2024-25 WNBA Offseason Guides: Connecticut Sun
2024-25 WNBA Offseason Guides: Connecticut Sun
Our series breaking down where WNBA teams stand heading into the upcoming offseason continues with the Connecticut Sun
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Previously published 2024-25 Offseason Guides:
Los Angeles Sparks
Dallas Wings
Chicago Sky
Washington Mystics
Atlanta Dream
Seattle Storm
Indiana Fever
Phoenix Mercury
Las Vegas Aces
2024 record: 28-12, No. 3 seed, beat Indiana 2-0 in the first round, lost 3-2 to Minnesota in the semifinals.
2025 draft picks: The Sun only have one pick in the 2025 draft, right at the end of the second round at No. 25 overall. They obtained that pick along with Marina Mabrey in the deal that gave up their own 2025 first-rounder, and the right to swap first-round picks in 2026. Their own second-rounder went to Washington for Queen Egbo (waived less than a month later) and their third-rounder to Atlanta back in 2023 for Leigha Brown.
Free agents: Brionna Jones (uncoreable unrestricted free agent), DeWanna Bonner (uncoreable unrestricted free agent), Alyssa Thomas (unrestricted free agent), Tiffany Mitchell (unrestricted free agent), Astou Ndour-Fall (unrestricted free agent), DiJonai Carrington (restricted free agent), Veronica Burton (reserved), Caitlin Bickle (reserved).
Under contract for 2025: Marina Mabrey, Tyasha Harris, Olivia Nelson-Ododa.
2024 performance: There's real value to being consistently good. As a fan of teams in other sports that are regularly bad, I can confirm that I would love to support a team with the Connecticut Sun's recent track record. They haven't just been good, they've been one of the league's top-four teams in seven of the last eight years. But once you're up at that level, it's easy to understand the frustration at never quite reaching the mountaintop. Ultimately, 2024 proved to be yet another year of very good, but not quite good enough.
The Sun were a strong team all season, battling statistically with Minnesota for the best defense in the league, with an offense that was good enough to combine with that to win a lot of games. Turning to last year's backups as this year's starters in the backcourt might've seemed like a risk but Tyasha Harris and DiJonai Carrington proved they were up to the task, before a midseason trade for Marina Mabrey added further depth and firepower on the perimeter. Brionna Jones returned from her Achilles injury to produce a solid season alongside the long-established forward pairing of DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas, giving the Sun their usual hope of a deep postseason run. They took care of Indiana - many people's choice for a first-round upset - and then pushed Minnesota all the way in the semifinals before coming up just short. Now the questions are whether they try to run it back once again with this same core, and whether those players will even give them that option.
Offseason finances: The Sun have the most cap space in the league for 2025 at $1,116,264, but that's because they have a grand total of three players currently under contract for next season. They have their core spot available which seems likely to be used on Alyssa Thomas, which would swallow $249,244 of that space with the supermax core qualifying offer. Both DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones are unrestricted free agents and neither can be cored due to reaching the limit of seasons played under the core designation. In theory, they could bring all three back at the supermax but that wouldn't leave much to fill out the rest of the roster. In that scenario, the most they could give restricted free agent Carrington would be $104,216, even if the remaining four spots on an 11-player roster were filled with players on the absolute base minimum. Carrington's in an awkward spot because offer sheets from other teams have to be for at least two years, and as I've mentioned many times, most players aren't going to want to sign for more than one year this offseason due to the new CBA on the horizon. But the Sun still won't want to low-ball her even if the negotiation is only between themselves and Carrington, without any other teams getting involved.
Assuming the Sun want to run it back again with essentially the same core group, they'll probably be hoping that Bonner and Jones, and maybe Thomas as well, will agree to re-sign for less than supermax money. The most Bonner or Jones could sign for elsewhere - without involving the Sun in a sign-and-trade deal - is the regular max ($214,466), so there's a meaningful gap between that and their possible figure if re-signing in Connecticut. Even if they agreed to somewhere between the two max numbers it would give the Sun a bit more to work with; if they came down to something like $200,000 each, then the Sun could potentially make some calls to free agents to help deepen the bench. But all these scenarios require both the Sun wanting to stick with the same group, and all those players wanting to return.
Offseason priorities: Thanks to that midseason trade for Mabrey - which worked in that she fit in well and made them more dangerous, but failed in that they're still at home watching the Finals - the Sun don't control their 2026 first-round pick. The Sky have the right to swap it for the Mercury's 2026 first-rounder, which they already held from a previous trade. So unless they expect Phoenix to struggle as well, there's not much point in Connecticut tanking in 2025 and trying to dive head-first into a rebuild. So the question becomes exactly how they want to try to remain a contender.
The first decision will be whether to core Thomas, which seems like a no-brainer. As I've said with stars on other teams who could become unrestricted free agents, even if she wants out you core her first to make sure she'd exit in a trade for meaningful return rather than walking for nothing. Thomas's scoring production dropped this season and her lack of range creates certain issues, but she's still an elite creator and defender. Bonner is Thomas's fiancée, so she obviously has ties to the franchise even beyond the five seasons she's played there, but was rumored to be talking to a lot of other teams while a free agent before the 2024 season. With Bonner and Jones having the freedom to decide their own future, a significant part of Connecticut's plans for 2025 are likely out of their own hands. They may feel that Olivia Nelson-Ododa is ready to step up and replace much of what Jones offers, and Mabrey was likely acquired in part as a hedge against losing Bonner, but if both the established frontcourt stars walk away they'll have a lot of work to do in free agency trying to replenish the talent - even assuming that Thomas doesn't ask out.
The Sun also have to start making decisions about what they're doing off the court. There's not a lot they can do about being based away from a major city - barring a complete franchise move to somewhere like Boston - given that the team is essentially there as an additional draw to the casino. But Thomas complained loudly about having "to share your court with a two-year-old's birthday party" when they were trying to practice the day before a playoff game. It's always been a struggle for the Sun to attract and retain players in such a small market, and with teams league-wide improving their facilities to keep up with competitors it's only getting harder. A dedicated facility or at least greater attention to providing for the team may be necessary to keep the players happy. But for at least one more year, they'll likely be hoping that the same stars are still happy enough to stick around.
Future assets: Apart from those aforementioned swap rights that Chicago hold over Connecticut's 2026 first-rounder, the Sun have all their own picks in 2026 and no extras. They also still hold the draft rights to two picks from this year's draft, Abbey Hsu and Leïla Lacan. Third-round pick Hsu is in Belgium this year gaining experience and will likely get a shot in training camp at some point, while Lacan is a guard who made the French squad for the 2024 Olympics and played over 15 minutes per game. The Sun believed in her talent enough to take her at No. 10 overall and if they can get her to show up, she's a real prospect and still only 20 years old. But as always with international players, actual participation in the WNBA is often a question mark. Hopefully, we see her at some point.
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What happens if Connecticut cores Alyssa Thomas and she decides to have surgery on her shoulders? Do they still have to pay her? Does a year on IR count as a cored year? I don't think she's been cored, so presumably the Sun can force her to stay in Connecticut for three more years.
I'm guessing this means Thomas must actually play or be on the roster for the Sun to get those three years done. She can't just sit out, right?
But with Bonner and Jones gone, Thomas probably won't be happy playing for a bad team. (I don't know, just guessing ...) Do the Sun want to keep an unhappy Thomas around for three years? Or would they trade her for a high pick?
How about the Valkyries' fourth pick (presumably)? Bonner signs with Golden State, and if Jones likes playing with them, she does too.
Plus they lost their head coach. So that is arguably as important as bringing AT back