On February 12th, the Phoenix Mercury acquired 29-year-old Skylar Diggins-Smith in a sign and trade with the Dallas Wings. They ended up losing one of their top players Forward DeWanna Bonner to the Connecticut Suns. This Sunday was her first media appearance since the trade. She attended the Phoenix Suns vs Milwaukee game and spoke during halftime. She said she was happy to be on, “The other side of things”. Devin Booker introduced her and Taurasi at the start of the game to Honor International Women’s Day. Diggins-Smith said, “Even just walking through the arena and running into people who have their Mercury gear, they know how to make a girl feel good in Phoenix.”
In 2013 Skylar Diggins-Smith was the number three draft pick for the Tulsa Shock which transitioned into the Wings after a franchise relocation. She signed a four-year deal under the new WNBA contract agreeing to pay her $215,000 base salary this year. Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi reached out to her about playing for the Mercury knowing she wanted to leave Dallas. Skylar sat out last season after giving birth to her son. She was also dealing with postpartum depression at that time. However, she said she’s ready to get back in the game and she misses playing.
She’ll definitely have her hands full in the upcoming season. Their first game is scheduled to take place at Home vs the Seattle Storm at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. I’m sure I’m not the only fan looking forward to seeing her play. It’ll also be good to see how well she can play with DT and BG. Taurasi sat out last year also for most of the season due to injury. It’ll be good to see her back on the court in her element. Let’s hope they can achieve big things this season and possibly another championship.
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