Marta Suarez, who was traded on the evening of the 2026 WNBA Draft, is signing a contract to play the rest of the season with the Phoenix Mercury, the team announced on Monday, Aug. 3.
The Mercury forward’s rookie season has been interesting to say the least.
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The TCU product was selected 16th overall by the Seattle Storm during the WNBA draft in April. However, on draft night, Golden State traded its eighth overall pick, Flau’jae Johnson, to the Storm for the draft rights to Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick.
Golden State general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said the club agreed to trade picks with Seattle ahead of the draft. Still, she mostly sidestepped questions on draft night about trading Johnson and acquiring Suarez.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) receives a pass from center-forward Aliyah Boston (7) with Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) defending in the fourth quarter at Target Center on Aug. 2, 2026.
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Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) battles for a loose ball against Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center on May 12, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
(Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images)
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Phoenix Mercury forward Natasha Mack (4) blocks the shot on Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins (4) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center on May 15, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey (3) celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Sky during the first half at Wintrust Arena on May 27, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.
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Connecticut Sun forward Diamond Miller (1) defends against the Los Angeles Sparks in the second half at PeoplesBank Arena in May 30, 2026 in Hartford, Connecticut.
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Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) looks for a reboudn with Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) and guard Rhyne Howard (10) in the fourth quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park on June 2, 2026 in College Park, Georgia.
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Los Angeles Sparks guard Chance Gray (2) is fouled by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) as she drives to the basket during the second half at Crypto.com Arena on June 2, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images)
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Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever center-forward Aliyah Boston (7) in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 4, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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“I’m going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response. I don’t have a lot of details to share.” Nyanin said at the time. “One, because I’m exhausted. Two, because I want to be very thoughtful when I’m talking about other humans and their basketball abilities and how they would or would not show up for our squad.”
On May 2, the Golden State Valkyries waived Suarez. The Mercury signed her to a developmental contract on May 6. She spent more than a month with the organization before being released on July 9. Suarez has signed three seven-day contracts with the organization since, the last of which expired on Aug. 2.
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Suarez has played in 11 games for the Mercury, averaging 4.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.5 minutes of play per contest.Suarez started her college career at Tennessee before transferring to Cal and then TCU. The Horned Frogs reached the Elite Eight last season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Phoenix Mercury sign rookie forward Marta Suarez for rest of season
