January 9, 2025
Connecticut Sun stay ‘open-minded’ entering free agency
Can Connecticut attract top talent?
As WNBA free agency approaches, the Connecticut Sun face one of the most important offseasons in franchise history. With few players under contract, there’s a sense of urgency for Connecticut’s front office and the franchise as a whole.
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“Obviously if anyone looks, we don’t have a ton of people that are on contract. Lots of free agents, probably more than what we’ve had in the past few years,” Sun general manager Morgan Tuck told The Next. “We’re looking at all the options. Looking at what’s going to make the most sense for us going forward, obviously this season, but also in the seasons to come.”
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Between Jan. 11 and 21 teams can make qualifying offers to players or “core” players. Free agents can start negotiating with teams beginning on Jan. 21, but contracts cannot be signed until Feb. 1. Notably, the Sun’s “big three” (forward Alyssa Thomas, forward/guard DeWanna Bonner and forward Brionna Jones) are among the long list of 2025 WNBA free agents.
“When you look at our team and the free agents, you have to look at — ‘Who can you get back? Who aren’t you gonna get back or think that you won’t get back?’ And then from there, you look at free agents on other teams and [try] to get a feel on what people are looking for or what they’re open to. And then you look at how they can fit … what combinations you have,” Tuck said.
Tuck also expressed the importance of trying to re-sign some of their top players.
“One thing that we definitely want to do is we still want to be a very competitive, really good team. I think you always have to look at the pieces that have helped you be really competitive and to be really good. And that’s definitely the starting point,” Tuck said. “They’re very important pieces and really, really great players, but I know we’re not the only people that feel that way, so we’ll see how it shakes out.”
There are a few free agents who might be a great fit for Connecticut. Some notable players are Atlanta Dream center Tina Charles and Los Angeles Sparks guard Crystal Dangerfield. Charles and Dangerfield are both familiar with Connecticut from playing at UConn, and joining the Sun would represent a homecoming for them.
Especially if the Sun lose Jones, they’ll need a center or forward like Charles who can work the post. Charles was drafted by the Sun back in 2010 as the No. 1 overall pick. Dangerfield is a reliable point guard that has been passed around the league since getting drafted in 2020. She hasn’t been able to find a solid home, so perhaps the Sun may be interested in her and investing in her future.
Another free agent for Connecticut to consider is New York Liberty guard/forward Kennedy Burke. Burke played for new Sun head coach Rachid Meziane during his time with French club Villeneuve d’Ascq. With free agency and the franchise’s future in mind the Sun approached their new head coach search the same way they are free agency, with an open mind.
“We didn’t really have something specific in mind, besides obviously we want to get the best possible coach. … Rachid, he knows the game on the court — that was a no-brainer — but we thought he was the best fit for our team and for our organization,” Tuck said.
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Meziane will obviously have a considerable impact on players’ decisions to sign with Connecticut or not.
“As a player, I don’t think you care that much about your front office, right? Your GMs and things like that, you care about your coaches. Those are the people that are going to have the most impact on you and your career in that sense,” Tuck said.
“So I think [Meziane] is a huge piece and someone that for any players that are unfamiliar to get to know him, to get a feel for him. But luckily a lot of players are very familiar. So I think he’s going to be probably the biggest selling point more than anything just because your coach can make or break your experience as a player.”
As the WNBA moves into the free agency period, there’s expected to be a lot of movement. The big question on the line is: Will the Connecticut Sun re-sign their big three, or be able to land top free agent talent?
