Alyssa Thomas Hoping CT Sun Finally Will Take Home WNBA Title In 2020

Plenty has changed for the Connecticut Sun and the WNBA in the last 12 months, but the team’s goal remains the same — take home its first-ever championship.

The Sun got awfully close to that goal in 2019 falling one game shy of the title to an injured Elena Delle Donne and the Washington Mystics. It was the Sun’s first WNBA Finals appearance since 2005, which followed one of the team’s most successful regular seasons to date.

The new season doesn’t come without some changes, however.

Two of the Sun’s starting five — Shekinna Stricklen and Courtney Williams — are now members of the Atlanta Dream. Layshia Clarendon and Morgan Tuck also have moved on, signing with the Seattle Storm and the New York Liberty, respectively, as free agents. Rachel Banham is on a new squad, too, returning to her home state of Minnesota to play with the Lynx.

But Connecticut has picked up some help along the way.

DeWanna Bonner joined the Sun in February in a sign-and-trade with the Mercury as the Sun sent their two first-round picks in the 2020 WNBA draft and first-round pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft to Phoenix. UConn alumna Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis also joined the Sun via trade, with the Storm receiving a second-round draft pick in return. Briann January was added to the roster as well in the trade that sent Williams to Atlanta.

Alyssa Thomas is hopeful the team can finally accomplish its goal.

“We knew coming into the season there would be changes, especially with the new CBA. Personally, it can be hard, but at the end of the day, it’s a business and we have to keep moving. We all know that,” Thomas said, via the team. “I’ve been with this franchise a long time and it’s time we bring a championship home.”

The current state of the Sun’s roster has Thomas “excited” about the 2020 campaign.

“I believe we can get right back where we were and hopefully take the final step to win a championship,” Thomas said. “That’s all I’m focused on.”