PHOENIX \u2013 One year removed from facing the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals, the Phoenix Mercury missed the playoffs in 2026.<\/p>\n
That stark contrast was easy for general manager Nick U\u2019ren to critique.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s disappointing, a disappointing season,\u201d U\u2019Ren said. \u201cThere\u2019s no escaping that. There\u2019s no running from that. There\u2019s no excuses being made. The fans deserve better and certainly everybody in this building wants to put a better product on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mercury finished the season 16-28, and while there were some bright spots in player development and Alyssa Thomas breaking the league\u2019s single-season assist record (now 358) for the second year in a row, the team\u2019s performance created several questions heading into the offseason.<\/p>\n
Chief among those is this: Will the Mercury be able to re-sign free agent guard Kelsey Plum?<\/p>\n
That was the question on everybody\u2019s mind at the Mercury\u2019s end-of-season exit interviews at the Mountain America Performance Center on Sept. 25, but U\u2019ren and coach Nate Tibbetts remained tight-lipped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to comment on likelihood percentages,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cShe\u2019s got a big decision to make and we brought her here for a reason. We intend to keep her. We hope to keep her. She\u2019s an incredible player. She\u2019s earned the right to make the decision that\u2019s best for her life and we hope we put ourselves in a position to bring her back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many WNBA fans were shocked when the Mercury traded guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder for Plum right before the trade deadline. Plum was already dealing with a lower-leg injury that had sidelined her for the WNBA All-Star Game, and at the time, reports suggested she was looking to test free agency.<\/p>\n
Plum played only five games before the leg injury forced her to sit out the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no question she wanted to be out there as much as we wanted her out there,\u201d U\u2019ren said. \u201cWe wished she were out there more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mercury traded away a potential top-eight pick so they cannot rely on the draft to boost their roster, but insiders such as The Athletic\u2019s Sabreena Merchant said a rebuild isn’t the team\u2019s next move.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey believe that this season was a bit of a blip,\u201d Merchant said. \u201cThey have enough talent, if they add one more piece, to be a contender next year. I think the goal is to re-sign Plum, even if that means they\u2019re going to have (Kahleah Copper), (Thomas), (Sami Whitcomb), who are all pretty old.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phoenix is one of the oldest teams in the league with an average age of 29.2. Signing Plum, 32,\u00a0 won\u2019t make the team younger, and Plum can\u2019t be the only signing the Mercury are banking on. Copper, Thomas, Whitcomb and Natasha Mack are the only players under contract for 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf any team were to make a massive offseason shake-up, I would be wholly unsurprised if it was Phoenix,\u201d Merchant said. \u201cJust because Phoenix does a lot of big things. But also, I tend to believe that they brought in Plum because they think that she is going to be part of the core, and that core includes Kah and AT.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting Plum may not be the be-all, end-all, however, for the Mercury front office. The returning players are getting involved in the recruiting of free agents this offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m gonna enjoy this offseason because I\u2019m gonna be able to work on my game,\u201d Copper said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll be able to also try and do some things with some free agents, so I\u2019mma be right at them, too, so I gotta big offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n
One area the Mercury may be looking to improve is the frontcourt, with Mack being the only true big returning to the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phoenix could look to pitch a return to forwards Valeriane Ayayi and Marta Suarez in the hopes that they continue to develop, or they might try to make a big splash like Merchant said and go for unrestricted free agents Temi Fagbenle, Stephanie Dolson or Awak Kuier.<\/p>\n
While that trio may not bring a scoring boost to the team, they could help with the Mercury\u2019s paint presence, as Fagbenle and Kuier are 6 feet 4, while Dolson is 6 feet 5. The lure of a larger frontcourt presence is something that is not lost on Tibbetts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would be awesome,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cThere\u2019s probably three to four or five of those in our whole league, and those are starting-caliber centers, maybe somewhere else. We believe in Mack. I think she\u2019s had a really good year. I think our front office will continue to look at all options. Obviously, size and shooting would be ideal, but we\u2019ll see how that evolves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whatever the Mercury do plan on, they believe they need to start now. The team isn\u2019t getting any younger, and missing the playoffs does not bode well for team morale.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since I haven\u2019t been in the playoffs so definitely an uncharted feeling for me,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI haven\u2019t felt this way in a long time. It\u2019s something I don\u2019t ever want to feel again. Next season will definitely be different.\u201d<\/p>\n
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2026\/09\/28\/phoenix-mercury-look-to-free-agency-after-missing-playoffs\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org”>Cronkite News<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/favicon1.png?resize=85%2C85&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPlum job: Phoenix Mercury look to free agency after missing playoffs<\/p>\n
