How do you move on from someone who has been the lifeline of your franchise for two decades? Well, that’s exactly what the Phoenix Mercury are dealing with right now as they officially step into the Diana Taurasi-less era. Yes, after finishing 19-21 last season and getting swept in the first round, and then seeing Brittney Griner leave too, the Mercury really had no choice but to hit the reset button hard. They’re doing it by going younger and faster, handing the keys to a brand new Big 3 – Satou Sabally, Kahleah Copper, and Alyssa Thomas.
It’s a fresh page, but it’s got some BIG shoes to fill.
First, let’s rewind a bit. We saw that while everyone was still catching their breath from a wild week where six different multi-time All-Stars were moved around, Sabally’s landing spot turned into one of the questions of the offseason. Then, Mercury pulled off a power move, snagging two-time WNBA All-Star Sabally from the Wings in a three-team deal involving the Indiana Fever. Along with Sabally, center Kalani Brown and guard Sevgi Uzun also packed their bags for Phoenix.
Well, Sabally didn’t leave Dallas out of the blue. Back in January, she’d already told the Wings that she loved them for making it home these past five years but it was time for something new. You know, sometimes you just need a new vibe. Especially after what she and Brown had to deal with in Dallas. Now, they are teammates again in Phoenix. Brown even said during the training camp, “We both just came out of a tough situation and we just wanted to play together. We’re really taking it one day at a time.”
At Day 2 of Phoenix Mercury training camp, Kalani Brown said she came from a “tough situation” along with Satou Sabally in Dallas. #WNBA #ValleyTogether pic.twitter.com/UQjXcuitYU
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) April 28, 2025
Tough might be putting it lightly for Brown. She came into the 2023 season on a training camp contract with Wings. But before she could even unpack her bags, she was waived. Then injuries hit the Wings like a storm, and suddenly, they were calling her back. Not once. Not twice. But on multiple hardship contracts.
Still, in 2024, she was the only bench player (started just 2 games, averaging 13.3 minutes in total) on the Wings who had actual WNBA experience. But things weren’t just bad for Brown individually. The whole Wings squad had a season to forget. Or maybe they’d prefer to erase it entirely. It all started off with a 3–3 record in May, but then june came in like a wrecking ball. Eleven straight losses.
Meanwhile, Satou Sabally, team’s star forward , was barely around. She was recovering from a shoulder injury she got while playing with the German national team over the winter. Still, in the handful of games she did play, she averaged 17.9 points and 6.4 rebounds. But even with that flash of brilliance, it wasn’t enough to save the season. The Wings finished with a brutal 9–31 record. That’s their worst since moving to Dallas and second-worst in franchise history.
So yes, for Brown and Sabally both are coming out of chaos, frustration, and more L’s than anyone. Now, they are ready to light it up in Phoenix, which is also in a rebuild.
The Mercury’s new big 3: Satou Sabally, AT, and Kah
Phoenix they cannonballed right into the rebuild pool. All-Star Kahleah Copper is pretty much the only notable returnee from last year’s squad. Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen are Gone to Connecticut in a trade that brought MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas to town.
Sophie Cunningham, the fan-favorite who lived and breathed Mercury for six seasons is Also gone. She’s in Indiana now. So what’s the plan? Well, it’s all about building around this new Big 3 — Sabally, Thomas, and Copper — and trying to kickstart a whole new era without Griner and Taurasi. Sabally will be teaming up with Thomas in the frontcourt, which sounds kind of terrifying for opponents. Thomas, after all, is basically a human Swiss Army knife. Coach Nate Tibbetts even said Thomas will be playing all five positions.
The Mercury’s preseason roster is young. We’re talking the seventh-youngest squad in the league at an average of 26.5 years old, and that’s even with 36-year-old point guard Sami Whitcomb joining from Seattle. Nine rookies, five players with under three years of experience. Still, Copper isn’t sweating it. “I’m 30 now so I’m not technically still young, but whatever,” she said. “I’m just happy that everyone’s healthy and that we have a great team and that everyone’s excited to play and to win.”
Mercury forward Satou Sabally holds her jersey with general manager Nick U’Ren along with coach Nate Tibbetts, guard Kahleah Copper and Josh Bartelstein, CEO Suns and Mercury, during a news conference at the Phoenix Mercury Practice Facility after signing as a free agent in Phoenix on Feb. 4, 2025.
First day of training camp you could feel the difference in the air. New energy, new faces. “It’s been a wild and exciting offseason, but glad to be in the gym here again today,” said Tibbetts. If you’re worried about chemistry with all these new faces, it’s expected that veterans like Whitcomb will help guide the young guns, and Thomas, Copper, and Sabally setting the tone, this team could actually click faster than people think.
So, here we are. For the first time in forever, Mercury fans are looking at a brand new chapter. It’s scary. It’s exciting. It’s a little bit of everything. But it’s also full of possibilities. Will the Mercury rise again? We can’t wait to watch it all unfold.
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