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    Phoenix Mercury Reacquire High-Energy Forward For 2025 WNBA Season

    Image Source: Natasha Mack @ Instagram

    The WNBA’s free agency negotiation period is scheduled to commence on January 21, and the Phoenix Mercury have already taken steps to adjust their roster. Ahead of Tuesday’s negotiating period, teams across the WNBA had the opportunity to core players, as evidenced by the Connecticut Sun’s decision to do so with Alyssa Thomas. Additionally, teams could extend qualifying offers to reserved and restricted free agents, similar to the Los Angeles Sparks’ offer to Aari McDonald.

    As the free agency period approaches, the Mercury’s roster move involved signing Natasha Mack to a training camp contract. Mack qualified as a reserved free agent, meaning that, having less than four years of experience, the Mercury retained exclusive negotiating rights with her.

    By signing a training camp deal, Mack has effectively accepted the qualifying offer the team extended. The organization provided qualifying offers to three other reserved free agents: Celeste Taylor, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, and Amy Atwell. The only reserved free agent who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Mercury was Charisma Osborne.

    With her training camp contract, Mack must secure a spot on the team’s roster for the 2025 WNBA season. However, this is a familiar challenge for her, as she successfully made the Mercury roster following a strong performance during the 2024 camp and preseason.

    Natasha Mack’s Contributions to the Mercury

    During the early part of the 2024 WNBA season, the Mercury found themselves without their star center Brittney Griner due to injury, leading to Mack being inserted into the starting lineup in Griner’s absence, where she performed admirably.

    Mack earned the moniker of ‘clean-up woman’ from her teammates, establishing herself as a reliable and consistent contributor.

    Last season, Mack participated in all 40 games for the Mercury, including 11 starts, averaging slightly over 15 minutes on the court per game. She posted averages of 3.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.2 blocked shots, shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 57.9 percent from the free-throw line.

    Mack’s route back to the WNBA was a long one. She was initially chosen by the Chicago Sky as the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft. After splitting her rookie season between the Sky and the Minnesota Lynx, she did not play in the league for the next two years.

    During her hiatus from the WNBA, Mack gained international experience, competing in New Zealand, Poland, and Turkey before re-entering the league last season.

    Her basketball journey also included time playing junior college basketball at Angelina College in Texas, after which she transferred to Oklahoma State University to compete in two seasons of Division 1 basketball.

    Image Source: Natasha Mack @ Instagram

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