Sun President Jabs Back at Marina Mabrey in Denying Trade Request
On February 5, news broke that Connecticut Sun guard and elite WNBA sharpshooter Marina Mabrey requested a trade.
This came after all five of the Sun's starters from the last game of their 2024 season were either traded or signed elsewhere over the offseason, turning them from championship contenders to a team that seems likely to be bottom-dwellers in the 2025 WNBA standings.
However, a February 18 article from Sportico's Eric Jackson conveyed that the Sun aren't going to adhere to Mabrey's trade request. And in asserting her team's trade request denial, Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti took a dig at Mabrey.
“We knew at the time that she had already forced her way out of two teams, so it was a bit risky for us to trade for her, but we felt like it was worth it,” Rizzotti is quoted saying of Mabrey in the article after Jackson wrote that the Sun are denying her trade request.
WNBA team Connecticut Sun will have a completely new starting lineup next season. The roster overhaul this offseason coincides with a new CBA looming and a leaguewide facilities arms race. From me: https://t.co/EswPHonGz7
— Eric Jackson (@epjackson) February 18, 2025
Rizzotti does have a fair point, as Mabrey's landing with the Sun last season was the direct result of her requesting a trade away from the Sky.
And Mabrey was traded to the Sky from the Dallas Wings in February 2023. While there doesn't appear to be any public assertion that Mabrey requested this trade from Dallas to Chicago, perhaps Rizzotti knows something that the public does not.
Regardless, it's fascinating to hear Rizzotti not pulling punches when speaking about arguably the best player still on her roster ahead of what could be a tough season for Connecticut.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.