Alyssa Thomas heading to Mercury from Sun in trade, AP source says

The Phoenix Mercury were finalizing a deal to acquire Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

The Sun also will send Ty Harris to Phoenix, while Connecticut will receive Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 pick in this year's draft, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the deal.

Thomas has played her entire career with Connecticut and helped the franchise reach the WNBA Finals in 2019 and 2022. Thomas was an unrestricted free agent before she was designated as the team's franchise player earlier this month, meaning the only way she could sign with another team was via trade.

Since the deal is a sign-and-trade, it can't become official until Feb. 1. ESPN first reported the trade.

Thomas' fiancee, DeWanna Bonner, is a free agent and could also go to Phoenix, where she spent the first 10 years of her WNBA career.

The 32-year-old Thomas won an Olympic gold medal with the United States this past summer and averaged 10.6 points, 7.9 assists and 8.4 rebounds last season. She's the WNBA's career leader in triple-doubles with 15, four of which came in the postseason.

Thomas, an MVP runner-up in 2023, had been vocal about the Sun's lack of a practice facility and the franchise's failure to keep pace with other teams. Phoenix opened a new practice facility this past year.

Cloud signed as a free agent with Phoenix last year and now will be back on the East Coast after spending the early part of her career in Washington. Allen played for Connecticut in 2023 before getting traded to Phoenix last year.

Phoenix is undergoing a transition this offseason with All-Star center Brittney Griner heading to Atlanta as a free agent, a person familiar with that signing told the AP. And it's not clear whether veteran Diana Taurasi will play again or retire.

This was the second major trade in the WNBA this week. A three-way deal reached Sunday between Las Vegas, Seattle and Los Angeles will send Kelsey Plum to the Sparks, Jewell Loyd to the Aces and the No. 2 pick in the draft to the Storm.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball