Why The Expansion Draft Will Impact The Mercury

The WNBA will have an expansion draft soon, and a recent article discussed how that can impact the Phoenix Mercury.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) and Golden State Valkyries forward Laeticia Amihere (3) reach for a loose ball in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The WNBA is growing, as new teams are being added to the league. The Golden State Valkyries made their debut this year, and they had a respectable season. They finished the regular season with a record of 23-21, and they made the playoffs. The Valkyries lost to the Minnesota Lynx, but even getting to that point shows that they have a bright future.

Next season, the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo will be in action, and with those teams entering the league, there will be an expansion draft.

That draft will give both teams a chance to add talent from other teams. For example, when the Valkyries entered the league, they drafted players such as Veronica Burton, Temi Fagbenle and Kate Martin.

Aug 22, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; The Phoenix Mercury reacts after forward DeWanna Bonner (14) scores against the Golden State Valkyries in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Portland and Toronto will add players, and current teams will be able to protect certain players from being drafted. A recent ESPN article did an excellent job of breaking down the process, and there were predictions for each team.

Mercury stars named projected protected

When it comes to the Mercury, there were some fair predictions. For example, the Mercury's projected protected players were Monique Akoa Makani, Natasha Mack, Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas and Kathryn Westbeld.

These players were a part of the starting lineup at some point in the season. Mack and Westbeld were reserves at different points of the season, but they were both in the starting lineup for some games. The others were consistently in the lineup, but injuries may have changed things.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb (33) celebrates with teammates against the Golden State Valkyries in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

As far as the projected unprotected players like Kalani Brown, Lexi Held, Kitija Laksa and Sami Whitcomb were mentioned. There were also players such as Julia Ayrault and Helena Pueyo. Ayrault and Pueyo fall under the suspended list and contract expired category.

There are two players who are considered ineligible, and they are Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner. They are ineligible because they are unrestricted free agents who have exhausted their core eligibility. They did so by playing at least two seasons under core contracts.

The WNBA is headed in the right direction. Current teams like the Mercury are playing at a high level, and new teams are preparing to make their debut. The upcoming expansion draft will be important, and it will be interesting to see how everything plays out.

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