The Phoenix Mercury had been one of the hottest teams in the 2025 season and raced to the finals with some comprehensive wins against both 2024 WNBA finalists. But the 2026 scenario is completely different as the team failed to hold on to its core and lost Satou Sabally to the New York Liberty in Free agency. The front office, though, took another step, removing Kalani Brown from the roster.
The 2019 rookie was under contract with the Mercury, but the team opted not to keep her and bought out her contract.
Phoenix Mercury Releases Kalani Brown
The 29-year-old was a rotational piece in the stacked Mercury 2025 roster. She played in 12.8 minutes per game and averaged just above five points and four rebounds for the side.
As per reports from Khristina Williams, Phoenix, meanwhile, parted ways with Kalani Brown, who agreed to a buyout.
BREAKING: Kalani Brown and the Phoenix Mercury have agreed to a contract buyout. She is now an unrestricted free agent, sources tell @ICYMIwithKW.
— Khristina (@Khristina) April 17, 2026
Drafted at seventh position in 2019 by the Los Angeles Sparks, Brown played for the Wings and the Atlanta Dream before joining the Mercury team. Playing for the Wings in 2023, she averaged nearly eight points and five rebounds, which were her best career stats. The 6-foot-7 star could draw interest from teams looking to shore up their front line.
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As for the Mercury, the 2025 finalists are now looking to build the roster from scratch, leaving them vulnerable in the short term.
Phoenix Mercury Looking to Build Around
The three-time champions had been through a bad patch before and even used their second-round draft picks to build future All-Stars. While the team is currently searching for the answers to fill in the depth, GM Nick U’Ren answered a few media questions about the team’s strategy for the season.
“Everything moves really, really quickly. There’s tons of factors, tons of timelines that go into everything. We are really excited about the group we’ve got coming in, in terms of experience, in terms of opportunity. I think we’ve got a ton of depth and a ton of flexibility, and I’m really excited about it,” the Mercury GM Said.
Our 2026 Phoenix Mercury Training Camp Roster pic.twitter.com/j0SbCaNXdU
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) April 17, 2026
While the side drops outside the top five starting lineups in the 2026 season, Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper are still two megastars available in the lineup for them.