Connecticut Sun

The Connecticut Sun are in full-on rebuilding mode, and veteran Marina Mabrey doesn't want to be a part of it.

But the team isn't granting her wish.

ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported on the situation Tuesday and noted the Sun denied Mabrey's trade request in a move that angered the guard's agent, Marcus Crenshaw.

"In this current age of women's empowerment and support of the players, the CT Sun threatening to force Marina Mabrey to play for them after her trade request is mind-boggling," Crenshaw said. 

"Why would anyone try to force someone to play on their team when they don't want to be there? It's counterproductive in a ton of ways and everyone we have spoken to is perplexed about how they are handling Marina, after trading away Hall of Fame caliber players."

While the Sun reached the WNBA semifinals in each of the last two seasons after playing in the 2022 WNBA Finals, they are going to look much different in 2025. Head coach Stephanie White left for the Indiana Fever, and many of the recognizable names from last year's roster are no longer on the team.

DeWanna Bonner (Fever) and Brionna Jones (Atlanta Dream) left in free agency, while Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury), DiJonai Carrington (Dallas Wings) and Ty Harris (Dallas Wings) were traded.

"The coach parted ways," Crenshaw said. "No free agents returned and they are doing all they can to try and force Marina to stay when she clearly doesn't want to be there. It's interesting."

Mabrey, 28, also doesn't have a long history with the Sun seeing how she arrived last season after the Chicago Sky granted her trade request by moving her to Connecticut in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 pick swap, and guards Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson.

Connecticut team president Jennifer Rizzotti highlighted how much the team gave up to acquire Mabrey as one reason it doesn't want to trade her ahead of the 2025 campaign.

"The reasons that we have for not trading Marina are rooted in positivity," Rizzotti said. "It's rooted in a desire to build around her, have her here, have her be the catalyst for what we want to do offensively, taking advantage of her versatility, knowing that the style that [coach] Rashid [Meziane] plays with will suit her game, and knowing that we can put her in an individual situation to be really successful as this current CBA closes and a new one opens."

Mabrey has one more season remaining on her contract, which is notable because a new collective bargaining agreement will be in effect in 2026.

There is a world where Mabrey could be a veteran leader for a team looking to surprise in 2025 after also adding Tina Charles, Diamond DeShields, Natasha Cloud, Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen this offseason.

That could also put her in position to sign a more lucrative contract next offseason with the new CBA in place.

Her ability to shoot from the outside stands out, and she played well for the Sun last season while averaging 14.9 points per game and connecting on 42.4 percent of her triples in 16 contests.

But that skill set would also be enticing to other teams if the Sun do eventually grant her trade request and look to move her. If nothing else, they could surely get plenty back in return as they look to continue reshaping their roster.

An already busy WNBA offseason keeps getting juicier.

Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey has reportedly requested a trade, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou, after just half a season with the franchise.

Mabrey was a midseason acquisition in the 2024 trade that sent Moriah Jefferson, Rachel Banham, Connecticut's 2025 first-round pick and 2026 first-round swap rights to the Chicago Sky.

Mabrey, 28, appeared in 16 games for the Sun (three starts), averaging 14.9 points and 3.9 assists while shooting 42.4 percent from three. She was even more impactful in seven postseason games, putting up 15.9 points and 2.6, though she shot just 33.9 from deep.

But the Sun appear to be rebuilding, trading away Alyssa Thompson, DiJonai Carrington and Tyasha Harris while losing Brionna Jones and DeWanna Bonner in free agency. The organization also parted ways with head coach Stephanie White, who has since landed the same gig with the Indiana Fever.

Mabrey would have been returning to a much-less accomplished roster that is likely to embark on a significant rebuilding phase. It would appear she would prefer to play for a contending team.

She's also no stranger to trade requests, having asked out of Chicago last season before she was dealt to the Sun.

"After a while, it's hard when you came for one thing, and it didn't really end up panning out to be the role, position, everything that you were originally planning on being in with [former Chicago head coach James Wade]," Mabrey told Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times last July after her trade to the Sun. "That's OK. Things change, and maybe it doesn't work out like you saw it working out. But [in Chicago], I learned not to create expectations anymore because it just leads to a letdown. It's hard."

It remains to be seen what her expectations will be for her next team if the Sun grant her the trade she's requested.

