WNBA power rankings: What's got the Phoenix Mercury rolling?

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a day ago

This is the halfway point of the WNBA calendar, the 60th day out of 119 during the regular season. And if you noticed a flurry of transactions over the weekend, it is because every contract in the league is guaranteed for the rest of the season as of Monday. Even players on unprotected deals (which include the first three years of all rookie contracts) will receive their full-season paychecks if they are waived beyond this point.
Though a couple of current lottery teams made cuts to the end of their rotations (Connecticut waived Jaelyn Brown and Haley Peters and Los Angeles dropped Mercedes Russell), the more interesting moves were made by contenders. Phoenix, which has been toggling players in and out of its 12th spot all season, waived Kiana Williams, leaving an open roster spot and about $75,000 in cap space. New York parted ways with Marquesha Davis, a first-round pick in 2024, to create an opening; the money was almost immaterial as the Liberty already have just about enough cap space for a pro-rated max contract. Minnesota also waived its 2024 first-rounder Alissa Pili for a roster opening, and the Lynx now have enough cap space to sign a player to a veteran minimum contract.
Rosters are legally allowed to sit at 11, so the Sun will have to add one player within 24 hours of waiving Peters and Brown, but the other teams are in no rush to make a corresponding move. They can keep an empty spot to allow for an imbalanced deal (i.e. two players for one) at the trade deadline, add a player later, or simply save the cap space — teams can use that money to give players time-off bonuses during the offseason.
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The major free agent who could change the balance of power among the top three teams is Emma Meesseman, the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP who last played in the league in 2022, when she was an All-Star for the Chicago Sky. Meesseman most recently starred for the Belgian national team at Eurobasket, when Belgium won its second consecutive title. As a power forward, Meesseman likely would come off the bench behind superstars such as Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas, but she had the same role for much of the 2019 postseason behind Elena Delle Donne.
As we await more transactions before the trade deadline on Aug. 7, the important takeaway is that the contenders have created flexibility to make further moves. There isn't enough separation at the top for anyone to be satisfied with their current position.
Three standout performances
1. Tina Charles paying it forward
After going ring chasing in 2022, Tina Charles has spent this latest chapter of her career embracing the role of veteran mentor. She regained her love for the WNBA in Atlanta in 2024 and then signed up for what she had to know would not be a winning situation in Connecticut this year. But it's fun to see Charles become beloved by the new generation.
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Cameron Brink debuted against Charles in 2024 and got tips from Charles on how to post up and use her spin move. The Sun's rookies have effusively praised Charles, and she clearly loves them just as much (look at how she lifts up Leila Lacan after a game-sealing play).
Rayah Marshall said if it wasn't for the love she got from Charles and the rest of Connecticut's staff, going through training camp would be like 'trying to drink out of a fire hydrant with a straw.' Saniya Rivers said Charles checked on her regularly after her mom died. 'She was just in my ear, texting me every day, if I needed food, if I needed a hug, whatever, she was there,' Rivers said. 'When I came back, she reminded me to give myself grace, so just been trying to do that.'
It doesn't hurt that Charles has provided an offensive fulcrum for the Sun, especially with Marina Mabrey missing the last few weeks. Charles turned back the clock with 29 points and 11 rebounds in Connecticut's win over Seattle on Wednesday, when in classic Charles fashion she supplied a series of jumpers, hook shots and floaters. Eleven of those points came in the fourth as the Sun overcame an eight-point deficit.
Charles followed that performance by becoming the second player in WNBA history to reach 8,000 points, the latest in a long line of all-time accolades. Watching her teammates celebrate her is a testament to the impact she is already having on their young careers. As Rivers said, 'I know she's a little bit older and bones be hurting, but I'm just glad she wakes up everyday for us and herself and just continues to push.'
