PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury came into the 2026 season with lofty expectations after a trip to the WNBA Finals in 2025. The return of stars Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper alongside head coach Nate Tibbetts seemed like a recipe for at least a playoff experience, even as rosters around the WNBA improved.
Instead, they finished 16-28, 12th out of 15 teams in the league.
“I think it goes without saying this season did not go the way we had wanted,” general manager Nick U’Ren said in an opening statement during Friday’s exit interviews. “It was a disappointing season. There’s no escaping that. There’s no running from that. There’s no excuses being made. Our fans deserve better, and certainly everybody in this building wants to put a better product on the floor than what we were able to do this year.”
Exactly what the Mercury do to turn things around will be a complex, delicate process as the team gauges how much it needs to do to reinsert itself into the upper echelon of a league with more parity than ever at the top.
With a high standard of winning and stars that want to win championships already in the building, it’s safe to say this offseason will be a crucial one for the Mercury franchise.
Kelsey Plum’s decision looms large
The most exciting part of Phoenix’s season happened off the court, not on it, when it acquired five-time All-Star Kelsey Plum at the trade deadline. It was a huge swing, and one that was seen as both risky and questionable: Plum was due to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and the Mercury’s odds of making the playoffs, even at that point, were slim.
In addition to becoming the sole team allowed to offer Plum a supermax contract this offseason, a benefit of the trade was to get her in the building prior to free agency so she could familiarize herself with the team and see what the organization was all about — almost like an extended pitch for her to stay long-term.
However, Plum played only five games with the Mercury and spent most of her time rehabbing a lower-leg injury. When asked if those five games showed enough evidence that a trio of Plum, Thomas and Copper would be successful next season, those present at exit interviews offered varying perspectives.
U’Ren made clear the organization remains committed to Plum, saying, “She’s an incredible human, she’s an incredible teammate, she’s an incredible player. We wanted that in our building. She’s great for us in the locker room, she’s great for us on the floor, off the floor. We certainly hope this is her home moving forward. We’re committed to doing that.”
Thomas was less definitive, almost dismissive with her answer.
“That’s not for me to decide,” she said.
Tibbetts, meanwhile, believes the three can complement one another.
“I think they all complement each other in their own way,” he said. “Obviously, it takes time to build that trust. But I really believe in those three. It’s our job to get them to play the right way in our style and [figure out,] how do we evolve offensively and defensively that fits all three of them? And then also, what are the pieces that we put around them that can be most effective?”
Copper agreed.
“I feel like it’s a great combination,” she said. “You think about this combination from the beginning of the season, being able to build chemistry and play at a very high level.”
Of course, the decision ultimately lands on Plum whether she wants to stay in Phoenix or continue her career elsewhere. She was at the practice facility Friday continuing her rehab, but she was not made available to talk to reporters. U’Ren did not give specifics about his confidence level that Plum would re-sign in the offseason.
“I’m not going to comment on likelihood percentages,” he said. “She’s got a big decision to make, and, like I said, we brought her here for a reason and we intend to keep her. We hope to keep her. She’s an incredible player. She’s earned the right to make the decision that’s best for her life, and we hope we’ve put ourselves in a position to bring her back.”
The Mercury were in a similar boat this past offseason when nearly every player in the league was a free agent. Copper and Thomas stayed in Phoenix — both signed multi-year deals — but fellow All-Star Satou Sabally decided to leave the Mercury for the New York Liberty after playing a massive role during Phoenix’s finals run.
While some were skeptical about Sabally’s fit in Phoenix to begin with, there’s no doubt that losing her — and then failing to adequately replace her — played a huge part in the team’s struggles this season, as opponents were more easily able to key in on Thomas and Copper.
The hope is that Plum could be that third threat to take some pressure off Thomas and Copper, which is Phoenix’s top priority. At the same time, the front office recognizes several ways the roster can improve, even without Plum.
“You always want more talent in the building, but there’s a bunch of different ways to build a team,” U’Ren said. “And we’ve got a long offseason ahead that could go 100 different ways. You can build with depth, you can build with top-end talent, and we’re going to keep all our options on the table. I’m excited about our flexibility moving forward. That was done intentionally, so I think we’ve got a chance to do things in a variety of different ways.”
