The Phoenix Mercury’s descent from WNBA Finals runner-up in 2025 to an eliminated team in 2026 was best characterized by general manager Nick U’Ren at the team’s exit day on Sept. 25.
“There were times where it felt like death by a thousand paper cuts,” U’Ren said. “But at the same time, we can’t let circumstances dictate our outcomes. We’re not here to make excuses; we’re here to be better.”
The Mercury finished the season with a 16-28 record and had the league’s fifth-worst defense and fifth-worst offense.
However, the team’s stars set career bests. Alyssa Thomas set a new WNBA single-season assists record of 358, passing her own 2025 record (357). Kahleah Copper averaged a career-high 21.5 points in her 11th season.
One of the biggest questions
heading into the offseason is: will the Mercury be able to retain Thomas, Copper and Kelsey Plum on the same roster? Or will Plum go elsewhere?
The Mercury had a five-game sample size with Plum after the trade deadline before she went down with a lower left-leg injury.
In that stretch, she played with a minutes restriction due to prior injuries, but showed flashes of the elite scorer the Mercury wanted.
U’Ren didn’t offer much as to whether Plum will return in free agency.
“I’m not going to comment on likelihood or percentages; she’s got a big decision to make and we brought her here for a reason,” U’Ren said. “We intend to keep her, and we hope to keep her. She’s an incredible player, and she’s earned the right to make the decision that’s best for her life, and we hope we’ve put ourselves in a position to bring her back.”
Copper and Thomas will collectively carry a $2.46 million cap hit, and the Mercury currently have $3,262,800 available for next year’s roster. Plum will likely earn upwards of $1 million next season.
“She’s an All-Star, she’s an amazing person and an amazing player,” Copper said. “Just being able to have another leader, another champion in this gym competing and being able to lead those players. I just think what she has done in her resume speaks for itself, and it complements what’s already here. It would be an amazing addition.”
If Plum doesn’t return, U’Ren stated that he’s prepared for a multitude of scenarios to better the team.
With Copper headed to Unrivaled for the third consecutive season, he’ll have one of his best recruiters around some of the top free agents.
"I’m going to enjoy this off-season because it’s the time where I really get to work on the things that I want to work,” Copper said. “I’m going to sharpen the things that I can already do, but I didn’t shoot the 3 very well this year for whatever reason, but my free-throw rate went up and finishing at the rim got better.”
Copper added she will “try to do some things for some free agents.”
“I'm going to be right at them too. I got a big offseason,” she said.
The Mercury could also float the idea of offloading one of their contracts through a trade.
Guard Sami Whitcomb and center Natasha Mack are the other two players under contract for next season.
Mack played a sizable role for the Mercury’s defense and would benefit from another power forward in the post.
Mack dealt with a foot injury during the season, and DeWanna Bonner had to play out of position in Mack’s absence. The defense also slipped without Mack at full strength as the Mercury didn’t have another shot-blocker.
Mack had her best offensive season yet with the Mercury, averaging 8.9 points in her third season in Phoenix. She managed 48 blocks, four shy of tying her career mark in 2025.
U’Ren agreed that getting bigger will help address the defensive gaps from 2026.
“We’ve struggled defensively this year, and we got to get better; some of that comes with raw size,” U’Ren said. “But you got to find pieces that fit, and we’re not just going to bring in players because of their measurements, but we got to get bigger across the board and better defensively across the board.”
Thomas and Copper were in an unfamiliar position with the season’s early finish, especially as Thomas’ nine-season postseason streak was snapped.
Thomas was blunt while fielding questions about the team’s future at exit day, deferring to the front office and coaching staff when asked if she had provided feedback on how to improve the defense.
“I’m not the coach, so that’s for them to make those decisions,” Thomas said.
A big moment as WNBA wraps up season 30
Change is coming once again for the WNBA.
Players made historic gains ahead of the 2026 season, securing significant pay bumps and avoiding losing games to a lockout.
The league will see a major leadership change in 2027 when a replacement is named for outgoing commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Even though the 2026 season dealt with outside drama on social media that tried to detract from the WNBA’s milestone season, interest has continued to grow.
The 2026 WNBA Playoffs will feature some of the toughest matchups the league has seen.
The first round will feature a 2024 Finals rematch between No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx and No. 8 seed New York Liberty, along with A’ja Wilson and the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces facing Caitlin Clark and the No. 6 Indiana Fever.
Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings had one of the best turnarounds in one season, going from the top lottery pick to the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
“The parity in this league and the amount of skill in this league, the product has never been better,” U’Ren said. “For WNBA fans, it’s really exciting. There are more teams coming into the league, so there will be more talent spread around. I’ve never seen a year where the field is as wide open in an exciting way as this year’s playoffs.”
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Where will the Mercury go after disappointing 2026 season?
