What does Monique Billings’ expansion draft selection mean for the Phoenix Mercury?

Billings was waived by the Los Angeles Sparks prior to the start of the 2024 season and spent the first portion of the season with the Dallas Wings on a hardship contract. She then signed a seven-day contract with the Mercury on Aug. 18 and a rest-of-season contract with Phoenix on Aug. 25. In January, she will be an unrestricted free agent.

Billings played in 37 total games for Dallas and Phoenix last season, averaging 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds. In the 13 games she played with Phoenix, Billings averaged 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds.

“Monique is a relentless rebounder on both ends,” Golden State general manager Ohemaa Nyanin told reporters on Friday after the draft. “She’s a ball of energy. She’s a bright light. I actually had the opportunity to work with her when I was at USA Basketball. We went to Japan together, so I know her really well.”

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Joining the Mercury after the Olympic break, Billings helped fill the hole left by wing Rebecca Allen, who suffered a hamstring injury while playing with Australia. Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts noted that Billings added rebounding, defensive energy and a veteran presence.

“Obviously, defensive rebounding is a big thing. There’s certain nights, transition defense is another,” Tibbetts said of Billings before her Mercury debut. “With us signing Monique Billings, that’s a big reason why we were excited to get her. From her energy, athletic standpoint, her rebounding ability, those are the main things defensively, and we think that she can help us in those areas.”

Billings said she signed with the Mercury because she saw a shared need between herself and the team. She felt wanted and recognized the team’s needs that she could help satisfy.

“There’s the energy. I know that’s my superpower. That’s what I bring,” Billings told reporters after signing her rest-of-season contract. “So I feel like that is something that wasn’t necessarily here that I was able to bring. So that was a need that I saw, that I was able to fill in my role.”

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With Allen’s expected return in 2025, the loss of Billings to the Valkyries isn’t nearly as detrimental as it would otherwise be. The Mercury will lose the depth she could have provided at the four position, but with free agency and the college draft looming, the Mercury will have other opportunities to fill in the depth chart behind Allen.

Meanwhile, Billings will have another opportunity to find a more permanent home in the league. She was Golden State’s lone selection who is an unrestricted free agent. The Valkyries now have the option to designate Billings as their core player, granting them exclusive negotiation rights and offering her a one-year fully guaranteed supermax contract.

If that happens, it will cement Billings’ status as a foundational piece for the Valkyries.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to her just yet, to see if she’s excited or not, but she’s your professional vet,” Nyanin said. “She comes in, regardless of what uniform that she’s wearing, and she’s going to give you all of her energy. And I think that if there’s something that is to be said about what we’re trying to build, it’s giving people the platform to want to be in the WNBA, first and foremost, but also to win.”

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