WNBA Team Cuts Ties With Former Top-10 Pick After Scoring 0 Points
WNBA Team Cuts Ties With Former Top-10 Pick After Scoring 0 Points originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Phoenix Mercury suffered their fourth regular-season loss, falling to the Seattle Storm on Saturday. Thirty seconds into the fourth quarter, Phoenix cut the deficit to two points, but Storm quickly regained the lead, and Mercury ultimately lost the game 89-77.
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Following that loss, on Sunday, head coach Nate Tibbetts and the Mercury front office released Haley Jones, the point guard Phoenix had signed just a week earlier, after her scoreless outing against Seattle. In 14 minutes of play, she contributed four rebounds and two assists.
Over her four games with the Mercury since arriving from the Atlanta Dream, Jones averaged 3.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
Jones, drafted sixth overall by Atlanta in 2023 after a decorated Stanford career that included a national championship and Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors, struggled to find her footing in the WNBA.
Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts.© Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
In the 2024 season, she averaged 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across 40 games before being waived by Atlanta during training camp this May and signed to a hardship contract by Phoenix on June 1 due to injuries to Alyssa Thomas and Natasha Mack.
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With key veterans now cleared to return, league rules required her release as the Mercury reverted to a full 10-player roster. Jones is now an unrestricted free agent.
Phoenix is second in the Western Division with 10 games played, ahead of Las Vegas, which has played seven. The leader, Minnesota, remains undefeated with a nine-game winning streak.
Up next, Satou Sabally's Phoenix will face Paige Bueckers' Dallas on June 11 at home.
Related: WNBA Star Slams Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in Candid Rebuke
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
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