2012 Phoenix Mercury season explained

The 2012 WNBA season is the 16th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association. Until the 2023 Phoenix Mercury season, this marked this last time the Mercury missed the playoffs.

Transactions

WNBA draft

The following are the Mercury's selections in the 2012 WNBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/team/country
1	6	Samantha Prahalis		Ohio State
2	24 (from Minn.)	C'eria Ricketts		Arkansas
3	30	Christine Flores		Missouri
3	33 (from Conn.)	Amanda Johnson		Oregon

Transaction log

• April 11, 2011: The Mercury acquired a third-round pick in the 2012 Draft from the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Tahnee Robinson's draft rights.
• January 12: The Mercury traded Temeka Johnson to the Tulsa Shock in exchange for Andrea Riley.^[1]
• February 2: The Mercury acquired Alexis Hornbuckle from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2013 Draft.^[2]
• February 9: The Mercury signed Chastity Reed.
• February 28: The Mercury traded the 18th pick in the 2012 Draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Charde Houston and the 24th pick in the 2012 Draft.^[3]
• April 11: The Mercury signed Zane Tamane and Brittney Thomas.
• April 13: The Mercury signed Dymond Simon.
• April 13: The Mercury announced Marie Ferdinand-Harris' retirement.
• April 26: The Mercury signed Avery Warley.
• May 2: The Mercury signed draft picks Christine Flores, Amanda Johnson, Samantha Prahalis, and C'eira Ricketts.
• May 3: The Mercury waived Brittney Thomas.^[4]
• May 8: The Mercury waived C'eira Ricketts and Christine Flores.^[5]
• May 16: The Mercury waived Chastity Reed, Dymond Simon, Krystal Thomas, and Amanda Johnson.
• May 25: The Mercury signed Krystal Thomas and waived Zane Tamane.
• June 2: The Mercury signed Andrea Riley.
• July 1: The Mercury waived Andrea Riley.
• July 5: The Mercury signed Lynetta Kizer to a seven-day contract.

Trades

Date	Trade
January 12, 2012	width=375	To Phoenix Mercury	width=375	To Tulsa Shock
	Andrea Riley	Temeka Johnson
February 2, 2012	width=375	To Phoenix Mercury	width=375	To Minnesota Lynx
	Alexis Hornbuckle	Second-round pick in 2013 Draft
February 28, 2012	width=375	To Phoenix Mercury	width=375	To Minnesota Lynx
	Charde Houston and the 24th pick in the 2012 Draft	18th pick in the 2012 Draft

Personnel changes

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
Alexis Hornbuckle	February 2, 2012	Minnesota Lynx
Charde Houston	February 28, 2012	Minnesota Lynx
Samantha Prahalis	April 16, 2012	draft pick
Avery Warley	April 26, 2012	free agent
Lynetta Kizer	July 5, 2012	free agent

Subtractions

Player	Left	New team
Temeka Johnson	January 12, 2012	Tulsa Shock
Sidney Spencer	February 28, 2012	free agent
Ketia Swanier	March 1, 2012	Atlanta Dream
Marie Ferdinand-Harris	April 13, 2012	retired
Alexis Gray-Lawson	September 1, 2012	free agent

Roster

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench
C	Nakia Sanford	Krystal Thomas Lynetta Kizer
PF	Candice Dupree	Avery Warley
SF	DeWanna Bonner
SG	Diana Taurasi
PG	Samantha Prahalis	Alexis Hornbuckle

Schedule

Preseason

|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 1 || Tue 8 || 10:00 || Japan || || 102-73 || Gray-Lawson (34) || Tamane
Warley (13) || Prahalis (7) || US Airways Center
2,752 || 1-0|-

