Behind every great team, there’s someone quietly pulling the strings — someone working quietly behind the curtain, piecing together the perfect team. For the Phoenix Mercury, that person is General Manager Nick U’Ren. The Mercury needed a shake-up-not a small tweak, but a full-blown overhaul. What followed was one of the biggest roster transformations in WNBA history. Ten players were replaced as U’Ren brought in fresh faces like Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally, and Sami Whitcomb.

They landed Sabally and Thomas in blockbuster four-team trades, while Whitcomb joined via free agency. But the real magic came from the under-the-radar signings. The Mercury struck gold with training camp deals, uncovering hidden gems like Lexi Held, Monique Akoa Makani, and Kathryn Westbeld. Together, they helped fuel an incredible playoff run that ended in a Finals sweep.

One of the biggest reasons for their downfall was the struggle of their star forward, Alyssa Thomas. The 33-year-old, who had been the heartbeat of the team all season — leading them to 27 wins, their best record since 2015 and only the second 25+ win season in franchise history — just couldn’t impose her will against the Aces in the Finals. Still, that won’t stop Nick U’Ren from continuing to build around his MVP candidate as the Mercury look to take the next step next season.

“It was such a pleasure to watch her, and she deserves all the credit for the season she had. And now it’s our job to kind of figure out, do we put that as much on her shoulders again? Do we try to take some off of her plate? That’s kind of yet to be decided, but she deserves a ton of credit for the year she had, and we gotta figure that out,” he said in an interview.

The WNBA is heading into a period of real uncertainty with this year’s free agency looming. Apart from rookies, the only players with guaranteed contracts for next season are Mercury’s Kalani Brown and Seattle’s Lexie Brown. The Mercury’s big three are all out of contract following the season, but as things stand, there’s no indication they won’t be back next year.

U’Ren’s decision to build a team around the first player in WNBA history to lead her team in points, rebounds, and assists across multiple series-clinching wins doesn’t look bad on paper, does it? But ask the fans, and you’ll get a different story. Thousands have shared their takes on the former Steve Kerr “secretary’s” team-building approach. Let’s dive into some of those reactions.

Fans react to Alyssa Thomas being the Mercury center piece next season

“Building around a 34-year-old with no shoulders and a history of losing instead of a Finals MVP, one of the best shooters in the league, or your rookie point guard. Lmao,” one fan tweeted after hearing the news. And honestly? It does make a lot of sense. We will tell you why.

Alyssa Thomas had become a nightmare for every Mercury playoff opponent. All season, her team’s physical, high-octane style was on full display—especially with their signature “flat-screen” play. Coach Cheryl Reeve even joked about it, calling Thomas’ signature move the WNBA’s version of a “tush-push.” One fan even said, “She needs to go play rugby,” while describing just how physical she was throughout the season.

But Becky Hammon found the perfect counter: a zone defense that effectively neutralized Thomas’ ability to control the game’s tempo. Moves like this will now surely be studied and replicated by other teams to slow down Thomas and the Mercury, which only reinforces why building a team entirely around her might not make much sense.

Thomas struggled throughout the entire playoff series. She missed two crucial free throws in Game 1, then recorded her lowest postseason production in Game 2 with just 10 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. In Game 3, she had a “respectable” outing offensively but struggled on defense. Game 4 saw her notch her sixth playoff triple-double, but it was too little, too late. “That’s fine, just continue to rot in hell then,” one fan remarked after seeing the news.

Clearly, for a player who has battled a torn labrum in both shoulders since 2017 and even came back from a ruptured Achilles in just nine months in 2021, being the centerpiece of a team at age 33 is definitely questionable. “First step is telling her to undergo surgery and fix the shoulders,” said one fan, aware of why Thomas missed those crucial free throws at the end of Game 1. Playing through a torn labrum has hampered her shooting–her career free-throw percentage sits at just 65.1%, and she is 1-for-26 from beyond the arc, per ESPN.

Then there’s the harsh reality: Thomas has never actually won it all. She’s been to the Finals three times and lost every single one—twice to the Aces. There’s a real chance that Alyssa Thomas, a name etched across WNBA record books and all-time lists, could retire without ever winning a championship or an MVP. So the question is simple: why build a team around someone who always finishes second?

Fans want the Mercury front office to build around Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally instead. “Build around Satou or Kah, let AT be a complimentary piece,” one fan suggested. And sure, centering a team around a 2021 WNBA champion and Finals MVP isn’t a crazy idea–but Copper is injury-prone and a bit inconsistent at times. She also isn’t the established superstar Thomas has been, finishing in the top 5 of MVP voting every year since 2022.

But to give Nick U’Ren some credit—when a player breaks the WNBA single-season assist record, averaging 9.154 assists per game in 2025 (second only to Vandersloot’s perfect 10.0), and becomes the first player in WNBA history to record three consecutive triple-doubles, why wouldn’t you keep building around her? Alyssa Thomas is one of the league’s best, and there’s no doubt she’ll find a way to bounce back from this disappointing Finals series.

But fans are asking an interesting question. Given her age and ongoing health issues, should Alyssa Thomas remain the centerpiece of a team, or would she be better suited to a more supporting role going forward? What do you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!