It's a new era for the Phoenix Mercury without Taurasi and Griner

The departure of some very familiar faces means the Phoenix Mercury will look a lot different this season.

Catch up quick: The Mercury lost four of their five starters from last year, most notably Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.

• Taurasi retired after a 20-year WNBA career — all in Phoenix — that included three championships (2007, 2009, 2014), two Finals MVPs (2009, 2014) and one league MVP (2009).
• Griner, a nine-time All-Star, signed with the Atlanta Dream as a free agent after spending the first 11 seasons of her career with the Mercury.

1 big star: The sole remaining member of last year's starting lineup is guard/forward Kahleah Copper, the Mercury's leading scorer in 2024, her first season in Phoenix.

• Copper, a former Finals MVP in Chicago, is "one of the most versatile and exciting players in the game right now" and "one of the league's most prolific scorers," Athlon Sports writes.
• When the Mercury traded the No. 3 draft pick in 2024 for Copper, the likelihood of Taurasi's expected retirement positioned her as the team's leader-in-waiting.
• "I think you're really going to see her spread her wings," second-year head coach Nate Tibbetts told the Arizona Republic.

Zoom in: Adding depth to the new-look Mercury is a blockbuster, four-team trade last year that dealt Rebecca Allen, Natasha Cloud and Sophie Cunningham for All-Star forwards Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.

• Sports Illustrated called Phoenix's acquisitions the "prize haul of the offseason" and predicted that Copper, Sabally and Thomas will be among the top big threes in the WNBA this year.
• Versatility will likely be the Mercury's biggest strength, per ESPN — Thomas is a "point forward" whose game is strong on both ends of the floor, Sabally is a "unicorn" who can play multiple positions and has a unique offensive skill set, and Copper provides "speed, athleticism and ability to score."

Yes, but: Experience is a big question mark, at least outside the team's new big three.

• Guard Sevgi Uzun is the only other player to have averaged more than 16 minutes per game last season, per Sports Illustrated.
• And ESPN writes that Copper and Sami Whitcomb are the only guards with more than one year of WNBA experience.

The bottom line: ESPN gave the Mercury a 49.8% chance of making the playoffs.

• "After such a big offseason, the Mercury have to contend for a title for this to be a success, and that means making it to at least the semifinals," ESPN's Kendra Andrews writes.

What we're watching: The WNBA season opens today, and the Mercury play their first game tomorrow when they host the Seattle Storm.

• Griner will return to the Valley as an opposing player for the first time July 23.
• The Mercury play Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever on the road July 30 and have home games against them Aug. 7 and Sept. 2.
• And check out No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers when the Dallas Wings come to Phoenix on June 11.