The Phoenix Mercury are committing to a new era. With Brittney Griner exploring free agency and Diana Taurasi considering retirement, the club made a blockbuster trade on Tuesday, via ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

“BREAKING: The Phoenix Mercury are acquiring Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun, sources told ESPN,” Philippou reported. “Thomas, a perennial MVP candidate, spent her entire career in CT up to this point. She was cored by the team, meaning she could only leave via trade.”

UPDATE: Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen, and the No. 12 overall draft pick are headed to Connecticut as compensation for Thomas, via Philippou. Ty Harris also heads to Phoenix.

Thomas was an unrestricted free agent, but this move was a sign-and-trade because she was cored. It'll be made official on Feb. 1.

Thomas is one of the best players in Sun history, finishing top five in MVP voting the last three seasons. The 6-foot-2 forward led Connecticut to six consecutive semifinal appearances and Finals berths in 2019 and '22.

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She'll now team up with Kahleah Copper in Phoenix, who was third in the league with 21.1 points per game last season. Meanwhile, Thomas was second only to Caitlin Clark with 7.9 assists and ninth with 8.4 rebounds.

Phoenix's newest star confirmed while playing in Unrivaled that she wanted to go to a team with “top provisions” available, via The Sun Times' Annie Costabile. Although the Sun finished 28-12 last season while the Mercury went 19-21, the latter club's future still looks bright.

Thomas had to approve of her trade destination, which shows her belief in Phoenix. The Mercury have room to grow after getting swept by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round last season, but head coach Nate Tibbets now has a full year of experience at the top level under his belt. The 47-year-old had previously head-coached NBA G League teams but only assisted in the NBA before switching to the W in '24.

With Thomas at 32 years old and Copper at 30, Phoenix has assembled a win-now core as it looks to upgrade on last season's result.