The WNBA offseason is an eternity when compared to most professional sports leagues. That was true yet again this winter, even with an expansion draft, a wild free agency period and Unrivaled entering the mix.

Thomas averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists last season playing for the Connecticut Sun. In the backcourt, veterans Sami Whitcomb, Sevgi Uzun, and rookie Lexi Held will be asked to fill Copper’s scoring void.

The new Big 3 of Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally played their first game together against Las Vegas. However they won't have their WNBA regular season debut together in the Mercury's opener against the Seattle Storm on Saturday, May 17, at 7 p.m. at PHX Arena.

The sports world buzzes with Max Verstappen's Imola win, breaking Oscar Piastri's streak. Coco Gauff eyes success at the French Open after two clay final losses. Key players face injuries across various sports,

Eight players made their debut for the Mercury, the most to do so in the same game for the franchise since nine did so in 1999 — the WNBA’s inaugural season.

The Sky still missed the playoffs last season, however, and the team needed to add some firepower to the lineup. Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper was an obvious choice, as she scored 21.1 points per game last year and teamed up with Reese during Unrivaled.

The Phoenix Mercury received multiple injury updates ahead of their game on Saturday against the Seattle Storm.

Taurasi retired after a 20-year WNBA career — all in Phoenix — that included three championships (2007, 2009, 2014), two Finals MVPs (2009, 2014) and one league MVP (2009). Griner, a nine-time All-Star, signed with the Atlanta Dream as a free agent after spending the first 11 seasons of her career with the Mercury.