2015 Record:
20-14; lost in Western Conference Finals

Key Offseason Moves:
Diana Taurasi set to return from playing abroad
Signed Sonja Petrovic and last year’s first-round pick Isabelle Harrison, who missed all of the 2015 season with an ACL tear

Last Year’s Draft Picks:
1st round/12th overall: Isabelle Harrison
2nd round/18th overall: Alex Harden
2nd round/24th overall: Žofia Hruščáková
3rd round/ 36th overall: Promise Amukamara

This Year’s Draft Picks:
1st round/8th overall
2nd round/20th overall
3rd round/32nd overall

Season Highlights:

Team Needs:
On paper the Mercury have one of the most talented rosters in the WNBA.  Not only do they boast two members of the 2015 All-WNBA teams, DeWanna Bonner (first) and Brittney Griner (second), they also will welcome living legend Diana Taurasi back into the fold. Taurasi has been a superstar since her days at the University of Connecticut, but she opted to play the 2015 season abroad. The seven-time All-star, three-time WNBA champion, and 2009 league MVP is back stateside and approaching the 2016 with a renewed sense of purpose.

All signs point to the Mercury contending for a championship once again this season, as they captured the title in 2014 and reached the conference finals last year. But, like any squad hoping to be doused in champagne at the end of the season, the Mercury need to incorporate the right young talent into their core nucleus.

While Taurasi has proven everything and then some on the hardwood, she is 33 years old and has logged more than her share of minutes between the WNBA, playing abroad, and playing with Team USA. For this reason the Mercury should look at a guard with their first-round pick, and the eighth overall selection. Names likes Kahleah Cooper and Tiffany Mitchell immediately come to mind. Like Taurasi, Cooper is a scorer who averaged 17.7 points per game during her senior year at Rutgers and has a style of play that lends itself well to stuffing the stat sheet.

South Carolina’s Mitchell may already be off the board when the Mercury’s pick rolls around, but if she’s available she would be a no-brainer. She’s won a bevy of awards and was invited to Team USA training camp this summer. She’s ready to make an impact now and could grow into a very formidable backcourt partner for Taurasi.

While their offense can score with the best, it’s their defensive prowess that truly makes the Mercury a force to be reckoned with. Brittney Griner is already the most prolific shot-blocker the game has ever seen, and her ability to control the paint makes it difficult for any team to get an easy look. Enter 6-2 forward from the University of Tennessee Bashaara Graves. Graves should still be available when the Mercury pick at 20 and would be the perfect ying to Griner’s yang. Graves averaged 13.2 points per game, but more importantly for the Mercury averaged 8.0 rebounds per game. Graves has a natural instinct for the rock, and would immediately make entry in the Mercury’s paint a difficult task in itself.