The Connecticut Sun signed eight-time All-Star Tina Charles on Sunday, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

Per Philippou, Charles is signing a one-year deal with the team that she started her WNBA career with in 2010.

It's been a busy offseason for the Sun, as they sent DiJonai Carrington and the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft to the Dallas Wings on Saturday. They also previously traded Alyssa Thomas and Ty Harris to the Phoenix Mercury.

Thomas and Harris were sent to the Mercury in exchange for Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. Connecticut then packaged the No. 12 selection with Carrington in order to land Jacy Sheldon, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 draft, as well as the No. 8 selection in the 2025 draft.

As for Charles, the former MVP will now return to the team that she last played for in 2013.

"Today marks an incredible moment in our team's history as we welcome back one of the greatest players to every grace the WNBA," Sun General Manager Morgan Tuck said, per the team's official website. "Tina not only helped define the success of this franchise during her early years, but she also set the bar for excellence, both on and off the court. Her passion, leadership, and dedication to the game have left an incredible mark on our league, and we couldn't be more excited to have her return to the team where it all began."

Charles is one of the most accomplished players in WNBA history, sitting at No. 1 on the league's all-time rebounding leaderboard. She's also No. 2 on the league's all-time scoring list, only trailing 11-time All-Star Diana Taurasi.

The 36-year-old may not perform at the same level compared to her All-Star days, but Charles has proven that she can still be a key starter. In 39 appearances with the Atlanta Dream in 2024, she averaged 14.9 points and 9.6 rebounds in 29.7 minutes per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field.

As the Sun continue to retool their lineup after coming off a semifinal appearance in the playoffs, they brought back a WNBA icon on Sunday.

The Connecticut Sun are finalizing a sign-and-trade to acquire star forward Alyssa Thomas from the Phoenix Mercury, ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported Tuesday.

Philippou reported the full return for the Sun, including the No. 12 pick in the draft:

The transaction cannot be finalized until Feb. 1, per Philippou.

The Sun had exclusive negotiating rights with Thomas after tagging her with a core designation to stop her hitting unrestricted free agency this offseason.

Thomas, who has finished the last three seasons as an All-Star and MVP finalist, is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. She helped the Sun reach the WNBA Finals in 2019 and 2022.

The five-time All-Star expressed dissatisfaction with the Sun during the 2024 postseason. The team prepared for their first-round matchup with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on a half-court shared with a community center event, a setup Thomas described to The Next Hoops' Noa Dalzell as "the ultimate disrespect."

"It's normal at this point. I mean, Mohegan has to do better," Thomas told Dalzell. "We're [a] professional team. We're competing for playoffs... We need more, we need better to compete at the highest level."

That wasn't the only time Thomas has appeared unhappy with the standards set by the Sun organization. She said after winning a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team USA that the experience had showed her the Sun were "super behind" in terms of practice facilities (h/t NBC Sports Boston's Justin Leger.)

The Mercury, meanwhile, opened a $100 million practice facility ahead of the 2024 WNBA season. Access to those facilities might have encouraged Thomas, who had to acquiesce to any potential sign-and-trade, to agree to the move to Phoenix.

Thomas heading to Mercury could help convince her partner and former Sun teammate DeWanna Bonner to sign in Phoenix as well. Bonner hit unrestricted free agency after the 2024 season.

The departure of Thomas and the potential exit of Bonner mark the end of an era for the Sun, who have reached the semifinal in five straight seasons with the duo on the team.

The Mercury roster is also in flux with Brittney Griner hitting free agency and Diana Taurasi potentially retiring. Should Griner and Taurasi both leave, the Mercury could theoretically build around a new core of Thomas and potentially Bonner.

Natasha Cloud will at least bring loads of experience to the roster as a nine-year veteran who won the 2019 title with the Washington Mystics. She has also been named to the All-Defensive team three times in her career.

Rebecca Allen could also provide depth after averaging 7.4 points per game last season.

The news marks the second blockbuster WNBA trade reported by Philippou this week, following the news of a three-team trade that sent Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Despite back-to-back winning seasons under head coach Stephanie White, the Connecticut Sun decided it was time to make a change.

