Sun keeping Mabrey
It’s not hard to see why Marina Mabrey has asked to be moved anew. After all, the Sun that she was only too happy to join midway through the immediate past season no longer look the same. In an evident reset, they have dealt away their entire starting five, including All-Stars Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, and Brionna Jones. Even erstwhile head coach Stephanie White has seen fit to change addresses, never mind the consecutive semifinal-round appearances with the orange, blue, and white since joining them in 2023.
Unfortunately for Mabrey, the Sun intend to keep her on the roster as a foundational piece. Instead of going the way of her two previous employers, they have emphatically denied her divorce request. In making the decision public, franchise president Jennifer Rizzotti went the passive-aggressive route; reference was made to her seeming predilection to escape from undesirable situations. “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.”
Not long after, Rizzotti then underscored Mabrey’s importance to the Sun. “The reasons that we have for not trading Marina are rooted in positivity,” the executive told ESPN. “It’s rooted in a desire to build around her, have her here, have her be the catalyst for what we want to do offensively, taking advantage of her versatility, knowing that the style that [coach] Rashid [Meziane] plays with will suit her game, and knowing that we can put her in an individual situation to be really successful as this current [WNBA collective bargaining agreement] closes and a new one opens.”
Rizzotti’s not wrong. The Sun did value her enough to give up reserves Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2026 pick swap in order to bring her into the fold. And, yes, she was happy and contributing heavily to the cause as the tied player off the bench for White. To be sure, she didn’t know until well after their 2024 campaign ended that they would blow up the roster in an apparent rebuild. Which is why FAM’s Marcus Crenshaw, her agent, has gone on the offensive to defend her plea.
At this point, it’s anybody’s guess as to how the impasse will be resolved — if at all. The Sun seem determined to hold her to her contract. And considering that she is in the last year of her contract, not to mention stands to make $210,000 in the process, she’s not likely to generate interest elsewhere. In other words, she and her employers are, at best, in a marriage of convenience. Which is to say, outside of the public pronouncements, the worst is yet to come.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
