The Sun cored Alyssa Thomas and offered restricted DiJonai Carrington a qualifying offer.
The Connecticut Sun have officially cored 11-year veteran Alyssa Thomas, per the WNBA transactions page. That means that the 5-time All-Star will be offered a one-year contract at the WNBA’s highest possible salary ($249,244) — and that she’s unable to negotiate with other teams as a free agent this offseason. In the past, however, WNBA players have requested trades after receiving the core designation, so the move does not necessarily mean that Thomas will stay in Connecticut.
Thomas is the sixth WNBA star to be cored this winter, joining Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), and Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings).
Thomas was one of the top free agents on the market this winter — she was named to the First Team All-WNBA in each of the last two seasons, averaging 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game last year. She’s also the league’s all-time leader in triple-doubles and one of its most impactful defenders.
Last season, the Sun finished with a 28-12 record and lost to the Minnesota Lynx in five games in the WNBA semi-finals. Four of their five starters — Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, and DiJonai Carrington — were all free agents entering the offseason, with Carrington being the only restricted of the bunch.
Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images
In addition to coring Thomas, the Sun offered Carrington a qualifying offer. Carrington, the WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2024, was an integral part of the team’s success last season, typically guarding the opposing teams’ top guards and averaging 12.7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per night. The Sun also offered reserved player Caitlin Bickle a qualifying offer.
It’s an uncertain offseason for the Connecticut Sun, who hired Rachid Meziane, a French professional coach, as their new head coach following the departure of Stephanie White to the Indiana Fever. General manager Morgan Tuck told SB Nation last month that the team had an “open-minded” approach to the offseason.
“We’ve had a lot of change within the last couple of months, and more change to come, obviously,” Tuck said. “But, we’re a Connecticut team, and Connecticut is known for having really competitive teams and really good teams — so I don’t think we can shy away from that and the expectations around how good we need to be. But it takes time — and you have to have change, and get things set up.”
Will Alyssa Thomas return to Connecticut?
Whether the core designation means the Sun intends to keep together their Big 3 of Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, and Brionna Jones for another season. At 29 years old, Jones has never played for another organization — and she’s coming off a fully healthy season in which she averaged 13.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
At 37 years old, Bonner — Thomas’s fiance — appears to have plenty left in the tank and could be a high-level contributor on several championship teams. Bonner was named an All-Star for the sixth time in her career last season after averaging 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Unlike Thomas and Jones, she already has a WNBA championship under her belt.
Both Bonner and Jones may choose to go elsewhere this offseason, and Tuck acknowledged that some free agency decisions are out of the Suns’ control.
“There are some players that we have a little bit more pull [with], and some where, ‘hey, they get to choose where they go,” Tuck said.
Thomas has spent her entire career with the Sun but has also voiced her displeasure with the team’s lack of amenities on numerous occasions; Connecticut is one of just a handful of teams that don’t have their own practice facility, nor plans to build one.
The Sun practices at the Tribal Practice Facility, which is a part of the Mohegan Community and Government Center in Uncasville, Connecticut. The team doesn’t have exclusive access to the facility, and last Spring, in the playoffs, Thomas described the fact the team had to share the court with a toddler’s birthday as “the ultimate disrespect.”
It’s not clear if Thomas’s issues with the team’s limited amenities will prevent her from wanting to stay with the organization. She may also want a change of pace after spending her entire WNBA career to date in Uncasville. But, it’s also very possible that the team will try to run it back with a similar core to last year. Guards Ty Harris and Marina Mabrey are both back with the team next season.
“You just have to look at the full picture and see what makes the most sense,” Tuck said. “What’s going to help you to remain competitive, but then also set us up for the future as well.”
