You don’t usually get to the Finals by accident — and you definitely don’t get there by throwing a roster together and hoping it figures itself out on the fly.

That’s what made the Mercury so interesting in the first place last season. Everything about that team screamed “this might take time.” New stars, new roles, no Taurasi, no Griner, and a completely different identity than what this franchise had leaned on for years. On paper, it looked like a group that needed time before anyone considered them dangerous.

They decided to skip a few steps.

Phoenix figured it out early, kept getting better, and by the time the playoffs rolled around, they didn’t feel like a new team anymore. They knew exactly who they were. A 27-17 season, a Finals run, and knocked off the top-seeded Lynx — that’s not a fluke. That’s something you build on.

So when the Mercury got to this offseason, they had a choice to make.

Break the bank open to keep this core group intact, or blow it up and hope you can recreate this magic again with new players.

They chose the first option.

Spending $3.635 million to bring back Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, and Sami Whitcomb isn’t just about familiarity. It’s about keeping the identity of this team — the engine, the scoring punch, the experience, the spacing. Phoenix isn’t treating that Finals run like a one-off. They’re treating it like the start of something they believe can last a little longer.

The Pieces That Made It Click

The biggest reason Phoenix got there starts with Alyssa Thomas.

She’s the one who made everything make sense. Not in a flashy way, but in that steady, control-the-whole-game kind of way. When things got messy — and they always do in the playoffs — Thomas was the one calming it down, getting them into the right spots, and keeping everyone involved without forcing anything. She didn’t need to go hunting shots to impact the game, and that mattered more and more as the stakes went up.

Then there’s Copper, who’s still the one who can flip a game in a couple of minutes. When a possession breaks down, she’s the bailout. When Phoenix needs a run, she’s usually the one starting it. That ability to get downhill and create something out of nothing is what carries real weight in the postseason. The numbers were solid, but they didn’t really tell the story — her presence did. By the time they were deep in that playoff run, it felt like her team from an emotional standpoint, even if Thomas was the one running the show.

Bonner and Whitcomb aren’t built the same way, but they’re just as important to how this works.

Bonner gives them another experienced wing who understands the moment and doesn’t need the ball to impact it. She knows Phoenix, she knows what winning looks like here, and she fits into whatever the game calls for. Whitcomb brings the spacing and the edge — the kind of guard play NBA teams thrive on in the playoffs. She knocked down a team-high 86 threes last year, and on a roster that doesn’t have a ton of natural shooting, that’s something they'll need to show up again.

Not All Questions Got Answered

This isn’t a full run-it-back.

Satou Sabally’s gone, and that matters. She gave Phoenix size, scoring, and another real threat. Continuity's not going to be enough to replace that.

So yeah, they can make another run. But it’s not as simple as “they made the Finals, so they’ll be back.” The stars keep them in it. The question is everything around them — shooting, balance, and whether the depth holds up in a playoff series.

Last year made one thing clear: they were good enough to get there, not quite complete enough to finish it.

That’s why this team feels dangerous, but not automatic. Thomas controls the game, Copper can take one over, and Bonner and Whitcomb give them experience and spacing. That’s a real core. But there are just enough gaps to keep them out of that clear favorite tier.

And that’s probably fair.

Phoenix should be right back in the mix — tough, smart, and a pain to deal with. But if they’re getting back to the Finals, it won’t be because they copied last year.

It’ll be because they learned from it.

That’s the point of bringing this group back. It doesn’t guarantee anything. It just keeps them in it.