Brittney Griner out, Alyssa Thomas in — what does it mean for the Phoenix Mercury?

Just a day later, on Tuesday, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported that the Phoenix Mercury were finalizing a trade with the Connecticut Sun to bring superstar forward Alyssa Thomas to the Valley.

Hours later, Philippou and Shams Charania reported that star center Brittney Griner, who had previously announced her plans to explore the free agency market for the first time in her career, would sign a contract with the Atlanta Dream once she is able to, on Feb. 1.

The two stunning moves resulted in the departures of franchise icon Griner as well as guard Natasha Cloud and wing Rebecca Allen, who both only spent one year in Phoenix before being packaged in the Thomas trade.

In order to secure Thomas, the Mercury also parted ways with the No. 12 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Meanwhile, the Sun sent guard Tyasha Harris down to the desert alongside Thomas.

Without Griner, the 2025 Phoenix Mercury will look much different than they have in the last decade. The No. 1 overall pick from 2013 was consistently among the league’s top players in her 11-year career, earning seven All-Defensive Team nods, including two Defensive Player of the Year wins, six All-WNBA designations, and a WNBA championship with the Mercury in 2014.

Last season, Griner averaged 17.8 points on a career-best and league-leading 57.9% field-goal percentage. She also led the Mercury with 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. She competed in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game as a member of Team USA before traveling to Paris for her third Olympic Games. 

Griner’s departure could be an indication of an even more devastating move on the horizon in terms of the franchise’s marketability: the retirement of Diana Taurasi.

Whether Taurasi decides to return for her 21st season or not, the assets Phoenix picked up from Connecticut are more than enough to fill any gaps in production her departure may leave.

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The addition of Thomas is the headlining move for Phoenix. She’s maintained a place in MVP conversations the last three seasons, and even though the award has eluded her to date, she still has three All-WNBA and six All-Defense designations to her name.

In 2024, Thomas notched career-high-tying marks in field-goal percentage and assists per game at 50.9% and 7.9 assists per game, respectively. Thomas finished second in the league in average assists and first among forwards. She also contributed 10.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, the ninth-most in the league.

Thomas’ addition fixes one of Phoenix’s most glaring issues from last season, inconsistent frontcourt play. Allen, guard Sophie Cunningham and forward Monique Billings all took turns trying to prove they were the answer at the four, but ultimately, none of head coach Nate Tibbetts’ various starting lineup combinations worked out long-term.

With Thomas coming in, Cunningham is free to move back to her natural position outside the perimeter. The move also maintains the versatility that Phoenix touted for much of last season. Cunningham is still capable of playing spots one through four on the floor. Wing Kahleah Copper can be a matchup nightmare for undersized guards or forwards with limited mobility, and Thomas plays with the brute of a big who’s not afraid to bang down low and the basketball IQ of an elite point guard with limitless court vision.

The one category in which Thomas doesn’t quite mesh with Tibbetts’ offensive philosophy is efficiency beyond the arc. In 2024, she took just four 3-pointers and missed all of them. After 11 years in the league, she’s only made two shots from deep, and her career 3-point percentage sits at a measly 9.5%. 

Harris was an underrated get for the Mercury in the trade. She helps them maintain some consistency in the backcourt by being a traditional pass-first point guard to replace Cloud. Last season, the five-year veteran started 38 games for the Sun and finished 2024 averaging 10.5 points and 3.0 assists per game. It was her first year as a consistent starter in the league.

The additions of Thomas and Harris are more than enough to fill the holes left by Cloud and Allen. Cloud, the Mercury’s leader in minutes struggled at times to find her offensive groove. Even though she finished 2024 with the second-highest assists per game mark of her career (6.9), it came at the expense of ball security; she averaged a career-worst 3.0 turnovers per game.

As for Allen, she never had a chance to prove what benefit she could provide the Mercury due to a mix of injury troubles. It started with a concussion in the earlier part of the season. Then, she was ruled out post-Olympic break after suffering a hamstring injury in an exhibition game with the Australian National Team. On Sept. 21, the team announced Allen had undergone back surgery and would miss the full postseason.

In just 18 games played, Allen contributed 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game. Percentage-wise, she was the team’s second most efficient 3-point shooter, attempting 3.9 a game and making them at a 35.7% clip.

WNBA free agency is far from over, and now with Cloud on the move, the Mercury have freed up ample cap space to go after another big name this cycle. Many are wondering if wing DeWanna Bonner will make a return to the Valley, a team she spent 10 seasons with, alongside Thomas, her fianceé. Philippou also reported Tuesday that forward Satou Sabally is slated to meet with the Mercury, which would be another splash signing for General Manager Nick U’Ren and staff.

Once again, the Mercury are proving they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty and make bold moves during the offseason. Last year’s addition of Copper worked out well for all parties, as she became the team’s leading scorer and an All-WNBA player for the first time in her career. Time will tell if this year’s additions are the perfect catalyst to get Phoenix back to the WNBA Finals.

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Editor’s note (Jan. 30, 2:40 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this story misstated some of Tyasha Harris’ 2024 stats. She averaged 3.0 assists per game, not 3.0 steals per game.