me it\u2019s about that playoff standard,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cComing here, I didn\u2019t want to drop off and not make the playoffs. I knew we were capable of getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n Order \u2018Rare Gems\u2019 and save 30% If you enjoy Megdal\u2019s coverage of women\u2019s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love \u201cRare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.\u201d Click the link below to order<\/a> and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout to save 30%!<\/p>\n \u201cI knew it was the right bet to make,\u201d Sabally added. \u201cThe players that are here already, that I knew were going to be here, I just loved watching them play, hated playing them. But the way that they recruited me, it was nothing about making promises, it was about what they could offer and how I could embrace that, and I knew I just wanted to have the right opportunity for my career to really propel.\u201d<\/p>\n With these moves, the Mercury instantly improved on paper, but many were still skeptical of what the new-look team would actually look like on the court. Coming into the season, Phoenix was ranked just seventh out of 13 teams by ESPN<\/a>, which established an underdog mentality the team wore on its sleeve all season long.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve probably had people that have been overlooked throughout their career,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cI think as a coach and as a team, you try to buy into certain things. This is our group, and we\u2019ve been focused on us, while others have talked about other teams.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite missing key players like Copper early in the season with injury, Phoenix outperformed its preseason expectations in emphatic fashion, turning in a 27-17 regular season and a trip to the WNBA Finals \u2014 taking down last season\u2019s finalists New York Liberty<\/a> and Minnesota Lynx<\/a> on the way.<\/p>\n Thomas and Sabally instantly became fan favorites as the faces of the post-Taurasi Mercury, with Thomas arguably having the best season of her already-accomplished career<\/a>. She posted a WNBA-record eight regular season triple-doubles en route to First Team All-WNBA and All-Defensive selections.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Sabally paced the Mercury in scoring with 16.3 points per game. She was named an All-Star starter in her first season wearing purple and orange, and recorded six 20-point games during Phoenix\u2019s 11-game playoff run.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I was looking to add them too,\u201d Copper joked when asked about U\u2019Ren\u2019s vision in acquiring Thomas and Sabally. \u201cI think just wanting to go out and get experience, and then wanting to get great players. I think great players want to play with other great players. And the vision was to win now. Losing big pieces, the cornerstones of the organization, we didn\u2019t want to be in a rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n Along the way, the Mercury got some help from an old friend. Veteran forward DeWanna Bonner<\/a>, a staple of the franchise from 2009 to 2019, endured a rocky time with the Indiana Fever<\/a> at the beginning of the season, ultimately reuniting with her fianc\u00e9e Thomas and her old team after reaching an agreement to part ways with Indiana.<\/p>\n \u201cJust coming back, the love that I needed at the time \u2014 I knew I was going to get it here,\u201d Bonner said. \u201cI knew exactly what I needed and exactly what I wanted, and I knew the fans and everyone. At that point in my career, I\u2019m like, \u2018Yeah, this is what I need to continue to love the game,\u2019 and that\u2019s what I got.\u201d<\/p>\n Bonner\u2019s contributions, especially in the playoffs, proved to be vital. For a new team that lacked postseason experience, Bonner set the poised tone that guided Phoenix through multiple massive comebacks<\/a>. She came off the bench, but still averaged 26.1 minutes throughout the playoffs, hitting several clutch, late-game shots that oftentimes sent the X-Factor into a frenzy.<\/p>\n \u201cHer experience and versatility was huge for us,\u201d Tibbetts said of Bonner. \u201cNo moment is too big for her. She\u2019s seen everything. I think she got more and more comfortable as the season went on. Just her ability to speak to the team and calm the team when we needed it was important.\u201d<\/p>\n Phoenix\u2019s dramatic postseason run may not have ended the way it wanted, being swept in the Finals in four games to the Las Vegas Aces<\/a>, but just getting to that point so quickly was a major accomplishment<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Want more women\u2019s hockey content? Subscribe to The Ice Garden! The staff of The Ice Garden has paved the way for women\u2019s hockey coverage from the college ranks to international competitions. Of course, that includes in-depth coverage of the PWHL too. For a limited time, free signups at The Ice Garden can sample all the work they do. Check it out, sign up now!