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2. Alyssa Thomas enters the MVP discussion
The WNBA's triple-double queen can put up ridiculous stat lines, like the 15-point, 10-rebound, 15-assist triple-double she notched against Dallas on Monday, the first of its kind in league history. But when the game demands Thomas to eschew her playmaking instincts and become a scorer, she can do that, too, as she did with her career-best 29 points to beat Minnesota on Wednesday. Thomas' 24 shot attempts were also a career-high. After attempting double-digit field goals 14 times in the 2024 season, she's already done so 12 times for Phoenix at the halfway point.
Usually, when Thomas runs a pick-and-roll, she is the ballhandler and creates for teammates out of the screening action. But down the stretch against the Lynx, the Mercury had Sami Whitcomb handle and Thomas screen. Thomas willingly rolled to the basket and scored off dump-offs, but more surprisingly, also shot on pick and pops, confidently draining jumpers from the free-throw line. Thomas generally gets her buckets off assists or in transition. But Minnesota was giving her space, so Thomas called her own number, again and again.
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Despite missing five games, Thomas is sixth in the league in win shares and the engine of the second-best team in the standings — and a team that's first in this week's power rankings, even without a healthy Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper. The Mercury have a monstrous stretch coming up: at Golden State and at Minnesota before the All-Star break, and then Atlanta and New York right after. They'll need Thomas to be every bit this effective to continue this momentum.
3. The Lynx need their legs
The Lynx have been grinding. They're in the midst of eight games in 14 days, including two back-to-backs, and two games still to play before the All-Star break. This string of games also followed the Commissioner's Cup final, which doesn't show up on the schedule but is absolutely evident in their legs.
Prior to this stretch, Collier was shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range; she is 3 of her last 23 to drop to 31 percent. Kayla McBride has made 13 of her last 41 3s, and a miserable 7 of 25 from 2-point range during that span. McBride had two single-digit clunkers this week against Phoenix and Los Angeles, the former costly in Minnesota's eight-point loss. The Lynx are still first in the league in 3-point percentage at 34.6, but in a near dead heat with the Liberty, Storm and Sparks. Only Diamond Miller has been effective from long range of late, and Minnesota doesn't yet trust her to close out games. The fatigue showed up on the glass against Chicago on Saturday, as the Lynx were out-rebounded 45-28, though the two teams average 37 and 33 rebounds, respectively.
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The pace of play slows down for the Lynx after the All-Star break, when they have one instance of two games in three days over the next month. That relaxed stretch should reveal whether Minnesota actually has a depth problem, or if the schedule has overtaxed its rotation. At that point, the Lynx can figure out what to do with that newly created roster spot.
Rookie of the week
JJ Quinerly, Dallas Wings
The Wings went 0-fer in the win column this week, but JJ Quinerly still showed a commanding presence as starting point guard. Even when Arike Ogunbowale returned to the lineup, Dallas kept Quinerly in the starting five over first-round pick Aziaha James. In double-digit losses to the Sky and the Fever, Quinerly was plus-3 in Chicago and minus-2 in Indiana, not yet the driving force for wins, but also not shouldering the blame for defeat.
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Quinerly landed in the WNBA because of her defense, and she even got into Caitlin Clark's body despite being about six inches shorter than the Fever guard. Where Quinerly has also impressed at the pro level is her entry passing; she is getting really good at an arcing lob entry into the post, placing it right where only her intended target can catch it. Defenses sit back on Quinerly on the perimeter because they don't want to get blown by, and she takes advantage of that space to angle her passes. You think of Quinerly as a player who increases the pace, so it's useful for her to be able to slow down and affect the game in the half court.
Game to circle
Golden State at Seattle, 3 p.m. (ET) Wednesday
Seattle has been one of the league's most inconsistent teams this season, but the one constant is the Storm's difficulty with the Valkyries. Seattle has beaten the Lynx, Liberty, Mercury, Dream and Aces in 2025 but is 0 for 2 against Golden State, the latest defeat coming by 27 points. Both losses came in San Francisco, where the Valkyries enjoy a special homecourt advantage. Seattle and Golden State are only one loss apart in the standings, and one more Valkyries win would clinch the tiebreaker for Golden State. This is an important opportunity for a Storm squad with three All-Stars to figure out the league's youngest team.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA
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