Sun Trade Bone To Phoenix For Williams, Alleyne And 2017 Draft Pick


UNCASVILLE, Conn. (June 25, 2016) – The Connecticut Sun announced today it has acquired rookie Courtney Williams and the draft rights to Jillian Alleyne, as well as a second round pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft in a trade that sends Kelsey Bone to the Phoenix Mercury.

“Obviously, we are not where we hoped to be at the start of the season,” Connecticut Sun Vice President and General Manager Chris Sienko said. “With this trade, we acquire a pair of talented young players as we continue to build under coach Curt Miller.”

Phoenix traded a pick it acquired from San Antonio, which means the final draft position will be determined by how the Stars finish this season.

“We are excited about acquiring both Courtney and Jillian,” Miller said. “This gives us two more young pieces as we build around our young nucleus. Courtney was a dynamic scorer at the collegiate level and brings an athleticism at the guard position that is needed on our roster. Jillian had a prolific collegiate career at Oregon with some of the best rebound numbers in the country. If it wasn’t for the knee injury late in her senior year, she was projected to be a first-round selection. We wish Kelsey the best of luck in Phoenix. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to coach her, and I respect her outstanding skill-set.”

A 5-foot-8 guard out of South Florida, Williams led the American Athletic Conference in scoring (22.4 ppg.) and was tied for fifth in rebounding (8.4 rpg) as a senior. She finished her career at USF ranked second all-time in program history in points (2,304), third in rebounds (931), sixth in assists (318), seventh in blocks (93) and 12thin steals (163). Williams averaged 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds over 138 games at USF.

Selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Mercury, Williams appeared in six games for a total of 25 minutes, collecting three points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Alleyne was selected 20th overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft out of Oregon despite suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in February that will sideline her for the remainder of the season. The 6-foot-3 forward ranked second in the nation in rebounding (13.6 ppg) while also averaging 19 points before her injury. The co-Pac 12 Player of the Year finished her career ranked second in NCAA history in double-doubles (92) and third in rebounds (1,712) while holding the No. 2 spot on Oregon’s all-time scoring list with 2,151 career points.

Alleyne played in every game (120) at Oregon prior to her injury, and is just the 10thplayer in NCAA history with at least 2,000 points and 1,500 rebounds.

Connecticut will sign Alleyne to a contract next season.

Bone appeared in 81 games for the Sun, averaging 12 points per game. In 2015, she earned the WNBA Most Improved Player Award after averaging a career-high 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. This season, Bone averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds through the first 14 games of the year.

Originally selected fifth overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty, Bone was traded to the Connecticut Sun on April 14, 2014 as part of a deal that sent Tina Charles to the Liberty. New York also traded the fourth pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft and a first-round pick in 2015.