Mercury vs Aces

Jovana Nogic

PHX · G

Not Injury Related: Nogic had her contract temporarily suspended June 20 and will now be out for the remainder of the WNBA season, as she's slated to compete overseas in Russia with an eye on leading the Serbian national team in the EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers. The guard appeared in 16 games (seven starts) for Phoenix, averaging 10.4 points, 1.6 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per contest. With Nogic out of the fold for the foreseeable future, Alexa Held stands to continue benefiting from expanded opportunities in the backcourt.

Kara Dunn

PHX · G

Coach's Decision: Dunn is signed to a developmental contract and is eligible to appear in up to 12 regular-season contests. She played in the Mercury's last four games, most recently amassing a career-high 11 points in Monday's 87-86 win over Dallas. However, the rookie won't suit up for Phoenix's final game of the year, so she will finish the 2026 campaign with averages of 6.5 points and 1.5 rebounds over 15.0 minutes in four regular-season games. Dunn also shot an efficient 57.1 percent from behind the arc.

Kelsey Plum

PHX · G

Lower Leg: Plum is still not feeling the effects of a lingering lower leg injury and will be shut down with the Mercury out of the playoffs. The star guard is set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the season. In five appearances with the Mercury, she averaged 15.8 points and 2.8 assists.

NaLyssa Smith

LV · F

Leg: It's a big blow for the defending-champion Aces ahead of the postseason. Smith started all 38 of her appearances for Las Vegas, so a spot in the first unit is now open. Brianna Turner appears to the most likely candidate to replace Smith in the starting lineup going forward.