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.
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.”
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.”
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
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.”
Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!