Regular season

|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 1 || Sun 20 || 12:30 || @ Minnesota || ABC || 83-105 || Houston (24) || Sanford (6) || Prahalis (6) || Target Center
12,611 || 0-1|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 2 || Tue 22 || 8:00 || @ Tulsa || || 89-87 || Dupree (31) || Dupree (9) || Prahalis (7) || BOK Center
5,341 || 1-1|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 3 || Sat 26 || 10:00 || Los Angeles || FS-A+
KDOC || 88-99 || Dupree (24) || Warley (9) || Taurasi (4) || US Airways Center
10,200 || 1-2|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 4 || Thu 31 || 7:00 || @ Atlanta || FS-A
SSO || 65-81 || Bonner (22) || Bonner (10) || Prahalis (6) || Philips Arena
4,887 || 1-3|-|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 5 || Fri 1 || 8:00 || @ San Antonio || || 66-85 || Bonner
Dupree (17) || Dupree (10) || Prahalis (9) || AT&T Center
6,534 || 1-4|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 6 || Sun 3 || 6:00 || Tulsa || || 79-72 || Bonner (23) || Bonner (13) || Prahalis (6) || US Airways Center
7,178 || 2-4|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 7 || Fri 8 || 11:00 || @ Los Angeles || TWC101 || 74-90 || Houston (22) || Bonner
Gray-Lawson (6) || Prahalis (6) || Staples Center
11,198 || 2-5|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 8 || Fri 15 || 10:00 || Minnesota || || 60-78 || Bonner (18) || Dupree (10) || Prahalis (4) || US Airways Center
7,394 || 2-6|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 9 || Sun 17 || 4:00 || @ Tulsa || || 75-87 || Bonner (24) || Bonner (9) || Prahalis (6) || BOK Center
4,200 || 2-7|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 10 || Wed 20 || 10:00 || Washington || || 80-77 || Bonner (19) || Warley (9) || Bonner
Prahalis (3) || US Airways Center
5,751 || 3-7|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 11 || Sat 23 || 8:00 || Los Angeles || ESPN || 84-93 || Bonner (24) || Thomas (11) || Prahalis (5) || US Airways Center
9,670 || 3-8|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 12 || Wed 27 || 8:00 || @ Minnesota || FS-A+ || 80-96 || Bonner (23) || Bonner
Warley (7) || Prahalis (3) || Target Center
9,674 || 3-9|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 13 || Fri 29 || 8:30 || @ Chicago || CN100 || 84-81 || Bonner (27) || Thomas (11) || Houston
Prahalis (4) || Allstate Arena
5,488 || 4-9|-|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 14 || Sun 1 || 4:00 || @ Washington || CSN-MA || 77-90 || Houston (26) || Bonner
Thomas (8) || Prahalis (5) || Verizon Center
10,789 || 4-10|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 15 || Tue 3 || 8:00 || @ San Antonio || NBATV || 81-82 || Bonner (38) || Bonner
Thomas (8) || Prahalis (5) || AT&T Center
6,912 || 4-11|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 16 || Sat 7 || 10:00 || Atlanta || || 93-100 (2OT) || Bonner (27) || Bonner (15) || Hornbuckle
Prahalis
Thomas (4) || US Airways Center
7,948 || 4-12|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 17 || Sun 8 || 9:00 || @ Seattle || || 68-83 || Bonner (12) || Warley (13) || Bonner (3) || KeyArena
8,639 || 4-13|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 18 || Tue 10 || 3:30 || Los Angeles || FS-A || 71-90 || Bonner
Prahalis (14) || 5 players (7) || Hornbuckle (3) || US Airways Center
9,336 || 4-14|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 19 || Fri 13 || 10:00 || Seattle || || 64-83 || Bonner (18) || Hornbuckle (8) || Hornbuckle (5) || US Airways Center
7,647 || 4-15|-| colspan="11" align="center" valign="middle" | Summer Olympic break|-|-| colspan="11" align="center" valign="middle" | Summer Olympic break|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 20 || Thu 16 || 10:00 || @ Seattle || KONG || 58-72 || Prahalis (15) || Thomas (11) || Bonner (4) || KeyArena
6,987 || 4-16|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 21 || Sun 19 || 6:00 || San Antonio || FS-A
FS-SW || 47-89 || Hornbuckle (11) || Hornbuckle
Thomas (7) || Prahalis (4) || US Airways Center
10,656 || 4-17|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 22 || Thu 23 || 10:00 || New York || || 77-89 || Bonner (34) || Thomas (14) || Prahalis (4) || US Airways Center
7.039 || 4-18|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 23 || Sat 25 || 10:00 || Indiana || || 72-85 || Taurasi (19) || Bonner
Thomas
Warley (9) || Bonner
Taurasi (3) || US Airways Center
9,079 || 4-19|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 24 || Thu 30 || 10:00 || @ Seattle || KONG || 75-68 || Bonner (24) || Bonner (11) || Prahalis (6) || KeyArena
6,379 || 5-19|-|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 25 || Sat 1 || 10:00 || San Antonio || NBATV || 94-90 || Taurasi (25) || Bonner (9) || Prahalis (5) || US Airways Center
5,964 || 6-19|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 26 || Wed 5 || 7:00 || @ New York || NBATV
MSG || 59-87 || Bonner (20) || Hornbuckle
Gilbreath (7) || Hornbuckle (5) || Prudential Center
4,732 || 6-20|- align="center" bgcolor="bbffbb"| 27 || Fri 7 || 7:00 || @ Connecticut || CPTV-S || 91-82 || Bonner (35) || Thomas (16) || Hornbuckle (5) || Mohegan Sun Arena
8,379 || 7-20|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 28 || Sun 9 || 6:00 || @ Indiana || NBATV
FS-A+
FS-I || 83-89 || Bonner (23) || Hornbuckle (9) || Bonner (5) || Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,971 || 7-21|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 29 || Wed 12 || 10:00 || Connecticut || ESPN2
CPTV-S || 78-100 || Bonner (24) || Bonner (10) || Simon (4) || US Airways Center
5,421 || 7-22|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 30 || Fri 14 || 10:00 || Tulsa || || 84-92 || Kizer (19) || Thomas (11) || Simon (6) || US Airways Center
6,719 || 7-23|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 31 || Sun 16 || 6:00 || Chicago || NBATV
CN100 || 55-86 || Houston (15) || Thomas (13) || Houston (3) || US Airways Center
8,044 || 7-24|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 32 || Tue 18 || 10:30 || @ Los Angeles || NBATV
TWC101 || 76-101 || Bonner (23) || Thomas (11) || Bonner (6) || Staples Center
8,579 || 7-25|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 33 || Fri 21 || 10:00 || Minnesota || NBATV
FS-A+ || 66-89 || Bonner (17) || Thomas (11) || Prahalis (8) || US Airways Center
7,217 || 7-26|- align="center" bgcolor="ffbbbb"| 34 || Sun 23 || 3:00 || Seattle || ESPN2 || 57-71 || Bonner (13) || Thomas (18) || Prahalis (6) || US Airways Center
7,576 || 7-27|-| All games are viewable on WNBA LiveAccess or ESPN3.com

Statistics

Regular season

Notes and References

1. News: Shock Trades Riley To Phoenix For Temeka Johnson. KWTV. January 12, 2012. February 21, 2024.
2. News: Mercury acquire Hornbuckle in sign-and-trade. Fox Sports. February 2, 2012. February 21, 2024.
3. News: Charde Houston, pick traded to Mercury. ESPN. February 28, 2012. February 21, 2024.
4. News: Mercury trim roster, waive guard Thomas. Fox Sports. May 3, 2012. February 21, 2024.
5. News: Mercury waive draft picks Ricketts, Flores. Fox Sports. May 8, 2012. February 21, 2024.