On Monday, two of the WNBA’s 12 head coaching positions became available in a matter of hours. First, Walt Hopkins and the New York Liberty opted to part ways, which was a surprising move given that New York had made the transition to a playoff club in 2021 and appeared to be on the upswing.
Later that evening, the Phoenix Mercury, the team that beat the Liberty in the first round of the playoffs, made an even more shocking announcement, announcing that they, too, would be looking for a new coach after parting ways with Sandy Brondello, fresh off a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals.
Brondello guided the Mercury to the playoffs in each of her eight seasons in Phoenix, winning the Finals in each of them. There will be plenty of talk and interest in one of the greatest roles in the WNBA, where Britney Griner, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Diana Taurasi make Phoenix a constant contender.
The Suns have those three under contract for another year, but they will have to make some important decisions this offseason to round out the roster around them in order to pursue another title run with Taurasi. A new coach will be in charge of bringing it all together, and we’ll have to wait and see who Phoenix chooses as his successor.
