January 29, 2025
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Griner and Thomas shake up free agency
Munson: 'It doesn't benefit anyone to force a player who doesn't want to be there to stay'
On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, Chelsea Leite and Bella Munson of The Next sit down to discuss the latest free agency moves in the WNBA. They discuss Brittney Griner‘s decision to go to Atlanta, the Alyssa Thomas trade, and more.
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Leite and Munson open the show by discussing Griner’s groundbreaking move. “She has played for the Phoenix Mercury for 11 seasons,” Leite explains. “This is probably one of the biggest moves a WNBA free agency has ever seen … She decided she wanted to try out the waters of free agency and liked what Atlanta had to offer.”
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Later on, Leite and Munson discuss the trade requested by Jewell Loyd that transferred her out of Seattle and into Las Vegas. “When I first saw it, I was a little bit skeptical about Seattle’s return,” Munson, The Next’s Seattle Storm beat writer says, “but the more I talked ti through with people, the more I do think Seattle got the best return out of the trade. … It doesn’t benefit anyone to force a player who doesn’t want to be there to stay.”
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Leite and Munson close out the show by discussing another stunning trade, one which sent Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun to the Phoenix Mercury. “I was both very shocked and not at all,” Munson says. “It’s shocking to see any player whose been with a franchise so long move, but also she talked quite a bit about the lack of quality facilities in Connecticut.”
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Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