Myles Aaron Dunson, Cronkite News
\nSeptember 28, 2026<\/p>\n
PHOENIX \u2013 One year removed from facing the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals, the Phoenix Mercury missed the playoffs in 2026.<\/p>\n
That stark contrast was easy for general manager Nick U\u2019ren to critique.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s disappointing, a disappointing season,\u201d U\u2019Ren said. \u201cThere\u2019s no escaping that. There\u2019s no running from that. There\u2019s no excuses being made. The fans deserve better and certainly everybody in this building wants to put a better product on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mercury finished the season 16-28, and while there were some bright spots in player development and Alyssa Thomas breaking the league\u2019s single-season assist record (now 358) for the second year in a row, the team\u2019s performance created several questions heading into the offseason.<\/p>\n
Chief among those is this: Will the Mercury be able to re-sign free agent guard Kelsey Plum?<\/p>\n
That was the question on everybody\u2019s mind at the Mercury\u2019s end-of-season exit interviews at the Mountain America Performance Center on Sept. 25, but U\u2019ren and coach Nate Tibbetts remained tight-lipped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to comment on likelihood percentages,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cShe\u2019s got a big decision to make and we brought her here for a reason. We intend to keep her. We hope to keep her. She\u2019s an incredible player. She\u2019s earned the right to make the decision that\u2019s best for her life and we hope we put ourselves in a position to bring her back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many WNBA fans were shocked when the Mercury traded guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder for Plum right before the trade deadline. Plum was already dealing with a lower-leg injury that had sidelined her for the WNBA All-Star Game, and at the time, reports suggested she was looking to test free agency.<\/p>\n
Plum played only five games before the leg injury forced her to sit out the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no question she wanted to be out there as much as we wanted her out there,\u201d U\u2019ren said. \u201cWe wished she were out there more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mercury traded away a potential top-eight pick so they cannot rely on the draft to boost their roster, but insiders such as The Athletic\u2019s Sabreena Merchant said a rebuild isn’t the team\u2019s next move.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey believe that this season was a bit of a blip,\u201d Merchant said. \u201cThey have enough talent, if they add one more piece, to be a contender next year. I think the goal is to re-sign Plum, even if that means they\u2019re going to have (Kahleah Copper), (Thomas), (Sami Whitcomb), who are all pretty old.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phoenix is one of the oldest teams in the league with an average age of 29.2. Signing Plum, 32,\u00a0 won\u2019t make the team younger, and Plum can\u2019t be the only signing the Mercury are banking on. Copper, Thomas, Whitcomb and Natasha Mack are the only players under contract for 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf any team were to make a massive offseason shake-up, I would be wholly unsurprised if it was Phoenix,\u201d Merchant said. \u201cJust because Phoenix does a lot of big things. But also, I tend to believe that they brought in Plum because they think that she is going to be part of the core, and that core includes Kah and AT.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting Plum may not be the be-all, end-all, however, for the Mercury front office. The returning players are getting involved in the recruiting of free agents this offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m gonna enjoy this offseason because I\u2019m gonna be able to work on my game,\u201d Copper said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll be able to also try and do some things with some free agents, so I\u2019mma be right at them, too, so I gotta big offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n
One area the Mercury may be looking to improve is the frontcourt, with Mack being the only true big returning to the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phoenix could look to pitch a return to forwards Valeriane Ayayi and Marta Suarez in the hopes that they continue to develop, or they might try to make a big splash like Merchant said and go for unrestricted free agents Temi Fagbenle, Stephanie Dolson or Awak Kuier.<\/p>\n
While that trio may not bring a scoring boost to the team, they could help with the Mercury\u2019s paint presence, as Fagbenle and Kuier are 6 feet 4, while Dolson is 6 feet 5. The lure of a larger frontcourt presence is something that is not lost on Tibbetts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would be awesome,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cThere\u2019s probably three to four or five of those in our whole league, and those are starting-caliber centers, maybe somewhere else. We believe in Mack. I think she\u2019s had a really good year. I think our front office will continue to look at all options. Obviously, size and shooting would be ideal, but we\u2019ll see how that evolves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whatever the Mercury do plan on, they believe they need to start now. The team isn\u2019t getting any younger, and missing the playoffs does not bode well for team morale.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since I haven\u2019t been in the playoffs so definitely an uncharted feeling for me,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI haven\u2019t felt this way in a long time. It\u2019s something I don\u2019t ever want to feel again. Next season will definitely be different.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.<\/p>\n
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