2024 Phoenix Mercury season explained

The 2024 Phoenix Mercury season is the 27th season for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the first season under new general manager Nick U'Ren and head coach Nate Tibbetts. Prior to the season, interim coach Nikki Blue's contract was not renewed, and Tibbets was hired on October 18, 2023.^[1]

The season tipped off on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, against the Las Vegas Aces in Las Vegas.^[2]

Transactions

WNBA draft

See also: 2024 WNBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/Team/Country
3	25	Charisma Osborne		UCLA
3	29	Jaz Shelley		Nebraska

Transactions

Date	Transaction
October 28, 2023	Hired Nate Tibbetts as Head Coach
January 17, 2024	Extended a Qualifying Offer to Sug Sutton^[3]
January 27, 2024	Signed Sug Sutton to a Training Camp Contract
February 1, 2024	Signed Natasha Cloud^[4]
February 3, 2024	Acquired Rebecca Allen in exchange for Moriah Jefferson^[5]
	Signed Christyn Williams to a Training Camp Contract
February 6, 2024	Acquired Kahleah Copper and the rights to Morgan Bertsch in exchange for Michaela Onyenwere, Brianna Turner, the third pick in the 2024 draft, Chicago's second round pick in the 2025 draft, Phoenix's 2026 first round pick, and the right to swap 2026 second round picks.^[6]
February 8, 2024	Signed Mikiah Herbert Harrigan to a Training Camp Contract
February 9, 2024	Signed Natasha Mack to a Training Camp Contract
February 13, 2024	Signed Amy Atwell to a Training Camp Contract
March 7, 2024	Signed Mya Hollingshed to a Training Camp Contract
March 15, 2024	Waived Kadi Sissoko
March 30, 2024	Re-Signed Brittney Griner^[7]
April 16, 2024	Signed Charisma Osborne and Jaz Shelley to Rookie Contracts
April 24, 2024	Signed Air Hearn, Bella Murekatete, and Desi-Rae Young to a Training Camp Contracts^[8]
April 28, 2024	Waived Desi-Rae Young
May 11, 2024	Waived Amy Atwell, Air Hearn, Mya Hollingshed, Bella Murekatete, Charisma Osborne, Jaz Shelley, and Christyn Williams^[9]
	Signed Liz Dixon to a Training Camp Contract from waivers
June 10, 2024	Waived Morgan Bertsch^[10]
June 13, 2024	Signed Charisma Osborne^[11]
July 2, 2024	Waived Liz Dixon
July 5, 2024	Signed Liz Dixon to 7-day contract
July 12, 2024
	Signed Celeste Taylor to 7-day contract
August 16, 2024	Released Celeste Taylor
August 18, 2024	Signed Monique Billings to a 7-Day Contract^[12]
August 20, 2024	Acquired the rights the rights to Klara Lundquist from the Washington Mystics in exchange for Sug Sutton and a 2025 3rd Round Pick^[13]

Roster changes

Additions

Personnel	Signed/Trade	Former Team
Rebecca Allen	Trade	Connecticut Sun
Morgan Bertsch	Trade	Chicago Sky
Natasha Cloud	Signed	Washington Mystics
Kahleah Copper	Trade	Chicago Sky
Liz Dixon	Signed	Connecticut Sun
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan	Signed	—
Natasha Mack	Signed	—
Charisma Osborne	Draft	UCLA
Jaz Shelley	Draft	Nebraska

Subtractions

Personnel	Reason	New Team
Morgan Bertsch	Waived	–
Skylar Diggins-Smith	Free Agency	Seattle Storm
Liz Dixon	Waived	–
Megan Gustafson	Free Agency	Las Vegas Aces
Moriah Jefferson	Trade	Connecticut Sun
Michaela Onyenwere	Trade	Chicago Sky
Shey Peddy	Free Agency	—
Jaz Shelley	Waived	—
Kadi Sissoko	Waived	—
Brianna Turner	Trade	Chicago Sky
Sug Sutton	Trade	Washington Mystics

Roster

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench
	PG	Natasha Cloud
	SG	Diana Taurasi
	SF	Kahleah Copper
	PF	Sophie Cunningham	Monique Billings Mikiah Herbert Harrigan
	C	Brittney Griner	Natasha Mack

Schedule

Pre-season

|- style="background:#fcc;"| 1| May 7| @ Seattle| L 59–85| Diana Taurasi (10)| Natasha Mack (7)| Brittney Griner (3)| Climate Pledge Arena
| 0–1|- style="background:#fcc;"| 2| May 10| vs. Los Angeles| L 85–98| Kahleah Copper (16)| Natasha Mack (4)| Sug Sutton (5)| Footprint Center
4,598| 0–2