The Sun announced on Monday that the team parted ways with White, who had a 55-25 record in two seasons as head coach. However, Connecticut lost in the second round of the WNBA playoffs in each of the last two years.

The Sun swept star rookie Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in the first round of the playoffs this year before losing a hard-fought five-game series against the Minnesota Lynx.

The Associated Press reported earlier this month that White's name "has surfaced as a potential candidate for some of the WNBA coaching openings." The Fever, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks currently have vacancies and could choose to pursue her now that she's leaving Connecticut.

However, White was dealing with a family emergency at the time and refused to discuss her future, saying on a video call, "I'm not having conversations right now about anything outside of my family. I'm solely focused on my family and getting through this tough time."

White had previously coached the Fever in 2015 and 2016, leading the team to a WNBA Finals appearance in her first year and a combined record of 37-31. After departing Indiana, she coached at Vanderbilt for four-plus seasons and compiled a 46-83 record.

In addition to needing a new head coach, the Sun are also a team in transition with star players Brionna Jones, Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner all headed for free agency. DiJonai Carrington, who was named Most Improved Player this season, is also a restricted free agent.

Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides both commented Wednesday on the abuse WNBA players have recently endured on social media.

After Thomas' Sun beat the Fever 87-81 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series to eliminate Indiana on Wednesday, she said the following about the mistreatment she has had to endure on social media as of late, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson:

"In my 11-year career, I've never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fanbase. It's unacceptable, honestly. There's no place for it. We've been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I've never been called the things that I've been called on social media.

"Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don't want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial names. I mean, we already see what's happening in the world and what we have to deal with in that aspect. And we come to play basketball for our job and it's fun, but we don't want to go to work every day and have social media blown up over things like that. It's uncalled for. Something needs to be done, whether it's them checking their fans or this league checking, there's no time for it anymore."

Sides also gave her take on the social media landscape and suggested that her players have been the subject of abuse as well:

"It's a lot of hurtful, hateful speech out there that's happening, and it's unacceptable. When it gets personal to me, there's no reason for it. These guys have to listen and watch—social media is their life. That's just what they do. And they have to read and see these things constantly, and just all the stories that are made up of what people see or think they see. It is just not acceptable when it gets personal."

In response to Thomas and Sides' comments, the WNBA released a statement in which it noted that league security is monitoring social media and will involve law enforcement if and when it is needed:

Thanks in large part to the arrival of Fever superstar rookie Caitlin Clark, the WNBA has become more popular than ever.

A record crowd of 20,711 attended a Fever vs. Washington Mystics game last week, the WNBA All-Star Game drew a record 3.44 million viewers and ESPN's WNBA television ratings improved by 170 percent compared to last season, going from averaging 454,000 viewers per game to 1.2 million.

With the increase in popularity has come a greater influence on social media, and while that can be a good thing in terms of growing the game, it also opens the door for negativity and disrespect.

As much as the actions of some on social media have cast a black cloud over the WNBA playoffs, the remaining teams have a chance to deliver one of the most exciting and competitive postseasons of all time.

The top four seeds all swept their way through the first round, setting the stage for the No. 1 New York Liberty to face the No. 4 Las Vegas Aces and the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx to face the No. 3 Sun.

A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum are among the stars still in contention, and they figure to deliver some memorable performances on the WNBA's biggest stage.

The Connecticut Sun's DiJonai Carrington was honored Wednesday as the WNBA's Most Improved Player for the 2024 season.

She received 28 first-place votes, far outpacing runner-up Dearica Hamby. The Los Angeles Sparks star got 18 votes.

In her first year as a full-time starter, Carrington averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals.

Her impact on defense was what catapulted her into the Most Improved Player conversation and eventually brought her the trophy. The Sun finished with the league's best defensive rating (94.1) and highest opponent turnover rate (20.9 percent), per WNBA.com.

Carrington's defensive effort occasionally led to easy scores on the other end of the floor. According to WNBA.com, she averaged 3.7 points off turnovers and 3.4 fast-break points per game. Those ranked eighth and third respectively.

Concerns over Carrington's shooting helped drop her into the second round of the 2021 WNBA draft. Only once in her five college seasons did she knock down more than 30 percent of her three-pointers. The dearth of roster spots available in the league makes it tough for defensive stoppers to stick around if they can't help to space the floor.

