1 week Ago By Reyna Stanley, Burn City Sports
PHOENIX — When the WNBA Draft tips off Monday night at the Shed in New York City, the Phoenix Mercury won’t be on the clock. In fact, they won’t be on the board at all. The Mercury enter the 2025 WNBA Draft with no selections — the result of a series of trades over the past year aimed at reshaping the franchise around a new core.
Phoenix originally held the No. 7 overall pick after finishing with one of the league’s word records in 2024. But due to a previous trade with the New York Liberty that brought Michaela Onyenwere to the Valley in 2023, the Liberty had swap rights.
New York exercised that right, claiming the No. 7 pick and handing Phoenix the No. 12 selection.
That pick didn’t stay long. On Feb. 2, the Mercury packaged the No.
12 overall pick and their second-round selection in a four-team blockbuster deal. The return was significant: All-WNBA forward Alyssa Thomas, former All-Star Satou Sabally, center Kalani Brown and Turkish guard Sevgi Uzun — a foundational group for the Mercury’s next chapter. The Mercury also moved their third-round pick last August, trading it to the Indiana Fever along with guard Sug Sutton in exchange for the right to Swedish guard Klara Lundquist.
With those deals, Phoenix made a clear statement: the rebuild is over, and the win-now window is open. The absence from Monday’s draft underscores the front office’s aggressive shift. Rather than banking on rookies, the Mercury loaded up on established talent to surround new franchise cornerstone Kahleah Copper, who was acquired from Chicago in February 2024.
For fans hoping to hear Phoenix’s name called on draft night, patience will be key. But a franchise focused on the present, the real is already being written on the hardwood. This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.
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