Regular season

|- style="background:#fcc;"| 1| May 14| @ Las Vegas| L 80–89| Diana Taurasi (23)| Natasha Cloud (8)| Natasha Cloud (7)| Michelob Ultra Arena
10,419| 0–1|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 2| May 18| Atlanta| W 88–85| Kahleah Copper (38)| Natasha Mack (11)| Natasha Cloud (5)| Footprint Center
10,251| 1–1|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 3| May 21| @ Las Vegas| W 98–88| Kahleah Copper (37)| Sophie Cunningham (9)| Natasha Cloud (10)| Michelob Ultra Arena
10,374| 2–1|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 4| May 23| Washington| W 83–80| Copper, Taurasi (20)| Natasha Mack (9)| Natasha Cloud (10)| Footprint Center
7,474| 3–1|- style="background:#fcc;"| 5| May 25| Dallas| L 92–107| Kahleah Copper (32)| Diana Taurasi (5)| Natasha Cloud (12)| Footprint Center
8,339| 3–2|- style="background:#fcc;"| 6| May 28| @ Connecticut| L 47–70| Natasha Cloud (9)| Sophie Cunningham (9)| Kahleah Copper (4)| Mohegan Sun Arena
6,489| 3–3|- style="background:#fcc;"| 7| May 29| @ New York| L 78–81| Kahleah Copper (20)| Kahleah Copper (9)| Sug Sutton (7)| Barclays Center
9,182| 3–4|- style="background:#fcc;"| 8| May 31| @ Minnesota| L 71–95| Kahleah Copper (21)| Natasha Mack (10)| Natasha Cloud (7)| Target Center
7,035| 3–5

|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 9| June 2| Los Angeles| W 87–68| Diana Taurasi (31)| Natasha Mack (12)| Natasha Cloud (12)| Footprint Center
10,207| 4–5|- style="background:#fcc;"| 10| June 4| @ Seattle| L 62–80| Kahleah Copper (19)| Kahleah Copper (7)| Natasha Cloud (5)| Climate Pledge Arena
8,133| 4–6|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 11| June 7| Minnesota| W 81–80| Kahleah Copper (34)| Natasha Mack (7)| Natasha Cloud (10)| Footprint Center
9,052| 5–6|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 12| June 9| @ Dallas| W 97–90| Kahleah Copper (29)| Brittney Griner (7)| Cloud, Taurasi (7)| College Park Center
5,568| 6–6|- style="background:#fcc;"| 13| June 13| Las Vegas| L 99–103| Brittney Griner (25)| Brittney Griner (9)| Cloud, Sutton (6)| Footprint Center
9,325| 6–7|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 14| June 16| Seattle| W 87–78| Kahleah Copper (30)| Brittney Griner (9)| Natasha Cloud (8)| Footprint Center
9,444| 7–7|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 15| June 18| New York| W 99–93| Griner, Taurasi (19)| Diana Taurasi (9)| Kahleah Copper (7)| Footprint Center
9,824| 8–7|- style="background:#fcc;"| 16| June 22| @ Minnesota| L 60–73| Natasha Cloud (14)| Brittney Griner (7)| Natasha Cloud (5)| Target Center
8,769| 8–8|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 17| June 28| Los Angeles| W 92–78| Kahleah Copper (24)| Brittney Griner (11)| Natasha Cloud (7)| Footprint Center
14,363| 9–8|- style="background:#fcc;"| 18| June 30| Indiana| L 82–82| Brittney Griner (24)| Rebecca Allen (9)| Natasha Cloud (7)| Footprint Center
17,071| 9–9|- style="background:#fcc;"| 19| July 1| Connecticut| L 72–83| Copper, Griner (21)| Kahleah Copper (6)| Natasha Cloud (10)| Footprint Center
8,445| 9–10|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 20| July 3| @ Dallas| W 104–96| Kahleah Copper (34)| Brittney Griner (8)| Natasha Cloud (10)| College Park Center
6,129| 10–10|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 21| July 7| @ Los Angeles| W 84–78| Natasha Cloud (31)| Kahleah Copper (10)| Cloud, Copper (5)| Crypto.com Arena
11,618| 11–10|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 22| July 10| Dallas| W 100–84| Kahleah Copper (32)| Kahleah Copper (5)| Natasha Cloud (6)| Footprint Center
11,601| 12–10|- style="background:#fcc;"| 23| July 12| @ Indiana| L 86–95| Kahleah Copper (36)| Natasha Mack (9)| Celeste Taylor (5)| Gainbridge Fieldhouse
17,274| 12–11|- style="background:#fcc;"| 24| July 14| @ Connecticut| L 69–96| Kahleah Copper (17)| Brittney Griner (9)| Natasha Cloud (6)| Mohegan Sun Arena
8,910| 12–12|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 25| July 16| @ Washington| W 96–87| Brittney Griner (23)| Natasha Cloud (9)| Natasha Cloud (10)| Capital One Arena
12,586| 13–12|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 26| August 15| @ Chicago| W 85–65| Kahleah Copper (29)| Brittney Griner (9)| Cloud, Griner (6)| Wintrust Arena
9,025| 14–12|- style="background:#fcc;"| 27| August 16| @ Indiana| L 89–98| Kahleah Copper (32)| Kahleah Copper (8)| Kahleah Copper (6)| Gainbridge Fieldhouse
17,274| 14–13|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 28| August 18| Chicago| W 86–68| Diana Taurasi (23)| Sophie Cunningham (10)| Diana Taurasi (5)| Footprint Center
14,267| 15–13|- style="background:#fcc;"| 29| August 21| @ Atlanta| L 63–72| Kahleah Copper (22)| Cloud, Griner (8)| Diana Taurasi (4)| Gateway Center Arena
3,260| 15–14|- | 30| August 23| @ Atlanta| | | | | Gateway Center Arena
| |- | 31| August 26| New York| | | | | Footprint Center
| |- | 32| August 28| Minnesota| | | | | Footprint Center
| |- | 33| September 1| Las Vegas| | | | | Footprint Center
| |- | 34| September 3| Atlanta| | | | | Footprint Center
| |- | 35| September 5| Washington| | | | | Footprint Center
| |- | 36| September 7| @ Seattle| | | | | Climate Pledge Arena
| |- | 37| September 13| Connecticut| | | | | Footprint Center
| |- | 38| September 15| @ Chicago| | | | | Wintrust Arena
| |- | 39| September 17| @ Los Angeles| | | | | Crypto.com Arena
| |- | 40| September 19| Seattle| | | | | Footprint Center
|