<\/p>\n \u201cThey did a great job together,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cI think the talent is there. Playing against a team like Vegas and their big three, just those minutes and experiences together means something, and all those games that they play together [in the] fourth quarters. Those are times that we\u2019re going to continue to grow in that area.\u201d<\/p>\n When Tibbetts was brought in, his arrival was met with curiosity, as he was a longtime NBA assistant stepping into his first role in women\u2019s basketball. U\u2019Ren\u2019s decision to hire Tibbetts was a risk in itself, one that was made over an entire year before he again took the risk of bringing in Thomas and Sabally.<\/p>\n U\u2019Ren\u2019s trust in Tibbetts, and Tibbetts\u2019 belief in U\u2019Ren\u2019s long-term plan, created an alignment that quickly filtered down to the locker room. Players could sense the shared purpose between leadership, a refreshing shift from the uncertainty that clouded previous seasons. That cohesion helped define the Mercury\u2019s new culture, one built on transparency, mutual respect and a collective hunger to win.<\/p>\n \u201cHim and I see the game, in a lot of ways, the same,\u201d Tibbetts said of U\u2019Ren. \u201cAnd he\u2019s the best guy. He just treats people with respect. He\u2019s about the right stuff. He puts our players\u00a0first. And so, I got to pinch myself sometimes, just because of the opportunity that Nick and Mat [Ishbia] and Josh [Bartelstein] gave me to come here, to take a chance, because not a lot of people thought it was a great hire.\u201d<\/p>\n In his exit interview, U\u2019Ren added, \u201cI think the goal coming into this year was to have a good year, take a step forward, and I think we were able to do that. So whether it\u2019s our own players or players across the league, I think and hope, we put ourselves in a position to want to play between the resources we have \u2026 One of the benefits of the Finals run is people got to kind of see what we\u2019re all about.\u201d<\/p>\n Even outside the organization, opponents have taken notice of what Phoenix is building; not just the talent on the floor, but the cohesion and clarity of purpose driving it. The culture U\u2019Ren and Tibbetts established has earned respect across the league, including from one of the game\u2019s most respected voices. Before Game 3 of the Finals, Aces coach Becky Hammon<\/a> praised the Mercury\u2019s revamped identity.<\/p>\n \u201cNick [U\u2019Ren] and Nate [Tibbetts] did a really good job just going out and turning over some rocks and bringing in some people that they thought could fit their system, and they were right,\u201d Aces coach Becky Hammon said.<\/p>\n That sets the Mercury up in a great spot moving forward, but once again, nothing is guaranteed. Upcoming CBA negotiations are expected to be complicated, and nearly every single WNBA player<\/a> will become a free agent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thus, the next obstacle to Phoenix\u2019s conquest becomes continuity. It\u2019s expected that the Mercury\u2019s core roster would want to remain with the team due to the success and resources provided for them, but these times are proving to be unpredictable.<\/p>\n If U\u2019Ren and the front office can secure that continuity, they\u2019d be in an advantageous position to again add. More weapons could be brought in around Thomas in an effort to finish the job that they just narrowly fell short in completing this season.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we put this team together, this is the hope, right?\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cBut you never know for sure, and we\u2019re going to keep trying like we did last offseason. I\u2019m sure [U\u2019Ren\u2019s] wheels are already turning about things that we can do to get better, and those are conversations that we\u2019ll have here in the next couple months.\u201d<\/p>\n In a season that started with uncertainty and risk, the Mercury carved out a new identity in real time. From the boardroom to the locker room, every gamble paid off with growth, trust and grit. The hardware may have eluded them this year, but the story of this new team is far from over. <\/p>\n Want even more women\u2019s sports in your inbox?<\/p>\n
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. \u201cRare Gems\u201d follows four connected generations of women\u2019s basketball pioneers, from Elvera \u201cPeps\u201d Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.<\/p>\n
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