Few WNBA teams have a more unpredictable future than the Connecticut Sun, who entered the offseason with five unrestricted free agents, including Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Breonna Jones. The Sun have a new coach, a new general manager, and only three returning players under contract for next season. While it's plausible that the team would resume operating with the same core that made Connecticut one of the winningest franchises in recent history, it also seems realistic for the franchise to go in a different direction. It will be done.
SB Nation spoke with newly appointed Sun general manager Morgan Tuck to find out where things are headed heading into free agency, which begins on January 21st.
Connecticut Sun Free Agent Preview — Overview:
Before we get into the conversation with Tuck, let's quickly review the position of the sun in late December.
Stephanie White left the organization in October to become the Indiana Fever's new coach, and a few weeks later the organization announced the hiring of renowned French professional basketball coach Rachid Meziane. Meziane is currently the head coach. Villeneuve d'AscqThe French club has been EuroLeague runners-up in each of the past two seasons. he also Belgium women's national team He placed 4th at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Connecticut also has a new general manager in former UW star and Sun player Morgan Tuck, who has been in the front office the past few seasons. Tuck replaces Darius Taylor, who served as the team's general manager for two seasons. Taylor will now lead the scouts in Connecticut.
On the free agent front, the team could be poised for a big change. Connecticut has five free agents: Alyssa Thomas, Breonna Jones, DeWanna Bonner, Tiffany Mitchell and Astu N'Dour-Fall. Additionally, last year's most improved player, DeJonai Carrington, is a restricted free agent. Kaitlyn Bickle, who is not in the rotation, is the only reserve player on the team and can only negotiate with the Sun unless she is released.
Photo by: Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images
Backup point guard Veronica Barton, who was left unprotected in the Valkyries' expansion draft, is headed to Golden State.
That means the team's only guaranteed returning players (barring a trade) are Marina Mabry, Ty Harris, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa. Mabry, acquired from the Sky in the middle of last season, had an excellent performance in Connecticut, averaging 14.9 points and shooting 42.4 percent from 3-point range in 16 games with the Sun. Harris made an incredible leap in his first season as a full-time starter, averaging 10.5 points in 28.8 minutes per game. And in his third season as a pro, Nelson-Ododa has established himself as a serviceable backup post player.
However, Thomas, Bonner and Jones are the team's big three, and it remains to be seen whether they will re-sign with Connecticut. If Connecticut gets its core back, it will likely find itself in championship contention for another year. If a veteran retires, the team may need to rebuild its structure around new young talent.
What Morgan Tuck said about upcoming free agency
The Sun's new general manager joined SB Nation to discuss the hiring of Rashid Meziane and the upcoming free agency period. The following has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Dalzell: What went into the decision to hire Rashid Mejian as head coach?
Tuck: We approached the hiring process with a very open mind about which coaches we hired. We were like, “Okay, let's take a look at who we think is the best coach and who we think is the best fit for Connecticut and our organization.''
His coaching experience abroad was also very interesting. We will see more and more international players coming to our league, playing and having great success. It always helps to have someone with whom you are deeply rooted and connected. But overall I felt like he was the best person for the job. He's probably a slightly different choice than most people would think of or take. But we had real confidence in his abilities and his humanity as a person. I feel he will lead us in the right direction.
Dalzell: Meziane… WNBA circuit. What kind of person is he on a personal level?
He's a very nice guy, very laid back and relaxed. That's who he is. I'm looking forward to people getting to know him a little bit and getting a chance to see his personality on the sidelines. I think he's that kind of guy — I care more about the fan base that likes him than other fans — but I think people in the league will be pleasantly surprised by him.
Dalzell: With so many free agents, it's expected to be quite the offseason for Connecticut. How do you balance wanting to remain competitive next season with wanting to think long-term and prepare for the future?
Tuck: It's hard to go into it expecting it to be exactly the same, right? A lot has changed over the past few months, and obviously more changes are coming. But we're a Connecticut team, and Connecticut is known for having very competitive teams, really good teams. So I don't think you can avoid that and the expectations of how good you need to be. But it takes time. And you need to have some change and be prepared.
You go into it with an open mind, and you go into it thinking: What's the best-case scenario? In the short term, and hopefully in the long term, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the new CBA launching next year. What also puts us in the best position? Free agency is going to be insane next year. So you have to look at the big picture and decide what makes the most sense. That means you need to determine what will not only help you stay competitive, but also prepare you for the future.
Dalzell: Would you say that potential avenues for both bringing back key free agents and a reset are on the table right now?
Tuck: I don't know if I would consider it a reset. More importantly, I'm just very open-minded. There are some players who can pull a little more. [with]and in some places, hey, they'll be able to choose where they go. So it's hard to say exactly, but it's a very open situation at the moment, and we're going to take the next month or so to go from being open to being a little bit more focused and moving in the direction that we think is the best way forward. need to spend. .
Dalzell: Would you like to see free agents like Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Breonna Jones return to Connecticut next season?
Tuck: I think it depends. It's hard for us to say, “Okay, let's stop,'' because we've been so good and had such a good core so far. But at the same time, there are many factors at play on our side and on the player's side as well. So it's still up in the air, and we'll probably get a better idea as we get closer to it. It's really open.
Dalzell: Veronica Barton was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft. What was the emotional aspect of being involved in those decisions?
Tuck: Of course we were sad to see Veronica chosen. She was amazing. I think everyone can see how great of a person she was, not just as a player. But while this expansion draft was to test the waters, with two new teams coming in next year, the expansion draft isn't going anywhere. That was a good way to get it under your belt.
Dalzell: How did you decide which players to keep? And how do you balance prioritizing players you know you want back and players the Valkyries might be interested in?
There's a reason we have limits on the number of people we can protect. It would be easier if we could protect everyone we don't want to lose. The people we ended up not being able to protect, that doesn't mean they're not wanted. It's tough when you have to exclude people or protect certain people over others.
But there's a reason for that, right? That's to keep things competitive and allow the Valkyries to get off to a somewhat competitive start as well. Expansion drafts are always exciting, but at the same time difficult because you end up losing people you probably didn't need to lose.
Note: The second part of SB Nation's conversation with Morgan Tuck, about her path to becoming general manager, will be published later this week.
