A new era in Phoenix is off to a bumpy start.
The Mercury open the 2025 season Saturday night without Diana Taurasi or Brittney Griner for the first time in more than two decades, and they will now be without Kahleah Copper for the foreseeable future. The four-time All-Star and 2024 Olympian was the only returning starter from last year’s roster after a massive offseason overhaul, but Phoenix announced Saturday that she had a left knee arthroscopy and will be out for four to six weeks.
Copper participated in Unrivaled during the winter but suffered a right leg injury that limited her to appearances in seven of 16 games. She had been relatively healthy in WNBA action, missing only five games in 2023 and 2024 combined. Her best year was 2024, averaging 21.1 points as she earned all-WNBA honors for the first time in her nine-year career. She also played a pivotal role off the bench for the United States in the gold medal game against France at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Phoenix built a top-heavy roster entering 2025, sacrificing much of its depth to acquire All-Stars Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas. Sami Whitcomb is the only other player on the Mercury to have ever averaged double figures in points, and that was in 2021.
Phoenix will also be without Natasha Mack for two to three weeks because of a lower back injury. Copper and Mack were the only returning players on the roster, which lost mainstays Taurasi and Griner to retirement and free agency, respectively.
Coach Nate Tibbetts joked during the offseason that the Mercury would have to wear name tags during training camp, but their roster is currently closer to an expansion team than a contender in terms of continuity. They’ll take the floor against the Seattle Storm on Saturday with zero players from 2024, plus three rookies.
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)