The uphill climb is the same for second-rounders more broadly. Carrington is the only one from 2021 who's still on the same team that picked her, and five of the 12 players have yet to make a WNBA appearance.

"DiJonai is a prime example of what a typical progression in this league is, and of someone that when the opportunity is there for them they take full advantage of it," Sun head coach Stephanie White said in July. "She's been incredibly consistent for us all season long on the defensive end of the floor. I think over the last three or four weeks she has finally found a comfort in her offensive game as well."

Carrington has evolved from a Sun reserve who averaged fewer than 10 minutes per game to become a critical piece for a team that won 28 games and claimed the third seed. The Most Improved Player award was richly deserved.

After Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington made contact with Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark's eye during Game 1 of their first-round series, many detractors questioned whether the act was intentional.

However, both Clark and Carrington downplayed the moment while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. Clark found humor in the notion that Carrington intentionally hit her.

"It wasn't intentional by any means," Clark said with a laugh. "You just watch the play, it wasn't intentional."

Carrington said she wasn't aware that she even made contact with Clark at first because she was simply trying to defend her opponent.

"I don't even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye. That doesn't even make sense to me. But no, I didn't. I didn't know I hit her, actually. I was trying to make a play on the ball and I guess I followed through and I hit her. Obviously, it's never intentional. That's not even the type of player that I am," Carrington said. She was also asked if she was laughing about the moment later, and she shot that down.

The play occurred in the first quarter of Sunday's Game 1 between the Fever and the Sun while Clark was making a pass. While Clark went down in pain, no foul was called.

The Sun went on to earn a dominant 93-69 win over the Fever. Clark was limited to 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting with eight assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Despite being on the verge of elimination in Wednesday's Game 2, Clark expressed optimism that Indiana will be able to keep its season alive.

"I don't want this to end. ... I feel like it's been a very special year for our organization and our goal is to get to the playoffs, but everybody in our locker room believes we can win this series," she said. "This is obviously a must-win for us and we believe we can come in here and win that."

Two more WNBA teams are playoff-bound after Saturday night's action.

The Minnesota Lynx punched their ticket to the postseason with a win over the Indiana Fever while the Connecticut Sun secured a playoff berth with a win over the New York Liberty plus the Fever's loss.

The Lynx and Sun now join the Liberty as the only teams to have already earned a playoff spot.

After two more teams ensured their playoff fate, here's a look at the updated WNBA standings.

WNBA Standings

1. New York Liberty, 25-5 (Clinched postseason)
2. Connecticut Sun, 22-7 (Clinched postseason)
3. Minnesota Lynx, 22-8 (Clinched postseason and Commissioner's Cup)
4. Seattle Storm, 18-10
5. Las Vegas Aces, 17-11
6. Phoenix Mercury, 16-14
7. Indiana Fever, 13-16
8. Chicago Sky, 11-17
9. Atlanta Dream, 10-18
10. Washington Mystics, 7-22
11. Dallas Wings, 6-22
12. Los Angeles Sparks, 6-23

The top eight teams earn a playoff spot, meaning the Dream, Mystics, Wings and Sparks are all on the outside looking in at the moment. The top four teams get to host a best-of-three first-round playoff series, so the Liberty, Sun and Lynx will still need to keep their foot on the gas throughout the rest of the regular season to ensure home-court advantage.

While the Storm, Aces and Mercury have yet to clinch their playoff bids, they're all in a good position to do so barring any late-season skids.

The Fever, who haven't been to the postseason since 2016, have found themselves in prime position to make the playoffs thanks to outstanding play from Rookie of the Year frontrunner Caitlin Clark and 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston.

Indiana has won two of its three games since returning from the Olympic break, but faces a handful of playoff teams in the coming weeks that could make things difficult.

While the Sky are in playoff position now, the Dream are right behind them and are looking to claim the eighth spot. ESPN Analytics gives Chicago a slight edge to make the playoffs over Atlanta, with the Sky having a 56 percent chance and the Dream having a 53 percent chance.

Further down in the standings, Washington, Dallas and Los Angeles are a bit further out of reach from the playoffs, but a hot streak to end the year could quickly turn things around.

The end of the regular season is just under a month away, meaning the next few weeks will bring some added intensity as teams look to clinch a playoff spot.