If I were running the Phoenix Mercury, a 0‑4 loss, even in close games, wouldn’t sit well. The Indiana Fever, even without their top players, made the Aces work hard for every point. After a brutal 2025 WNBA season, questions are mounting about the Mercury’s 2026 outlook. With CBA negotiations still unsettled, teams across the league face uncertainty and thin rosters. Mercury GM spoke candidly to reporters, offering no sugarcoating about the challenges and hard calls ahead for Alyssa Thomas and Co.

Speaking to the media during the exit interviews, Nick U’Ren said, “I told everybody kind of over and over, ‘We have no idea what’s coming for us.’ They’re going to have decisions to make based on their career, their family. We’re going to have a decision to make based on our team.” As things stand, the Phoenix Mercury only have one player, Kalani Brown, signed for the 2026 season. And with the reality of a WNBA lockdown ever so close, all of us, including the ones in the league, have no clarity about what’s to come.

The Phoenix Mercury, like most of the teams in the league, has been forced to play the waiting game. As long as the CBA negotiations are not completed, there will be no clarity regarding the threshold for player salaries and the salary cap. Probably, they would intend to bring back as much of the roster as possible, but there’s no confirmation. However, a few players should surely get the tickets to Phoenix.

Alyssa Thomas had an amazing year. She was one of the contenders for the MVP and even finished as the joint-winner of the Defensive Player of the Year. For sure, the Mercury would want her back. Similarly, Satou Sabally was the second-best player on the team, and as long as nothing surprising happens, she should be back as well, and this isn’t all.

Stressing the family aspect of GM Nick U’Ren’s comments, DeWanna Bonner should be back as well. After the entire saga with the Indiana Fever, she has now settled into the Phoenix Mercury. Of course, being close to her wife, Alyssa Thomas, will also be a big incentive for her to return to the Phoenix Mercury.

In terms of major players, there is just one doubt: Kahleah Copper’s return. Although she had an amazing Game 4 of the finals, Kahleah’s numbers throughout the season dipped from 2024’s 21.2 points per game to 15.6 points per game this season. While the details of the CBA negotiations may remain a mystery for now, one thing is certain: There are going to be massive raises in player salaries next year. If that is the case, it will be interesting to see who the Phoenix Mercury prioritize for the coming season.

Will the WNBA and WNBPA agree on a new CBA before the deadline?

October 31 marks the expiration of the WNBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, with negotiations still stalled after months of talks. Hopes were high during a face-to-face meeting at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend, but players later called it a “wasted opportunity.” Sources indicate the league has proposed a sizable pay increase, but players aren’t buying it. They remain firm on securing a revenue-sharing model that could redefine the economic balance between the league and its athletes.

If the coldness between the WNBPA and the league wasn’t enough, came Napheesa Collier’s exit interview. With a bombshell of a statement issued by the MVP runner-up, the pressure has increased on Cathy Engelbert to get the CBA negotiations sorted out as soon as possible. In her press conference before the Finals began, Cathy had said, “While I hope we make the October 31st deadline, and that is a real deadline from that perspective, we have extended deadlines in the past.”

Recently, the WNBA has quietly made a step to smooth over things. They increased the bonuses for the Finals winners and runner-ups. The Aces players will get $22,908 each, and the Mercury side will take $8,521 per player. While it may not be a big step, there is some hope that with this gesture, the two parties can find some common ground and get this uncertain situation resolved.

As things stand, missing the deadline seems like a certainty. But there are a lot of moving pieces behind the scenes, and when both parties are willing to make a deal, a solution can always be found.