2016 Record:
14-20

Key Offseason Moves:
Acquired Lynetta Kizer and the No. 8 pick in the 2017 Draft as part of a three-team trade involving Phoenix and Indiana. Connecticut sent forward Camille Little and the draft rights to Jillian Alleyne to Phoenix

Acquired Reshanda Gray from Atlanta in exchange for Aneika Henry-Morello

Re-signed Alex Bentley and Jasmine Thomas to multi-year contracts

Chiney Ogwumike suffered a torn Achilles tendon, underwent surgery in December

Last Year’s Draft Picks:
1st Round/3rd Overall: Morgan Tuck
1st Round/4th Overall: Rachel Banham
1st Round/6th Overall: Jonquel Jones (via draft-night trade with LA)
2nd Round/17th Overall: Jamie Weisner
3rd Round/27th Overall: Aliyyah Handford

This Year’s Draft Picks:
1st Round/8th Overall
2nd Round/13th Overall
2nd Round/16th Overall
3rd Round/28th Overall

2016 Highlights

Team Needs:

The Connecticut Sun were quite busy during the first round of last year’s draft, holding the third and fourth picks and eventually trading for the sixth pick as well. That trio of rookies – Morgan Tuck, Rachel Banham and Jonquel Jones – coupled with a returning Chiney Ogwumike (knee) had the Sun feeling optimistic about the 2016 season.

Unfortunately, things did not pan out for the Sun as they went just 14-20 to extend their playoff drought to four years. The rookie seasons of Tuck and Banham were cut short by season-ending knee surgeries and the offseason brought another significant setback – Ogwumike, the WNBA’s 2016 Comeback Player of the Year, suffered a torn Achilles tendon while playing in China. She underwent surgery on December 1 with a tentative recovery time of six to nine months, which most likely means she will miss the entire 2017 season.

With Ogwumike sidelined, the Sun acquired forward/center Lynetta Kizer from Indiana as part of a three-team deal that also included Phoenix. The trade also brought the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft to Connecticut, giving the Sun a first round pick after trading their 2017 pick at least year’s draft in acquiring Jones.

As for who they may target with that No. 8 pick, an athletic wing that can shoot the three could be an ideal fit. The Sun and Dream tied for the league-lead in pace last season (79.7 possessions per 40 minutes) so finding a player that can play on the move will help them fit into coach Curt Miller’s uptempo system.

The Sun also attempted the fourth-most 3-pointers in the league last year (18.3 per game), but shot one of the worst percentages from beyond the arc (30.8%, 10^th in league). Adding a knock-down shooter on the perimeter will only help open lanes for Bentley to drive and give Kizer ample room to do work in the post.