The Phoenix Mercury and veteran center Kalani Brown have agreed to a contract buyout, a source confirmed to Off The Record WBB.

Khristina Williams of ICYMI with KW was first to report on the transaction.

The Mercury acquired Brown in the four-team trade last offseason that brought All-Star forward Satou Sabally to the desert for what turned out to be a one-year rental, as Sabally took her talents to New York during free agency. In 29 games with Phoenix, Brown averaged 5.1 points on 61 percent shooting and four rebounds in 12.8 minutes off the bench.

In the first half of the 2025 WNBA season, Brown averaged nearly 14 minutes as the Mercury battled early injuries to its stars. That’s where reserves like Brown played a sizable role in keeping the team afloat, leading the league in bench minutes and helping steer the team to a 15-7 record before All-Star break.

Facing the Minnesota Lynx on July 25, Brown registered a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes. When the Mercury returned from the break, Brown saw seven DNP-CDs in the team’s first 12 games to start the second half. Phoenix went 3-4 in games she didn’t play against some of the larger front court rotations in the WNBA.

With healthy All-Stars returning in the second half, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts struggled to find a healthy balance for his rotations, leaving key bench players like Kitjia Laksa, Lexi Held, and Brown on the outside looking in for consistent minutes. After a 95-60 win over the Indiana Fever last August, Tibbetts spoke at length about the balancing act.

“I kind of changed the rotations a bit,” said Tibbetts. “Like I’ve been telling you guys, as we get healthy and try to figure out…unfortunately, we’ve got good players on the bench that have played well, but I think it’s time for us to explore an eight-player rotation. That means those players hopefully get in a rhythm with playing with another.”

Shortening rotations ahead of the playoffs is part of the process. For Phoenix, the only issue was that the team lacked the preparation and necessary flexibility to do so. Tibbetts’ system relies on three-point shooting and an ample amount of spacing, but when the team needed size against larger front courts, Brown hardly saw the floor when the matchup required an adjustment.

After a loss to Atlanta in July, local reporters asked Tibbetts if he saw a consistent theme after three losses to Dream coach Karl Smesko’s group.

“No, I think different teams create different problems for your roster throughout the season,” said Tibbetts. “They’re big and physical and they have shooters around. I thought we were in position to win the game, even without being at the level that we needed to. They made the plays down the stretch and we didn’t.”

Later in the postgame press conference, Tibbetts was questioned on his eight-player rotation and if it was set for the rest of the season.

“Things change,” said Tibbetts. “I like what we saw the other night. Probably not as good tonight. I think it’s important for players to get in a rhythm. I do like it. If you look across the league, there’s a lot of teams that play eight [players]. We played more early in the season. I think more because our hand was a little bit forced. So yeah, I do like the eight-player rotation. We’re going to have to continue to look at different lineups throughout the year and game to game, but I like it.”

When asked how he could keep his reserves ready for action until their names are called, Tibbetts made it clear that he was sticking to his original plan, despite losing winnable games because of it.

“I think it’s just being a professional,” said Tibbetts. “This is the hardest league in women’s basketball. There isn’t a lot of spots. We win today, and we have the second-best record in the league. So, we’ve got good players. It’s their job to stay ready. They’re also good players. I just decided to go in a different direction.”

From that point forward, the Mercury dropped three of its last five games.

When speaking to reporters after an 86-83 loss to the Las Vegas Aces, Tibbetts was pressed again and asked if utilizing the full roster could’ve made a difference between winning and losing.

“No,” said Tibbetts plainly.

In a player exit interview to wrap up last season, Tibbetts admitted that sticking to his eight-player rotation was a mistake, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to Off The Record WBB.

Brown, Laksa, and Held saw limited playing time throughout the playoffs, but saw the court in the WNBA Finals against the Aces after Sabally suffered a concussion. Laksa and Held were selected by the Toronto Tempo in the recent expansion draft.

After agreeing to a contract buyout with the Mercury, Brown is an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team with cap space remaining. As a veteran, teams can sign Brown to a minimum contract. Here are three teams where the 6’7” center could provide relief off the bench.

Besides All-Star Aliyah Boston and second-year post Makayla Timpson, the Fever lack depth in its frontcourt rotation. Indiana lost Natasha Howard to the Minnesota Lynx and Brianna Turner to the Las Vegas Aces in free agency and haven’t replaced either with a player possessing comparable size.

The Aces signed Brianna Turner in free agency after Kiah Stokes left for the Golden State Valkyries. Reliable frontcourt depth was an issue for Las Vegas in 2025 that eventually led to acquiring NaLyssa Smith in a trade with the Dallas Wings. With Smith projected to be a full-time starter in 2026 and Turner as a reserve, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in more size off the bench.

Perhaps no team needs front court depth than the Lynx. All-Star Napheesa Collier’s return is unknown after undergoing surgery on both of her ankles in the offseason. Minnesota lost two key front court players in co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard to the Dallas Wings in free agency. Maria Kliundikova was picked up by the Toronto Tempo in the expansion draft. After opting for former TCU guard Olivia Miles with the No. 2 overall pick over Spain’s Awa Fam or UCLA’s Lauren Betts, Brown’s stature and skill set would be a welcomed addition.