All five starters from last year’s team will no longer play in Uncasville, as the Sun have traded away forward Alyssa Thomas, guard/forward DiJonai Carrington and guard Tyasha Harris and saw forward Brionna Jones and foward/guard DeWanna Bonner leave in free agency.
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The Sun cored Thomas, but eventually dealt her to the Phoenix Mercury, which was reported by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou on Tuesday. The Sun received guard Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s draft from the Mercury in exchange for Thomas and Harris.
Harris has now landed on the Dallas Wings as part of a move to bring Satou Sabally to Phoenix, which was initially reported three-team trade with the Indiana Fever that ESPN broke news of on Friday. Then on Saturday, Winsidr’s Rachel Galligan reported the Sun were trading DiJonai Carrington, the 2025 No.12 overall draft pick and rights to swap 2026 second-round draft picks to Dallas for Jacy Sheldon and the No. 8 2025 draft pick.
The four teams proceeded to fold the myriad of deals together into one four-team trade, which became official on Sunday. You can see an easy breakdown of the final result of the deals here:
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The players leaving
Carrington is the reigning Most Improved Player going into the 2025 WNBA season and will reunite with prior Sun teammate Harris and her significant other forward Nalyssa Smith. Smith and Carrington played one season together at Baylor University during the 2020-21 NCAA season.
Forward Brionna Jones entered the off season as a free agent and was expected to explore her options. Jones has departed the Sun who drafted her No. 8 overall in 2017, to sign with the Atlanta Dream according to Alexa Philippou.
She spent eight years with the Sun and was named the 2021 Most Improved Player and the 2022 Sixth Player of the Year. Jones worked her way into the starting lineup and became an essential part of this team helping lead them to six consecutive semifinals and highlighting the franchises “Big Three.”
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Sun forward DeWanna Bonner has signed a one year contract with the Indiana Fever, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported on Sunday. Bonner will reunite with head coach Stephanie White who left the Sun to go back to her roots in Indiana.
Bonner has been with the Sun for the past five seasons where she helped lead them to the semifinals all five years and the WNBA Finals in 2022. She averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists last season for the Sun.
She will enter her 16th season joining the Fever’s very talented squad including guard Caitlin Clark, guard Kelsey Mitchell and forward/center Aliyah Boston. ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo said that adding Bonner to this team makes them a championship contending team in 2025.
There are yet more moves coming in Connecticut, too. On Saturday, Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Sun were finalizing a re-route Allen to Chicago in a trade, with the Sky sending Connecticut guard Lindsay Allen and the rights to forward Nikolina Milić.
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The new additions
Sheldon was a first-round draft pick and was selected fifth overall from Ohio State. She slid into the starting lineup for the Wings around the midpoint of the 2024 season. She scored a rookie season-high of 17 points against the Atlanta Dream on July 5, shooting five-for-eight from the three-point line.
Sheldon will add to the Sun’s perimeter shooting, joining current Sun guard Marina Mabrey in the backcourt. Also, joining their backcourt is Cloud who averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.4 steals during the 2024 season with the Mercury.
Cloud is a solid defender and earned All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2024. If the Sun want to continue being a strong defensive team, even with a different roster, then Cloud would be a great fit.
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The three guards, Mabrey, Sheldon and Cloud could fit together all having something to bring to the table but it is going to take some time to build chemistry in the backcourt and for the Sun roster as a whole. But at this point, it’s hard to know how close the Sun are to their final 2025 roster.
If Cloud ends up staying in Connecticut, then she will provide veteran leadership as she prepares to enter her ninth WNBA season. The Sun will need a strong point guard to lead their younger squad especially since Bonner has departed the team. If the reported deal with Chicago goes through, adding Lindsay Allen could give them another veteran point guard option.
The guard-heavy roster may be concerning for some, but the Sun still have center Olivia Nelson-Ododa to help defend the paint, rebound and score in the post. Nelson-Ododa is prepared to take on this role after learning from veterans, Thomas, Jones and Bonner the past few years. She will likely find herself in a starting position next season.
The free agency and trade period is not over yet and more changes may happen in the days to come. Connecticut will be entering the 2025 season with a brand new coaching staff and a different looking team than they’ve had for a long time. Without Thomas, Bonner and Jones on the roster, the franchises next moves are something to look out for.
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