Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, left, contemplates her future ahead of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs, while Sophie Cunningham secures her place in the Valley with a contract extension. (Photo by Emma Jeanson/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Now that the Phoenix Mercury have locked up Sophie Cunningham through a contract extension, a larger question looms as the team embarks on the WNBA playoffs.
Will longtime guard Diana Taurasi return for another season, or will the postseason mark the end of her heralded career in the Valley?
“I don’t know,” Taurasi, 42, said after the Mercury’s win over the Los Angeles Sparks Tuesday. “The last couple of weeks it’s been a little nerve-wracking for myself. I don’t want to make any emotional (or) rash decisions. I know the end is near. When that is, I don’t know.
“I’ve always been a person that just concentrates on what’s next, and that’s practice (on Wednesday), and (a game versus) Seattle on Thursday. When the season’s over, I’ll reflect, get advice from the people (who) are close to my heart and (have) been with me since day one. So you never know, but who knows.”
For nearly two weeks, the Mercury have been running advertisements for an “If this is it?” campaign, leading fans across the WNBA to wonder whether Taurasi is hanging it up after this season.
Following the Mercury’s final regular season game Thursday night against the Seattle Storm at Footprint Center, Phoenix enters the 2024 postseason as the seventh seed and will face the Minnesota Lynx, seeded No. 2, in the first round of the best-of-three series beginning Sunday in Minneapolis.
Taurasi, in her 20th WNBA season, has led the Mercury to three WNBA Championships, won the league MVP award in 2009 and is the league’s all-time leading scorer. She also won six Olympic gold medals, six WNBA Peak Performer Awards and 14 All-WNBA Team selections.
No matter what Taurasi decides, her legacy in Arizona is sealed. Cunningham, meanwhile, is still writing her story in the Valley.
When Cunningham was in eighth grade, she committed to attend the University of Missouri even though she was 14. Now at 28, the veteran guard signed a one-year contract extension Saturday that will keep her with the Mercury, the team that drafted her, through the 2025 campaign.
“I committed out of the eighth grade,” Cunningham said. “I knew I wanted to go to Mizzou, so why even go through the recruiting process? This is kind of the same mindset as I know I’m coming back to Phoenix. So why even waste people’s time? Why even waste my time? I want to be focused on my day-to-day here.”
Cunningham has already established a relationship with the Valley and Mercury fans that is likely to last as long as basketball is played in Phoenix. A second-round draft pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft (No. 13 overall), she was set to become a free agent following this season but chose to remain in the Valley for another year.
Her deal is worth $100,000 unprotected, with a $35,000 Time-Off Bonus, according to Richard Cohen of HerHoopStats.
“To be honest, my career at the Mercury has been very high and low,” Cunningham said Sunday. “We’ve had two new owners and two new GMs. I’ve had four head coaches in my six years. That is a lot of turnover.
“Before (owner) Mat (Ishbia) came in, I was open to different ideas. I’m a very loyal person; I’ve been with the Mercury and love it. It’s my new home, away from home.”
Cunningham experienced ups and downs throughout her career but had a breakout season in 2022, when she averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and finished third in Most Improved Player award voting.
Cunningham has appeared in all 39 games for the Mercury this season, averaging 8.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Off the court, the 2016 SEC Freshman of the Year has added broadcasting duties with the Phoenix Suns as a guest analyst in the offseason to her resume.
“I do some stuff with the Suns in the offseason, so I have a pretty nice setup out (here) in Phoenix,” Cunningham said. “Plus, the winter is perfect out there, so let’s not get that twisted. I’m from Missouri, so I know the harsh winters, but for me, I am always thinking big picture.
“I’m seeing how I can set myself up after basketball as well. But right now, I’m where my two feet are at. So you have to know that there’s an expansion draft, and a lot of people’s contracts end after next year. I would love to be locked into Phoenix (and) not going anywhere else. I was thinking about that as well.”
Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren noted Cunningham’s mindset and skill set as the first player off the bench, emphasizing her energy and impact on both ends of the court. Most importantly, he highlighted Cunningham’s loyalty to the club.
“We’re thrilled to have her,” U’Ren said. “Sophie represents everything we want from a skill set standpoint. She’s been a fantastic teammate and leader for us. So it’s something on both sides we wanted to get it done.
“I never felt like it was too much in jeopardy, she enjoys being here. That’s why she signed it. We’ve wanted to get it done for a long time, and we’re so thrilled to have her.”
Cunningham will undergo a shoulder procedure after the Mercury’s season ends, according to Desert Wave Media, after playing through right shoulder pain.
But first, Cunningham hopes to be part of a long Mercury playoff run.
“I know (the) season’s not over,” Cunningham said. “Hopefully we have good things coming into (the) playoffs, but for me, big-picture-wise, I just want to be focused in this offseason. I got to get healthy in the offseason, and then after that, it’s going to be a really good one with the coaching staff and the people we’re bringing in to make this offseason special for everybody.
“And for me, I just don’t want to waste people’s time; I don’t want to waste my time. I know where my heart lies, so why not just get it.”
