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The 2026 WNBA free agency is off to a crazy start. In quite possibly the most unpredictable offseason in history, the Phoenix Mercury have their hands full. However, there are three players they have to target for them to head back to the WNBA Finals and hopefully secure the franchise’s fourth championship.
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Alanna Smith to the Mercury fills a positional need
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The reigning Defensive Player of the Year does exactly what Phoenix needs: an elite big who can be a shot blocker and game-changer on defense.
While Phoenix have had a more than respectable defense, adding Smith would do wonders for the Mercury. It would also be a major upgrade to the depth, as Natasha Mack would be the center off the bench.
Much like Smith, she’s proven to be a very capable rim protector and shot blocker. The versatility is definitely there, but the Australian forward offers a more well-rounded offensive game.
She’s a capable 3-point shooter despite making only 32% of those shots last season (the season prior, she shot nearly 40% on three attempts).
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This also fills a positional need. Someone who can space the floor, be a playmaking five, and expand the team’s versatility would automatically make them a winner.
Not to mention, after Smith had a meeting with the New York Liberty, snagging her away is a major advantage compared the other competing teams.
Azura Stevens offers more offense for the Mercury
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Although I reported earlier in the week how Azura Stevens should be on the Mercury’s radar, there is a very valid reason why. She had a breakout season, and fits the timeline with competing for a championship.
For whatever it’s worth, there’s a special motivation she has when playing against Phoenix. The first time the two teams squared off, Stevens had an elite performance, posting 23 points and 17 rebounds.
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She dominated in every facet of that game, and had eyes on her and what the Los Angeles Sparks could do. That game was only a microcosm of what the 2025 season would entail.
Most importantly, Stevens played in every game. Health is wealth in all of sports, and the Mercury had their fair share of injuries throughout the year.
Could a 44-game season happen? Probably not, but it’s a positive sign to seek out.
The stretch-five ability gives Nate Tibbetts even more of an opportunity to implement his dynamic NBA-esque offense into the WNBA. Being a playmaker at that position is equally important, and something she could grow in if the Mercury sign her.
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Breakouts typically happen before a big contract, but having the team that just made it to the WNBA Finals wanting your services is– at the very least– intriguing and difficult not to entertain.
The Mercury need to run it back with Alyssa Thomas
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This potential move is a no-brainer for Mercury fans and for the WNBA public as a whole. She nearly won the MVP, was in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, and made both the All-WNBA first team and the defensive first team.
In a season where there was an expected drop off, she actually posted her career-best season. In her lone year in the Valley of the Sun, Thomas broke all sorts of Mercury records.
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It felt as if this was the ideal team around her: defensive-minded guards and forwards who could space the floor and let her operate as the primary ball-handler and playmaker.
Fast forward to the end of the season and making the Finals wasn’t in anyone’s thoughts, except Phoenix’s. The opportunity to run it back and keep breaking records is enticing, but so is winning.
Thomas has Tibbetts’s full support and constantly sings her praises. The organization has embraced her, along with the fanbase and the entire city.
Bringing Thomas back would get the ball rolling on a solidified commitment to try and get back to the promised land yet again.
Related: Mercury’s Satou Sabally bids farewell to her time in Phoenix
Related: Satou Sabally makes decision on future with Mercury
