Phoenix's real Big 3 has nothing to do with Kevin Durant

The Phoenix Mercury made several moves over the past WNBA offseason. Two of those moves were the additions of Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas. So far this season, these two have proven the Mercury right in these offseason decisions. The Merc sits at 9-4, placed 2nd in the Western Conference. They've won their last three games and show no signs of slowing down.

The third member of this trio, Kahleah Copper, joined the Mercury in 2024, where she started every game last season, averaging 21.1 points per game. She had help last season as well. Phoenix was fairly stacked with talent who could score — Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, and Natasha Cloud — all making individual impacts. Brittney Griner and Natasha Cloud both joined new teams this year, and Diana Taurasi announced her retirement before the start of this season. Phoenix had to make up for those losses somehow. The Mercury acquired Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas in a four-team deal.

Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas can help Kahleah Copper take the Mercury to another level

Sabally had spent five seasons in Dallas, where she averaged double-digit points per game every season. She had been described by Mercury General Manager Nick U'ren as "an exceptional and rare talent who is still hungry to develop and improve her game."

Alyssa Thomas had spent her entire 11-year career with the Connecticut Sun, where she absolutely dominated. If we went through all her accolades, we'd be here all day. U'ren described Thomas as "one of the most complete players our league has ever seen." The five-time WNBA All-Star is widely respected as a dynamic player on defense and one of the W's most crafty scorers.

Before the season, no one was quite sure how this new 'Big 3' of Copper, Sabally, and Thomas would gel together — and we did not get to see it in full effect until very recently. Kahleah Copper was unavailable for the first eleven regular-season games. All three players have only started together in the last two matchups, but if this sample is any indication of what's to come, Phoenix is in good hands.

In the Mercury's win against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, all three scored in double digits. Thomas recording 14, Sabally scoring 22, and in only 18 minutes on the court, Copper putting up 15. They aren't only scorers, either. Sabally recorded 9 rebounds, and Thomas facilitated phenomenally with 13 assists.

Their game last night showed the same dominant trend. In a win against her former team, Alyssa Thomas put up 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sabally went crazy on defense with 11 defensive rebounds and 12 of her points. Copper looks like she didn't take any time off, still a scoring force with 13 points, including this three as the shot clock was running down.

Sadly, Kahleah Copper will not be available for tonight's game against the New York Liberty as a form of injury management. But getting to see all three of the trio in the starting line-up the past two games has shown us exactly what to expect when they're all back to 100 percent. They have proven that they are a force, and I think as the season progresses, Phoenix will only get better and be the team to beat come the end of the season.