Two days, two blockbuster trades.
The Connecticut Sun traded All-WNBA forward Alyssa Thomas to the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, according to a tweet from ESPN women's basketball reporter Alexa Philippou. Thomas, a 5-time All-Star and 6-time All-Defensive Team selection, has spent the entirety of her 11-year career with the Sun after starring for the Maryland Terrapins. The accomplished forward will join former Chicago Sky guard Kahleah Copper, who broke out into one of the league's top scorers after spending seven seasons with Chicago. Center Brittney Griner and guard Diana Taurasi, two career-long members of the Mercury, are listed as unrestricted free agents for the 3-time WNBA champions.
Should the Sun choose to enter rebuild mode, the Sky may be in a better position to get another spot in the draft lottery and add to an already-expanding young core.
Chicago holds the rights to swap 2026 first-round selections with the Sun. They can swap the 2026 first-rounder they acquired from the trade that sent Copper to Phoenix. Chicago already holds the No. 3 and No. 10 picks in a 2025 WNBA draft that includes plenty of talented guards, including the Notre Dame duo of Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron.
The 2026 draft will feature a few more college stars to look out for, including LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, giving the Sky some added options should they choose to keep the potentially-high-level pick that year. Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon, an All-Big Ten selection for the Buckeyes, could be someone for the Sky to look out for whether the Sun choose to officially hit the reset button or quickly add extra talent before the start of the 2025 WNBA season.
The Sky may have indirectly benefitted from a 3-team trade that sent guard Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks. Should the Storm choose to go in another direction at No. 2, Chicago could be in the running to add Miles to their foundation of the future. Miles, a talented all-around guard for the Fighting Irish, could be what the Sky need to answer at least a few of their most glaring questions of the future. Even if the Storm select Miles to learn from guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, Citron could be a solid addition on defense and as a shooter.
Either way, the Sky will have options going into these next few drafts. Should things work in their favor, they will be a few steps closer to assembling their roster of the future and fighting their way back into playoff contention.