The Phoenix Mercury are 1-1 since the 2024 WNBA season resumed and they're currently fighting for playoff positioning. The Mercury's depth has been a talking point all season and they recently received worrisome news regarding Rebecca Allen. But on Sunday the Mercury added a proven veteran to their roster in Monique Billings on a 7-day contract the team announced.
The Mercury have opted to carry only 11 players on their roster this season. They were down to ten players following the expiration of Celeste Taylor's 7-day contract. Taylor has since signed with the Connecticut Sun.
Adding a veteran like Monique Billings will help the Mercury with their playoff push. As it stands, the Mercury are in sixth place in the WNBA standings with a record of 14-13. They are only a game and half ahead of the seventh place Indiana Fever, a team that beat them last week.
Billings will likely slot right in as the Mercury's backup power forward. The seven year veteran most recently played for the Dallas Wings while on a hardship contract. The Wings active roster returned to the requisite number of available players thus terminating Billings contract.
Monique Billings brings defense, rebounding to the Mercury
With the Mercury embroiled in tightening playoff race, adding a proven veteran in the absence of Rebecca Allen was an important roster move to make. Monique Billings will be eligible for two more 7-day contracts after this one until the Mercury will have to sign her for the remainder of the season.
Billings entered training camp having signed with the Los Angeles Sparks as a free agent but was cut before the start of the regular season. She was immediately signed by the Wings on a hardship contract due to the multitude of injuries to their roster.
Billings appeared in 24 games, including 12 starts, for the Wings at a little over 25 minutes per game. She averaged a career-best 8.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists with splits of 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 80.4 percent shooting from the the free-throw line.
Billings began her career with the Atlanta Dream as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She played for the Dream for six seasons before leaving as a free agent this past offseason. Billings has developed into one of the league's best role players. She's a capable finisher around the basket, can step out and shoot the midrange jumper, a strong presence on the glass and a solid defensive player.
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