“No trades in the plans right now, but somebody may call,” head coach Corey Gaines on whether the team will keep all four players they drafted today.
There is only 11 roster spots to fill in the WNBA so a lot of times second and third round picks are equal to camp invites. The Mercury need some depth after losing a few key players this off season to injury and trade.
Point guard was a position of need in this draft and the Mercury spent their first two picks on that very position. C’eira Ricketts of Arkansas went to the Mercury with the 24th overall pick. Ricketts is a pass-first point guard with good open court speed that looks to get her teammates involved in the flow on offense.
With their first pick in the third round the Mercury went big with Missouri forward Christine Flores. Her ability to play the four or five fits in perfectly with this team as a three-point specialist. Johnson has the ability to be the trailer on the fast-break and knock down the deep ball. The shot-blocking specialist finished second in the Big 12 in blocks behind only Brittney Griner. She adds some size and defense to a team that can be sorely lacking in that department.
The last pick in the draft went to Pac-12 standout forward Amanda Johnson. She was on quiet a role last year before hurting her hand and is a player that can really score the ball.
In time we will see how the roster shakes and which if any of these players will make the team. Training Camp is right around the corner as the Mercury prepare to compete for their third WNBA Championship.