Alyssa Thomas is returning to the Phoenix Mercury after a record-breaking 2025 season in which she broke the WNBA's single-season assists record.
Alyssa Thomas is staying in Phoenix after agreeing to return to the Mercury on Friday, first reported by Andscape's Sean Hurd, a day before free agency officially opens.
Thomas came one rebound shy of averaging a triple-double in 2025. She put up 15.4 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.8 rebounds a night while shooting 53.2 percent, finishing third in MVP voting. Her 357 assists broke Caitlin Clark's single-season WNBA record of 337, set in 2024, and her 340 rebounds set a Mercury franchise record for a single season.
The playoffs were a different gear entirely — Thomas averaged 16.9 points, 9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.7 steals as Phoenix knocked off opponent after opponent to reach the WNBA Finals, where the Las Vegas Aces ended the run in four games.
It was Thomas's first season in the desert. She had spent the previous 11 years with the Connecticut Sun, never winning a championship but establishing herself as one of the most decorated two-way forwards the league has seen.
She led Connecticut to eight consecutive playoff appearances and two Finals trips in 2019 and 2022. She is a six-time All-Star, a three-time All-WNBA First Team selection, and a seven-time All-Defensive Team honoree who has led the league in both rebounds and steals.
Phoenix acquired Thomas in a four-team trade in Feb. 2025, a deal that also brought forward Satou Sabally, center Kalani Brown, and guard Sevgi Uzun to the Mercury. The move gave the franchise a Big 3 surrounding guard Kahleah Copper.
Not everyone is back. Sabally averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists last season and is now New York-bound. The three-time All-Star posted a Mercury farewell on Instagram and is reportedly finalizing a multi-year deal with the Liberty, per ESPN.
Sabally grew up in New York City and will now play alongside two-time MVP Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones, who is also closing in on a new deal with New York.
Thomas's return gives Phoenix a foundation to build around heading into 2026. The Mercury extended qualifying offers to reserved free agents Monique Akoa Makani, Natasha Mack, Kathryn Westbeld, and Kiana Williams on April 7.
Phoenix will get its first look in preseason action April 25, traveling to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a game against the Chicago Sky. Training camp opens April 19. The Mercury open the 2026 regular season May 9 in Las Vegas against the defending champion Aces — a rematch of last year's Finals.