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The Phoenix Mercury are looking for their first winning record since 2021, with the WNBA regular season scheduled to begin on Friday, May 16.
One of the eight inaugural WNBA franchises, the Mercury will have new faces anchoring their roster this year after the retirement of Diana Taurasi and the departure of Brittney Griner via free agency. Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas, Sami Whitcomb and Kalani Brown are joining last year's All-Star Kahleah Cooper to form one of the league's darkhorse candidates for a deep postseason run.
The Mercury made a pair of transactions on Wednesday by releasing guards Shyla Heal and Anna Makurat.
A former 2021 first-round pick by the Chicago Sky, Heal has played professionally since 2015. She began her professional career in her native Australia. Heal has limited WNBA experience, playing just four games for the Sky in 2021 and never playing regular-season minutes for the Mercury, who added the 23-year-old on a training camp contract in March.
She is the daughter of Shane Heal, a former NBA player who played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.
Makurat, a 25-year-old Polish native, played for the UConn Huskies from 2019 to 2021. She has yet to play in the WNBA. The Mercury signed her to a rookie-scale contract in February.
Phoenix Mercury guard Shyla Heal (23) during media day.© Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Mercury are slotted at No. 6 in a preseason power rankings article posted on the WNBA's site.
Thomas is expected to be the star of the Mercury, as she was ranked the sixth-best player in the WNBA by ESPN. After 11 seasons with the Connecticut Sun, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound guard will look to improve upon her averages last season of 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
Phoenix also has two more players within the top 12, with Cooper and Sabally placing at Nos. 11 and 12.
The Mercury has one final preseason game scheduled for Sunday before they make their regular-season debut on May 17 in a home matchup against the Seattle Storm.
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One of the eight inaugural WNBA franchises, the Mercury will have new faces anchoring their roster this year after the retirement of Diana Taurasi and the departure of Brittney Griner via free agency. Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas, Sami Whitcomb and Kalani Brown are joining last year's All-Star Kahleah Cooper to form one of the league's darkhorse candidates for a deep postseason run.
The Mercury made a pair of transactions on Wednesday by releasing guards Shyla Heal and Anna Makurat.
A former 2021 first-round pick by the Chicago Sky, Heal has played professionally since 2015. She began her professional career in her native Australia. Heal has limited WNBA experience, playing just four games for the Sky in 2021 and never playing regular-season minutes for the Mercury, who added the 23-year-old on a training camp contract in March.
She is the daughter of Shane Heal, a former NBA player who played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.
Makurat, a 25-year-old Polish native, played for the UConn Huskies from 2019 to 2021. She has yet to play in the WNBA. The Mercury signed her to a rookie-scale contract in February.
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Phoenix Mercury guard Shyla Heal (23) during media day.© Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Mercury are slotted at No. 6 in a preseason power rankings article posted on the WNBA's site.
Thomas is expected to be the star of the Mercury, as she was ranked the sixth-best player in the WNBA by ESPN. After 11 seasons with the Connecticut Sun, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound guard will look to improve upon her averages last season of 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
Phoenix also has two more players within the top 12, with Cooper and Sabally placing at Nos. 11 and 12.
The Mercury has one final preseason game scheduled for Sunday before they make their regular-season debut on May 17 in a home matchup against the Seattle Storm.
Related: Phoenix Mercury Make Legacy-Defining Diana Taurasi Announcement on Thursday
Related: 4x WNBA Champion Names Hardest Part About Playing Under Geno Auriemma
Related: 4x WNBA Champion Names Hardest Part About Playing Under Geno Auriemma
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