Keeping Alyssa Thomas happy
A major takeaway from exit interviews was how candid Thomas was about her disappointment in how the season went and how badly she wants to win going forward. Thomas was drafted in 2014 and had previously made the playoffs every year since 2017. Three of those playoff runs ended with trips to the finals, including in her first season with Phoenix last year.
“For me, it’s been a long time since I haven’t been in the playoffs, so definitely an uncharted feeling for me,” Thomas said. “I haven’t felt this way in a long time, but yeah, it’s something I know everyone’s feeling. Next season will definitely be different.”
Despite the winning pedigree, the 34-year-old Thomas is still chasing that elusive title. Thomas doesn’t have forever to reach that summit, and with how far away the Mercury were from competitiveness this season, it’s natural to wonder if Phoenix is still the place she believes can get her to that level.
Just because Thomas is under contract through the 2028 season does not mean the Mercury can take their relationship with their franchise player for granted. When Thomas left Connecticut ahead of the 2025 season, the Sun had used the core designation on her, giving the team exclusive negotiating rights after she became an unrestricted free agent. Thomas could not simply sign elsewhere, but she could request permission to shop around for a trade destination if Connecticut gave the thumbs up. She ultimately did so, joining Phoenix in a sign-and-trade after 11 seasons with the Sun.
It’s difficult to completely dismiss the possibility of something similar happening if Thomas becomes dissatisfied with Phoenix’s direction. The front office must make the right moves to keep her invested in the organization’s long-term vision.
“I mean, that’s up for them to decide what their vision of this team is,” Thomas said when asked if she’s comfortable giving input on roster construction. “But yeah, clearly we did not meet the mark this year.”
When asked how much influence stars like Thomas and Copper have on his decisions, U’Ren said, “It’d be silly not to converse with them. They know the league. They know the players so well. At the same time, that’ll be my call and our front office’s call. It’s never the duty of the player, nor is it the responsibility of the player to dictate some of those things. But I think it’d be silly not to converse with them on a variety of topics.”
For Thomas, there is clearly a distinction between being happy in Phoenix and being satisfied with where the team is headed. She made clear that the former is not the issue. The latter, however, remains something the Mercury will have to address.
“Phoenix is one of the best when it comes to taking care of the players and making sure that we have everything that we could ever want and need, and yeah, I’m super comfortable here,” Thomas said. “But at the end of the day, it’s about the basketball for me. … We’re here to compete for playoffs and championships. So that’s where I need more growth.”
Surrounding pieces
The bulk of Phoenix’s work this offseason will go beyond figuring out whether Plum and Thomas will be back next season. Those are relatively binary questions: either they stay, or they don’t. The far more complicated task is figuring out who surrounds them.
That was an issue that contributed to the Mercury’s struggles this season, as none of their surrounding role players had particularly great years. Opposing teams were able to successfully use the anyone-but-Thomas-and-Copper strategy.
Many of those role players were international players that had little to no prior WNBA experience, regardless of their tenure elsewhere. The few with experience, like returners Natasha Mack and Sami Whitcomb, lost long portions of the season due to injury.
Whether the front office views this season as a year of natural growing pains or evidence that those players aren’t cut out for the team’s aspirations will soon be revealed this offseason.
Copper, Thomas, Whitcomb and Mack are the only players under contract for 2027. Everyone else is a free agent, and few have clearly guaranteed themselves a roster spot for next year.
“I’m not going to give away too much of what we’re thinking and how we want to build this team, but I think the amount of parity in the league right now, and the amount of skill in this league product’s never been better,” U’Ren said. He later added, “Everything’s on the table. I’m not going to comment too much on specific contract statuses or roster moves, partly because [there are] so many unknowns.”
There will be fewer free agents to choose from than last offseason. Especially in the frontcourt, where Phoenix has struggled to find a perfect starting center to fit alongside Thomas, it isn’t exactly clear who a potential target could be.
“I mean that would be awesome,” Tibbetts said when asked about finding bigs that could space the floor. “There’s probably three to four or five of those in our whole league [that] are starting-caliber centers, maybe somewhere else. We believe in Mack. I think she’s had a really good year. I think our front office will continue to look at all options. Obviously, size and shooting would be ideal, but we’ll see how that evolves.”
