New Dawn Emerging on The Sun’s Horizon

It’s the dawn of a new day in Uncasville.

Long gone were Jasmine Thomas, Courtney Williams, Shekinna Stricklen, and Jonquel Jones, four of the starters from the Connecticut Sun 2019 Finals team.

All that remained was The Engine, Alyssa Thomas. That was until Tuesday afternoon when Alexa Phillipou of ESPN reported that Connecticut was trading Thomas to the Phoenix Mercury.

During the 2024 playoffs, Thomas told Gabby Alfveby of The Next that her team had to share their practice court with a community event.

“It’s normal at this point. I mean, Mohegan has to do better. We’re a professional team. We’re competing for playoffs. And yeah, to have to share your court with a two-year-old’s birthday party, it’s the ultimate disrespect.”

With this in mind, it didn’t come as a surprise that AT was looking elsewhere. Especially when you consider the high-class facilities donned by the Phoenix Mercury. If she was playing MASH, Thomas just upgraded from a shack to a mansion.

BREAKING: The Phoenix Mercury are acquiring Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun, sources told ESPN.

Thomas, a perennial MVP candidate, spent her entire career in CT up to this point. She was cored by the team, meaning she could only leave via tradehttps://t.co/OYtjq224Zl pic.twitter.com/PRNqZeWhKD

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 28, 2025

Hello, Goodbye

Onto the details of the trade.

Along with Thomas, Connecticut sent point guard Ty Harris. In return, Phoenix traded veteran point guard Natasha Cloud, former Sun Rebecca Allen, and the 2025 12th overall pick. Howard Megdal of The Next was first to provide the trade details.

While not finalized, multiple league sources have told @thenext.bsky.social what the expected breakdown of the Alyssa Thomas-Phoenix Mercury trade will be. Over @lockedonwbb.bsky.social I break down that deal and who it impacts the most. EMERGENCY PODCAST TIME #WNBA youtu.be/vaTTyqrPMNY

— Howard Megdal (@howardmegdal.bsky.social) 2025-01-28T21:35:46.255Z

At face value, it’s not a great return for the Sun. Not acquiring Phoenix’s 2027 first-round draft pick is a disappointment in itself. While the 2025 draft stands to be a strong one, it’s tough to say what will be available so late in the first round. At least securing the 2027 pick would have more promise of it being a fruitful pick.

Also, including Ty Harris in the deal is a head-scratcher. Harris had a great season in her first as a full-time starter. If the only reason to ship Harris off was because another point guard was incoming, that’s a sorry mistake.

As a top-five player in the league, it should be expected to receive a stronger return. But it’s also important to keep in mind that Thomas wasn’t traded while she was signed to a multi-year deal. Teams are hard-pressed to give up too big of a haul for a player who may just be a one-year rental.

We’ve seen that play out similarly, most recently with Kelsey Plum and Jewell Loyd.

Full Changing of the Guard

With Thomas departing, it’s all but certain that her fiancee, DeWanna Bonner, has also played her final game in a Connecticut Sun uniform.

Bonner is expected to return to Phoenix, where she spent the first 10 years of her career. There are no reports on this yet, but it’s the most likely scenario for the unrestricted free agent.

All-Star center Brionna Jones would have been next in line to take over as the veteran presence in the locker room. She has spent the entirety of her eight-year career thus far in Connecticut. That was until Thursday evening when it was reported that she’d be signing with the Atlanta Dream. Jones was the last member of that 2019 Finals team still hanging around.

Breaking: 3x WNBA All-Star Brionna Jones will sign with the Atlanta Dream, her agent Boris Lelchitski told ESPN

Jones spent her entire career with the Connecticut Sun where she emerged as a critical frontcourt presence. She was also the 2021 Most Improved Player + 2022 6th POY pic.twitter.com/QQmsXXmeVU

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 30, 2025

As of now, the only returning players under contract for Connecticut are Marina Mabrey, DiJonai Carrington, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa. Caitlin Bickle was signed to a training camp contract, and now Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen are on that list of contracted players.

Connecticut has always been steadfast in competing and avoiding “rebuilds.” If there was a time to rebuild, it’s now. And if that’s the case, perhaps the Sun front office would consider shopping Cloud around to see what kind of young talent it could amass for said rebuild.

Good Vibes

While a team of Mabrey, Carrington, Nelson-Ododa, Cloud, and Allen might not win as many games as Sun teams of recent years, it has the potential to be a fun team, at the least.

The combination of Mabrey and Carrington, or Naibrey, as they’re affectionately called by fans, had the good vibes through the roof. A duo of Carrington and Cloud on the perimeter would be dynamite defensively. A healthy Allen brings some length with her wingspan, and she’ll stretch the floor. Mabrey will go on a heater every now and then, with no less than five viral moments of yelling at the officials or getting into it with opponents.

Bring on the good times.

The dream scenario for Connecticut Sun fans is for newly hired head coach Rachid Meziane to coax 2019 Finals MVP Emma Meesseman back into the league. Meesseman played for Meziane with the Belgian National Team. Fans have been clamoring for Meeseeman to make her return, and this feels like the perfect storm.

A mostly unknown international player fans should keep their eyes on is Leïla Lacan. At just 20 years old and hailing from France, the 5-foot-11 guard was Connecticut’s first-round pick (10th overall) in 2024. Lacan was a member of the 2024 French Olympic team that won a silver medal. She didn’t come overseas for the 2024 season, but that could change in 2025 with Meziane at the helm, who coached in France as well. Meziane will bring that up-tempo Euro style of play that is hopefully enticing for Lacan.

Leïla Lacan with a dagger pull-up 3 to clinch Angers’ 71-66 win over Carla Leite and Tarbes — clinching the No. 8 seed in the LFB playoffs.

Lacan finished with 19 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds on 5-7 from 3! pic.twitter.com/jptbbWwrS8

— Hunter Cruse (@HunterCruse14) April 6, 2024

Not in Kansas Anymore

In the same way, Thomas upgraded from that shack to a mansion, Cloud downgraded.

She has been very vocal about the Mercury’s outstanding amenities. However, the same can’t be said for amenities in Connecticut. Many teams across the league have shown dedication to providing these athletes with top-notch resources. After receiving some criticism, the Chicago Sky announced last season that they would be opening a state-of-the-art practice facility for the 2026 season. Connecticut needs to be next.

Free agency has somewhat reflected the players’ desire for better. Players seem to be flocking to Seattle, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, all of which have brand-new facilities. These teams are sending a much-needed message to the rest of the league: Get it with it, or fall behind.

The Connecticut Sun have more than enough cap space to splurge. But with a perceived rebuild on the horizon, and sharing a community gym with private events for practice, the Sun front office has its work cut out for it.