Alyssa Thomas is hard to miss when she’s on the court.
Best known for her passing abilities as a forward, the perennial MVP candidate was on Phoenix Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren’s radar for the last two years.
The plans to bring her to the franchise came to fruition this offseason as the organization undergoes a seismic shift without center Brittney Griner and star Diana Taurasi, who announced her retirement on Tuesday.
“It’s easy to say she’s been on our radar since I took the job. She’s one of the best players in the league,” U’Ren said. “It wasn’t an easy process. These things take a long time to come together. It’s hard to put a specific amount of days on it, but it’s something we thought of for a long time and worked really hard to execute. We’re fortunate it came together when it did.”
Thomas was one of the key factors in a winning organization. In her 11 seasons with the Connecticut Sun, she helped secure eight straight playoff appearances and six consecutive trips to the semifinals.
The Sun were one win within reaching the WNBA Finals last season, but lost to the Minnesota Lynx. Thomas went to the Finals in 2019 and 2022, but never won a title.
The Mercury offers a change of scenery for Thomas, who completes a new big three with Kahleah Copper and two-time All-Star forward Satou Sabally, who came through a sign-and-trade from the Dallas Wings this offseason.
“I think that’s one of the reasons I came here. Just the history of the Mercury and how they’ve won over the years and players like Diana and BG, even (DeWanna Bonner),” Thomas said. “They’ve done great things for this organization. I don’t plan to be any different than I’ve been in my past team in Connecticut. I’m trying to win. I don’t want to drop off and continue to play at the same level and in playoffs. The goal is a championship.”
With the roster shaping up, the Mercury are excited for what’s to come with Thomas, Copper and Sabally.
Thomas holds the WNBA’s triple-double record with 15. Sabally has 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists in under 100 games played in her career. Only Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings posted more than 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists through the first 90 games of her career.
Copper was in attendance for Sabally’s introductory press conference on Feb. 4 and asked her a question. At Thomas’ conference, Sabally was on hand and asked Thomas how many triple-doubles to expect this season.
“You tell me. I just pass the ball, you put the ball in the net,” Thomas answered.
The Mercury dismantled its starting five in a blockbuster four-team trade that became official Feb. 2. The trade involved Connecticut, Indiana and Dallas.
The deal included several shakeups, sending veteran wing Sophie Cunningham to the Indiana Fever and guards Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen to the Sun. The Mercury also sent their 12th and 19th picks.
Cloud, who advocated for players to sign with the Mercury, revealed she found out she was traded through social media.
“I’m not going to get into specifics, but I’m going to say, we’re so thankful for what she did for the organization both on and off the floor,” U’Ren said.
“From choosing us in free agency last year to what she was able to bring on the floor. The nature of this business is when you can acquire a talent like Alyssa, so you have to give up something to create value,” he said. “We’re so thrilled with where we’re headed, but we’re so thankful with what Tash, Bec, and Sophie were able to give in their time.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Mercury introduce new star Alyssa Thomas, acquired in trade
