To build up, I will be going in reverse order from the standings a season ago. That brings us to the most talked about team from the offseason. Going into last season the New York Liberty were one of the up-and-coming franchises. They made overtures in free agency to some of the top names before landing on a solid team. With some future maybes and a solid core, 2022 was all about improvement. 2023, however, brings title favorite vibes. 

2022 Recap

For a franchise that is not far removed from the absolute bottom of the league, this season was a ton of fun in New York. Despite former All-Star Betnijah Laney being limited to just nine games, New York found success. Under new coach Sandy Brondello the team made it back to the postseason. They even took a game off the defending champion Chicago Sky. 

Even better, the progress was across the roster. Yes, Laney and Sabrina Ionescu had a magnetic connection.

Ionescu, for her part, was exceptional beyond any certain pairing. Her stats jump off the page: 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 41/33/93 shooting splits. She was the only player in the top 15 of all three major categories and the only one in the top three of two. Sabrina is absolutely the “face of the franchise” level talent that was advertised coming out of college.

The excitement went beyond Ionsecu, though. Han Xu and Marine Johannes returned to the league for their second seasons, both last playing in 2019. Xu was a physical force off the bench. Johannes provided passing wizardry that lit Twitter on fire.  Natasha Howard made her second All-Star appearance and showed what this roster could do with killed size. Stef Dolson provided a varied skillset for a big off the bench and is the dream complementary piece. 

Clearly, the table was set for the next step. Despite a step back for Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere, the vision in New York was clear. They just needed to add the right pieces to take the next step. About that…

Offseason Overview

Out: Rebecca Allen, Crystal Dangerfield, Natasha Howard, Sami Whitcomb, Michaela Onyenwere

In: Kayla Thornton, Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Epiphany Prince, Courtney Vandersloot, Sika Kone, Nyara Sabally

2023 Draft: #30

Usually, I have written an additional section before the offseason moves, but there is too much here to go into. This is a totally different team. So before getting into the three new faces of the franchise, let’s look at the periphery first. 

Natasha Howard is the biggest loss from last season, albeit understandable. To bring in three max contract-level players, something had to give. Howard was an All-Star last season and should be a boon for her new team in Texas. Bec Allen and Sami Whitcomb came into the season as sharpshooters and left dropping around seven percentage points on their previous season’s averages. 

Crystal Dangerfield was a fun reclamation project a season ago, but she was no longer the player who won Rookie of the Year in the bubble. Michaela Onyenwere, who won Rookie of the Year in here own right, took a slight step back and was more of a casualty of cap space in all the movement than anything else. 

Beyond the standout additions, Kayla Thornton should standout more. She already showed that she can be an elite defensive stalwart when surrounded by less-than-stellar talent on that end. Now, with All-Defensive-level teammates, she is going to be a terror. Also, keep an eye on Sika Kone and Nyara Sabally coming in on rookie contracts. Along with DiDi Richards and the aforementioned Ionescu, Xu, and Johannes, there is plenty of inspiring young talent on a star-laden team. 

Stew York

It makes sense to start with the signing that was forecasted a year in advance. Breanna Stewart took a meeting with the Liberty after the 2021 season. The team even brought in one of her best friends Stef Dolson. Ultimately, Stewie decided to return to Seattle for Sue Bird’s final season. 

Now she is here and the New York Liberty are the evolution of the most dangerous skillset alignment in the league. Skilled size was the wave for years in the draft. Pairing Stewart, Dolson, and Jonquel Jones give the team arguably the most in the league. 

Stewart has shown previously the proclivity to get other bigs involved, and that was with more (respectfully) limited offensive players like Ezi Magbegor. Pairing her with a pick-and-pop big like Dolson or an MVP like Jones is going to cause matchup nightmares for anyone they face. Stewart is a smart passer, strong defender, and, obviously, a lethal scorer. 

Pairing Stewart with Ionescu unites two of the most cold-blooded scorers in the league. She, like new teammate Courtney Vandersloot, has won at the highest levels in the league. Stewart will finally be facing single defenders after being one of two lethal offensive players on her team for years. She is going to be unleashed in unprecedented fashion. 

Sun Down

The fact that Jonquel Jones moving to New York is the second biggest story for the franchise in an offseason is no slight on the former Sun. Jones may have had a down year last year but that is only graded on her own high scale. The All-Star averaged 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. 

Something with the Sun felt off for much of the season, despite them making the run to the Finals. After emerging as an MVP in the absence of Alyssa Thomas, Jones, and Thomas were never able to fully mesh again. Add in the emergence of Bri Jones and something had to give. JJ forced the issue.

Now, she is playing in a more free-flowing offense. With two of the most exceptional passers in the starting lineup and a fellow MVP in the frontcourt, Jones is going to be able to breathe again. Last season likely taught her how important it would be to fit in alongside other stars. Even if her numbers dip, she is likely to be better than ever. 

Sloot There It Is

Perhaps the most surprising turn of events, Courtney Vandersloot also left her longtime home to put together something special in New York. For many, it was hard to imagine her playing anywhere other than Chicago. With wife Allie Quigley stepping away, though, it became easier for Sloot to move on from the only team she has suited up for in her 12-year career.