Finding size and shooting at the wing position would be valuable too, as that prototype of player has proven to be successful in maximizing the effectiveness of Thomas and Copper’s paint touches, while also being an advantage on the defensive end.
Pending free agents like Cecilia Zandalasini and Kayla Thornton of the Valkyries or the Sky’s DiJonai Carrington could be particularly good fits, but it remains to be seen which of those players will be available and who exactly the Mercury have interest in pursuing. Copper said she will be on the front lines recruiting.
“I’m going to enjoy this offseason because I’m gonna be able to work on my game … and also try to do some things for some free agents — I’m going to be right at them too.”
But even after a season in which several of Phoenix’s international additions struggled to make an immediate impact, U’Ren isn’t ready to abandon that path to finding hidden gems. With the league expanding and the pool of available talent sometimes outpaced by the number of open roster spots, the Mercury still see Europe and the broader international market as a place to find value that may not be readily available through veteran free agents or the draft.
“I think that Europe’s a market we have to continue to explore,” U’Ren said. “There’s new teams coming in the league each of the next three years, and who knows beyond that. And so, talent’s got to come from somewhere. There’s amazing talent all over the world, and so it’s an avenue we will continue to explore.
“We’ve had success with that in the past. As with every analysis of a player — whether it be college, the draft, free agency, international — you have some hits and some misses. But overall, I think we’ve done a really good job. We’ve been really pleased with the players we’ve brought over, and I think it’s something we’ll have to continue to explore.”
Added pressure
No matter who’s on the team, the Mercury will not be rebuilding. They traded their upcoming first-round draft pick, which has the seventh-best odds to become No. 1, to the Los Angeles Sparks as part of the trade for Plum.
The roster’s other young players showed flashes of reliability, but none are close to players the team would abandon its current direction to build around.
Thus, Phoenix’s 2027 turnaround will largely need to come from some kind of internal shift, whether that be setting higher standards, changing identity or implementing new strategies. It won’t be easy going from 16-28 to a championship contender with how deep the league is, but it’s something the Mercury are pushing all their chips in to try to achieve.
“When I decided to take this job, I knew what it was,” Tibbetts said. “To me, you want to be at a place where winning is important. I don’t think we’ll ever go into rebuilds here — that’s just not our mentality. This is a profession that you get judged on wins and losses, and we didn’t do our job this year.
“In professional sports there’s always change,” he later added. “You would have thought we had momentum after last year’s finals run, [but] then we got off to a slow start. So, I think there’s always change that’s happening. I think that’s the beauty and curse of professional sports. Next year will be a new story, and it’s our job to make it better than it was this year.”
Copper, who just wrapped up her third season in Phoenix, aims to become even more of a leader as the longest-tenured player on the roster. She reflected on the difference between this season and the previous one, noting what it will take to reestablish that winning culture.
“Well, one, I think we had two completely different rosters — just start there,” Copper said. “And then I think we had a lot of people in and out this year … It was just a lot of moving parts. I think in that stretch early in the season, we needed to self-correct a little bit quicker. We lost a lot of close games, so our margin of error was very slim in certain areas.”
“Moving on to next year, there’s a lot of things that I want to establish from day one as far as how we’re going to do things,” she continued. “What our culture is going to look like, how hard we’re going to play, how hard we’re going to practice. … I think our standard kind of slipped away from us a little bit, and I want us to just be a little more consistent in how we do things.”
Thomas echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that the lessons of a 16-win season should not be wasted. If the Mercury want to be successful in 2027 and beyond, it’s not necessarily a matter of chasing statistical benchmarks, but rather effort and intensity and letting the results follow.
The team will need to find the exact source of those shortcomings.
“I think a lot of people learned what it takes to get to the playoffs, let alone to the finals,” Thomas said. “You can’t just show up. It’s hard for a reason. There’s a reason why a lot of teams don’t do it on a consistent basis. But it comes with setting a standard and showing up each and every day and pushing yourself.”
“The league is just getting better and better,” she added. “I think the margin for error is becoming smaller and smaller. … I can’t remember a time when it’s come down to the last two games for all eight teams, so I just think the competition is getting better. People are pushing themselves to another limit. So yeah, I think we just got to come back better next season.”
The Mercury have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, and very little room for the answers to be wrong. It can’t be overstated how much the future of this franchise, from its players and coaches to its front office, hinges on what happens next.
