WNBA: What comes after the Taurasi Era for the Phoenix Mercury?

What to make of the Phoenix Mercury’s 2024 season?

Although criticized (for some justifiable reasons), the organization appeared to make a smart head coaching hire in Nate Tibbetts. Their splashy offseason additions—Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud—exceeded expectations. After an early-season injury, Brittney Griner was as reliable and impactful as ever. Diana Taurasi, in what likely was her last season, was more productive than expected at age 42. Sophie Cunningham had a career-best season. The organization’s mostly unproven reserves who rounded out the roster—Natasha Mack and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan from the start; Celeste Taylor and Monique Billings as in-season signings—worked out. With the exception of Rebecca Allen’s back injury, everything seemed to go pretty well for the Mercury.

So, why did they finish under .500 (19-21) and never truly threaten as a title contender?

There was some intangible oomph missing from this team. They were too inconsistent, oftentimes due to a lack of urgency. One game, the Mercury would be firing on all cylinders, easily crossing the century mark as they ran their opponent off the floor with a flood of transition buckets and triples. But a few games later, they would struggle to reach 70 points, coming out flat, never finding a groove and seeming to forget to throw the ball to Griner.

Although Tibbetts deserves praise for the NBA-influenced tactics he imported in Phoenix, it seems the strategic upgrade was not enough to get this team where it wants to be. That the team features fiery competitors in Taurasi, Copper and Cloud makes their lack of urgency even more puzzling. While the team might have escaped the deep malaise that infected it over the prior few seasons, it appears a further cultural renovation is needed in Phoenix.

So, what positives can Phoenix build on as they look toward 2025?

What went right for Phoenix?

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KFC in PHX

The Mercury gave up a lot for Kahleah Copper, including the No. 3 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, which became Kamilla Cardoso (and could have been Rickea Jackson or Angel Reese).

Yet, Phoenix should have no regrets. Copper already had a resume—the 2021 WNBA Finals MVP and a three-time All-Star—that impressive rookies may never match. And it’s one that she further burnished in her first season in the Valley, making her fourth All-Star Game, winning a gold medal with Team USA and possibly making her first All-WNBA Team. Had her team posted a better record, Copper would have ranked higher than eighth on the final MVP ballot. She was a scoring dynamo, tallying a career-high 21.1 points per game, good for third-best in the league.

Copper’s increased weaponization of her 3-pointer, with a career-high 5.9 attempts per game, combined with her off-the-dribble speed, which contributed to her career-high 5.6 free throw attempts per game, made her an evermore dangerous offensive option. Sag off her to try to contain her quickness and she’ll cooly drain a triple. Close out hard to deter her shot and she’ll fly by you to the basket. And when she’s hot, no one is stopping her, evidenced by her nine games scoring 30 or more points.

Cloud in the Valley

Copper’s fellow North Philly hooper also found a fast home in Phoenix.

The longtime Washington Mystic quickly settled in as her new squad’s two-way floor general. On offense, Cloud ran the show, nearly matching her career best with 6.9 assists per game. On defense, she was willing to do whatever was required, from serving as a perimeter attack dog or wrestling with bigger player on the block. Her 1.4 steals per game matched her career high, while her 0.6 blocks per game was a career best. She also exceed her previous marks on the boards, grabbing 4.1 rebounds per game. All that hustle earned Cloud her third All-Defensive selection; she’s also the first Mercury guard to receive an All-Defensive honor.

And as she showed in Game 1 of the first round against the Minnesota Lynx, she also can put the ball in the basket, dropping 33 points as she almost captained the Mercury’s comeback victory.

What’s next for the Mercury?

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Was this really it?

All indications suggest that, yes, this was it for Taurasi.

While she is an all-timer who can still get buckets with the best of them, her retirement should make team building easier for the organization. As this season demonstrated, the Mercury, while talented, are not at the level required to contest for a championship. But with the Copper-Cloud tandem, along with (in all likelihood) Griner, they have a core that could cohere into a championship-caliber team. Now, instead of accommodating Taurasi’s liabilities (and outsized salary), they can acquire complementary players who also fit Tibbetts’ system.

No, the organization would never not want Taurasi to return. But, her retirement should open other possibilities for the Mercury, as their visions and fortunes have been too tightly tied to the fading legend (and her tightly-coiffed bun).

BG’s gotta be back. But who else?

Copper, Cloud, Cunningham and Allen are under contract for next season. Assuming Taurasi is done, Griner, along with Billings, are unrestricted free agents. The team has reserved rights to Mack, Herbert Harrigan, Taylor, Charisma Osborne and Amy Atwell.

Phoenix thus has a lot of optionality. They can bring back this group, cultivating continuity through a second season under Tibbetts. Or, they could opt for more ambitious changes, using their flexibility to find upgrades.

Regardless, the Mercury must bring back Griner, as long as she desires to continue her WNBA career. Since BG always has expressed appreciation for the Phoenix organization, it’d be a shocker if she chose to sign somewhere else. Even as she approaches her mid-30s, she offers unparalleled impact as a 6-foot-9 rim deterrent on defense and an increasingly versatile operator on offense. In 2024, she posted the highest field goal percentage of her career (57.9 percent). She also more successfully served as a playmaking hub, posting a career-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3). She even teased a 3-point stroke, making half of her 18 3-point attempts. The league’s better with BG in it!