Statistics

Regular season

^‡Waived/Released during the season
^†Traded during the season
^≠Acquired during the season

Awards and honors

Recipient	Award/Milestone	Date awarded	Ref.
Kahleah Copper	Western Conference Player of the Week	May 28, 2024	^[14]
	WNBA All-Star	July 2, 2024	^[15]
Brittney Griner	Western Conference Player of the Week	June 18, 2024	^[16]
	WNBA All-Star	July 2, 2024
Diana Taurasi	WNBA All-Star	July 2, 2024

Notes and References

1. Web site: PHOENIX MERCURY NAME NATE TIBBETTS HEAD COACH. October 18, 2023. February 1, 2024. mercury.wnba.com.
2. Web site: 2024 Schedule - Phoenix Mercury. mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. March 3, 2024.
3. Web site: WNBA Transactions . acrossthetimeline.com . Across the Timeline . 20 April 2024.
4. Web site: PHOENIX MERCURY SIGNS WNBA CHAMPION NATASHA CLOUD. mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2024. March 3, 2024.
5. Web site: PHOENIX MERCURY ACQUIRES REBECCA ALLEN IN SIGN-AND-TRADE WITH CONNECTICUT SUN FOR GUARD MORIAH JEFFERSON. mercury.wnba.com. WNBA. February 3, 2024. March 3, 2024.
6. Web site: Chicago Sky Trade Copper, Bertsch to Phoenix, Acquire Onyenwere, Turner, Draft Picks. sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 6, 2024. February 7, 2024.
7. Web site: 2024-03-30. Free agent Brittney Griner returning to Mercury, league says. 2024-03-30. ESPN. Josh. Weinfuss. en.
8. Web site: Phoenix Mercury Finalizes Training Camp Roster . mercury.wnba.com . . April 24, 2024 . May 11, 2024.
9. PhoenixMercury . May 11, 2024 . 1789432357667090943 . The Phoenix Mercury today waived center Bella Murekatete, forward Mya Hollingshed and guards Amy Atwell, Air Hearn, Charisma Osborne, Jaz Shelley and Christyn Williams..
10. Web site: Morgan Bertsch waived by Phoenix Mercury, according to WNBA transactions page. burncitysports.com. Burn City Sports. Justin. LaCertosa. June 10, 2024. June 11, 2024.
11. Web site: Mercury sign 2024 draft pick Charisma Osborne, waive forward Morgan Bertsch. arizonasports.com. KMVP-FM. June 13, 2024. June 13, 2024.
12. Web site: PHOENIX MERCURY SIGNS VETERAN FORWARD MONIQUE BILLINGS TO A SEVEN-DAY CONTRACT . wnba.com . WNBA . 18 August 2024.
13. 1826009734039658593. WashMystics. August 20, 2024. August 20, 2024. Trade Alert: We have acquired Sug Sutton and a 2025 third round draft pick from the Phoenix Mercury for the rights to Klara Lundquist..
14. Web site: Phoenix Mercury's Kahleah Copper named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week. Dana. Scott. The Arizona Republic. May 28, 2024. May 28, 2024.
15. Rosters Set for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2024 on July 20 . WNBA . July 2, 2024.
16. Web site: Brittney Griner named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week. burncitysports.com. Burn City Sports. Justin. LaCertosa. June 18, 2024. June 18, 2024.