How The 1998 Expansion Draft Impacted Phoenix

The Phoenix Mercury were one of the WNBA's original teams, and the following year, they lost a player due to an expansion draft.

Sep 7, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; An official SPalding WNBA basketball on the court during the game between the Phoenix Mercury against the Chicago Sky during game one of the WNBA Finals at US Airways Center. The Mercury defeated the Sky 83-62. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury were one of the first teams in the WNBA. They made their debut in 1997, and they finished that season with a record of 16-12.

After that season, the WNBA began to grow, and the Detroit Shock and the Washington Mystics made their debut in 1998. Those two teams received players through allocation, as the Mystics received Nikki McCray and Alessandra Santos de Oliveira. The Shock received Cindy Brown and Razija Mujanović.

Jun 14, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; A basketball goes through the hoop during warm ups before the Golden State Valkyries play the Seattle Storm at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Once they received those players, the Shock and the Mystics selected players in an expansion draft, and players from the league's first teams were drafted. Detroit drafted Rhonda Blades, and she played for the New York Liberty. Heidi Burge was drafted by the Mystics, and she played for the Los Angeles Sparks.

A few picks later, the Shock drafted Tara Williams. Williams played for the Mercury, as she signed a contract with them before the start of the season. She played 12 games, and she averaged 3.1 points during that time.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; The shoes of Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally (0) are seen before the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Williams was the Mercury's first player to be moved due to an expansion draft, and she did not play for Detroit. She was playing overseas, and she suffered a knee injury before the draft.

Later on she joined the Portland Fire, and she played 26 games with them. She averaged 3.1 points once again.

Fast forward to the present, and the WNBA will have another expansion draft. The Fire and the Toronto Tempo will be joining the league, and they will get a chance to add some talent. Before that, the Golden State Valkyries had an expansion draft, and with the first pick, they selected liana Rupert.

Sep 4, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries forward Monique Billings (25) warms up before the game against the Dallas Wings at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images

Valkyries add Mercury forward

Golden State added players like Veronica Burton and Kate Martin, and later in the round, the team added a player from the Mercury. The Valkyries selected Monique Billings, and she played 13 games with Phoenix. She averaged 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds during that time. She started the season with the Dallas Wings, but she made her way to Phoenix. She signed a seven-day contract with Phoenix, and she signed with them for the rest of the season.

The Valkyries had a successful year, and made the playoffs after adding these players. Now, two more teams will try their luck as they find the right players to build around.

Expansion drafts are nothing new, and when it comes to the Mercury, their first experience involved their guard.

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