WNBA star traded to Phoenix Mercury in blockbuster trade

MEDLEY, FLORIDA — Alyssa Thomas, the Connecticut Sun’s franchise player for much of the past decade, is headed to Phoenix in a blockbuster trade first reported by ESPN’s Alexa Phillipou on Tuesday afternoon. The Sun will receive Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen, and the 2025 No. 12 overall pick from the Mercury, and also send Ty Harris to Phoenix, The Next’s Howard Megdal reported.

Thomas was cored by the franchise earlier this month, meaning that her only way out of Connecticut was via a sign-and-trade that she had to approve. The move won’t be official until Feb. 1, and who the Sun will acquire in the trade has yet to be disclosed.

Less than an hour before the trade was officially reported, Thomas was working out at the Unrivaled practice facility, which a conglomerate of reporters was touring. Thomas hurt her knee on Friday’s Unrivaled game, but her head coach, Andrew Wade, said on Monday night that she was progressing well and was expected to return to game action soon.

Thomas’s departure from Connecticut doesn’t come as a huge shock given that she had been vocal about the Sun’s lack of facilities in recent months, specifically calling out ownership for having her team share the practice court with a toddler’s birthday party amid the WNBA playoffs. In Phoenix, Thomas will have access to some of the WNBA’s premier facilities, as owner Mat Ishbia unveiled a brand-new 58,000-square-foot, $100 million facility in July.

Whether Thomas’s fiance, fellow Connecticut Sun star DeWanna Bonner, will end up in Phoenix as well remains to be seen. Bonner, a six-time All-Star, is also an unrestricted free agent who previously played 10 seasons in Phoenix, and won two championships with the organization. And, with Thomas on the move, and the Sun having recently hired a new head coach in Rachid Meziane, it appears that the Sun could be headed toward a rebuild.

Last month, Sun general manager Morgan Tuck told SB Nation that she expected the offseason to bring about change, but that the franchise’s goals are to remain competitive.

“It’s hard to go into it expecting that you’re going to be the exact same, right?” Tuck said. “We’ve had a lot of change within the last couple of months, and more change to come, obviously. But, we’re a Connecticut team, and Connecticut is known for having really competitive teams and really good teams — so I don’t think we can shy away from that and the expectations around how good we need to be. But it takes time — and you have to have change, and get things set up.

Thomas is one of the league’s top defenders and most complete all-around players. The league’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, she averaged 10.6 points, 7.9 assists, and 8.4 rebounds last year with the Sun. She was named First Team All-WNBA in each of the last two seasons, and finished in the in the top five for MVP voting in each of the past three seasons.

Thomas’s play style as a 6’ 2 forward is unique; she doesn’t shoot three-pointers, which has been a key point of emphasis in first-year head coach Nate Tibbetts’ offense. But, she’s an excellent facilitator who has a knack for finding shooters out on the perimeter. So far in the early weeks of Unrivaled, Thomas has continued to show an ability to elevate her teammates. She also continues to demonstrate how she can anchor defenses.

Last year, the Mercury amassed a 19-21 record and were swept by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the playoffs. But, how similar the Mercury will look next year remains to be seen; Brittney Griner is exploring free agency for the first time in her career, and Diana Taurasi could still potentially be eyeing retirement, though nothing has been officially announced. Kahleah Copper, Natasha Cloud, and Sophie Cunningham headline the list of returning players. Both Copper and Cloud are currently playing in Unrivaled along with Thomas.