Vandersloot has played the last few seasons setting up a collection of All-Stars. She has led the league in assists six times, ending a five-year streak last year. While others are trying to fit in, this is the role Sloot was made for. Both she and Chelsea Gray in Las Vegas have been bandied about as point gods (or gawds, in terms of Gray) and they both have the most talent around them yet.

If you are a passing aficionado, watch Courtney Vandersloot. For the diehards, imagining her mentoring Marine Johannes is tantalizing. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during practice where they attempt to outdo each other with ridiculous dimes. 

Prediction

The hype is real. Finishing the regular season with a top-two seed is the goal given the amalgamation of talent in the Big Apple. They will send at least three representatives to the All-Star Game. I would guess they will have a season like we saw last season from Las Vegas, taking home several awards and the Commissioner’s Cup. While they are not my pick to win it all, they will be in the WNBA Finals.

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To build up, I will be going in reverse order from the standings a season ago. That brings us to the most widely discussed team in the league for non-basketball reasons. Beyond the international incident that transcended sports, the Phoenix Mercury never stopped giving us something to discuss for all the wrong reasons. 

2022 Recap

After making a Finals appearance, the Phoenix Mercury came through the 2022 offseason with high expectations. Tina Charles joined the fold, adding to the talented group of Skylar Diggins-Smith, Diana Taurasi, and Brittney Griner. 

Then the unthinkable happened. 

Sports franchises can plan for plenty of things. Seeing the face of your franchise taken hostage as a political prisoner during a war on the other side of the world is not one of them. Her situation was one of the biggest news stories of the year outside of sports. The fact that she is home and recovering is more important than any championship. 

Without BG, the Mercury put together a listless, messy season. Controversy came with a new story seemingly every week. Despite that, some players still found a way to stand out. Diana Taurasi is not the same player she once was, but on any given night she can still provide a scoring explosion. She dropped 30 or more points on three occasions last year, two of which came after her 40th birthday.

Bri Turner remains one of the most underrated players in the league. She was one of only seven players to average at least a block and a steal per game, despite being spread ever thinner than normal with Griner absent. Sophie Cuningham is one of the more polarizing players in the league, but she was among the most improved players in this league this year. After an impressive playoff run the year before, the fourth-year wing posted career highs across the board: 12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while hitting 40 percent of her 6.3 3-point attempts per game. 

Diggins-Smith remained one of the best guards in the league. She posted her highest scoring output (19.7 points, third in the league) since her second year in the league. She was also top 10 in assists (5.5) and steals (1.5). 

No matter the overall brilliance of a stand-out star, the nonsense ended up winning out. Whether it be leaked audio, press conference missteps, or just poor fits, the Mercury remained messy.

The Best of the Mess

For most franchises, the sad situation around Griner would have been the only off-court story that would monopolize the locker room. For Phoenix, it was just the starting point. 

Many of the issues surrounded the culture brought on by first-year head coach Vanessa Nygaard. After years under head coach Sandy Brondello, including a trip to the Finals in 2021, Nygaard came in and things just felt off.  There were times when franchise pillars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Diana Taurasi openly butted heads. Nygaard dutifully took the side of Taurasi to the detriment of her current All-Star. Sometimes this is just coach things. Sycophant behavior is another thing. Talking down an All-Star level season because of personal biases was rightfully called out by Diggins-Smith.

Meanwhile, the newly added Tina Charles never fully gelled with her new teammates. The former MVP put up respectable numbers (17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists in 16 games) but they often felt like they were coming outside of the offense. When she asked for a buyout midseason, the team granted it. Regular rabble rowser Sophie Cunningham had some audible choice words for her former teammate. 

Messy was the word of the season for this franchise. They needed stability while they worried about their missing teammate. Instead, chaos. This falls on everyone involved. Cooler heads did anything but prevail. With the team being sold over the course of the offseason, things have to change in earnest for them to get back to winning. 

Offseason Overview

Out: Kia Nurse, Diamond DeShields

In: Michaela Onyenwere, Moriah Jefferson

2023 Draft: #27 and #29

Re-Signed: Sophie Cunningham, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner 

Change, however, does not seem to be overly likely. Diana Taurasi was brought back on a two-year supermax. Griner was given a smaller two-year contract, which also raised some eyebrows. Cunningham, despite her volatility, earned her new contract. 

The biggest change came with the trade of the one-year experiment Diamond DeShields. Deshields was fine but the Mercury swapped her out for former Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere. Moving to the bench in her second season in New York was not good for Onyenwere’s production. This transition could take time. Playing for her third coach in three seasons, Onyenwere needs to be given opportunities to adjust. If she is able to do so, the Mercury will be much better for it. 

Moriah Jefferson could be a perfect fit for the team. Skylar Diggins-Smith is slated to miss some amount of the season given her current pregnancy. Jefferson is the perfect veteran guard to keep the team afloat and then come off the bench when the star returns. There will be a transition period reintegrating Griner so having a stable hand in place could go a long way. 

Prediction 

I think we saw the last of the Diana Taurasi playoff appearances. While Jefferson will help keep the team afloat with Diggins-Smith, there is no replacing her scoring. Expecting Griner to return to her 2021 form after the year she suffered through seems like a fool’s errand. 

The best story in the league would be an MVP run and happiness for Brittney Griner. She deserves something good. However, the Mercury are currently not built to do something good.

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