• Slug: Sports–Phoenix Mercury Changes, 1,100 words.
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By Devon Henderson
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Phoenix Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren, who joined the organization in 2023, inherited a roster of basketball legends. This offseason serves as his first chance for a full rebuild to steer the franchise in his direction – and he’s making every effort to drive this team closer to a championship.

That vision was solidified on Jan. 28, when the Mercury acquired forward Satou Sabally from the Dallas Wings and forward Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun in a four-team deal. Sabally, an unrestricted free agent, chose the Mercury over a handful of teams seeking her services before a sign-and-trade deal was executed.

Joining forces with Thomas and All-Star and U.S. Olympic gold medalist guard Kahleah Copper, Sabally completes one of the more formidable big threes in the league. As a free agent, Sabally was heavily linked with the defending champion New York Liberty, where her sister, Nyara, plays center and aided in New York’s pitch for Sabally.

However, the three championship wins adorning Phoenix’s pedigree allured Sabally to take on the responsibility that comes with such a star-studded roster.

“Something that I look for is a championship environment and an organization and people that invest in me, but also other people around me,” Sabally said Tuesday at her introductory press conference. “I want to be better every single day. I put in so much work. Obviously, New York is a great organization too, but I just felt like my heart and my gut kept telling me Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix, it’s Phoenix. I guess I just had to listen.”

A two-time WNBA All-Star and 2023 All-WNBA First Team selection, Sabally was the second overall pick by the Dallas Wings in 2020. The 6-feet-4 veteran brings a historically multi-faceted game in her ability to score and defend at every level.

Averaging 15.7 points, seven rebounds and 3.6 assists in just under 100 games played in her career, she joins basketball Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings as the only player in the history of the league to average over 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists through the first 90 games of their careers.

By adding two WNBA All-Stars known for their menagerie of abilities on the court, U’ren has shaped Phoenix’s new future with one word in mind: Versatility.

“The word that people probably are tired of hearing me saying is versatile,” U’Ren said. “I think this is a versatile team. We can play up, we can play down, we can play slow, we can play fast. We should be able to defend. We should be able to score points. So I would come back to the word versatility is something I think we’ll be able to embody.

“We’ll see a really fun brand of basketball. The switchability and the versatility. I think those three players define being able to play multiple positions. That’s certainly what we’re excited about doing.”

The arrival of Sabally and Thomas helps ease the departure of center Brittney Griner, the former No. 1 overall pick in 2013 who was a seven-time all-defensive team member, six-time All-WNBA selection, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and one-time WNBA champion in her 11 seasons in the desert. Griner left for the Atlanta Dream as a free agent.

Meanwhile, 42-year-old guard Diana Taurasi has not offered an official statement regarding her playing status for 2025, however, with Griner leaving town and Taurasi’s playing days numbered, this offseason has served as the Mercury’s fiery rebirth.

“It’s a fortunate opportunity to have come in and worked with Diana and Brittney and got to know them, and to step into an organization that they have built and shouldered,” U’Ren said. “Then the opportunity to try to take that direction into continued success on the shoulders of the work that they’ve done and the accomplishments they’ve had.”

While Sabally’s impact has been notable, only a few resumes in the league hold as much weight when standing next to Thomas. Drafted one year after Griner as the fourth overall pick in 2014, Thomas’ dominance has been on par with the departing center. Thomas boasts six all-defensive team selections, five WNBA All-Star appearances, alongside three All-WNBA selections (she’s been named to the team the last three consecutive seasons from 2022-24). During the last three seasons, Thomas has finished top five in MVP voting each year.

Her impact helped lead the Sun to six consecutive appearances in the semifinals and two WNBA Finals trips in 2019 and 2022. She’s revered as one of the league’s most respected and talented forwards. In terms of ability and resume, she’s as close to a like-for-like swap in powerful players on the low post for Griner as there may have been available for the Mercury to add.

“I probably don’t have enough time in the day to talk about that,” U’Ren said with a laugh. “Her impact on winning you’ve seen what she’s done the last few years, really her whole career. The toughness, the intelligence, the winning. She has so many intangibles that you can’t teach, can’t coach. We’re thrilled to add a player like that to our roster.”

As the magical word of versatility loomed over every offseason move of the new era in Phoenix, Thomas checked that box emphatically. She’s the WNBA all-time leader in regular season triple-doubles with 11, and in playoff triple-doubles with four. She also owns the record for the three quickest triple-doubles tallied in league history, three times completing the feat in just three quarters – the only player to record such stat lines in back-to-back games. Of the 31 total triple-doubles in league history, her 15 career outpourings account for 48.3% of all such games in league history.

The 2024 Team USA gold medalist might as well be the book’s definition of versatility.

“(Thomas) is a force,” Sabally said. “Just being able to also look up to someone like her, I’m very excited about that.”

Thomas’ pedigree along with Sabally’s growing stardom, coupled with Cooper’s All-Star presence, has reasserted Phoenix in championship contention conversations. Taurasi and Griner carried Phoenix’s spark for years and as the team moves on, the new generation has been identified to lead the rebirth from the ashes of one of the WNBA’s founding franchises.

“That fuels me,” Sabally said. “That drives me because I feel like I can’t let anyone down wearing a Phoenix Mercury jersey. That comes with pride, it comes with history and legacy, and I take that very seriously. I’ve watched (Griner) and Diana play for many years, and those are people I look up to, so it would only be a disservice to not come in here like that and have that drive.”

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