Mike McCarthy, the former Dallas Cowboys coach who was in the running for the Saints job, is no longer planning to coach this year, and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has emerged as a lead candidate to fill the New Orleans vacancy, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday night.

No final decision has been made by New Orleans, which has held second interviews with three known candidates -- Moore, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Moore's second interview was Monday, a day after his Eagles offense erupted for 55 points in an NFC Championship Game rout of the Commanders.

McCarthy had been scheduled to have his first interview with the Saints this week, but instead will focus on the 2026 hiring cycle, a source told ESPN, confirming an NFL Network report.

McCarthy had a 49-35 record in his five seasons as coach of Dallas. His contract expired after the season, and the sides mutually agreed to head in different directions.

He had interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job before they hired Ben Johnson last week.

The Saints are the last NFL team with a current head coach opening. They fired Dennis Allen during the season, with special teams coach Darren Rizzi filling in on an interim basis (Rizzi also interviewed for the head coach job earlier this month.)

Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury opted not to pursue the Saints job, a team source confirmed to ESPN earlier Tuesday. And Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady opted to stay in Buffalo instead of pursuing a second interview with New Orleans. A third candidate, Aaron Glenn, interviewed virtually with the Saints but was ultimately hired by the New York Jets.

Dallas hired McCarthy as Jason Garrett's replacement in 2020 with a clear mandate: Deliver postseason success. But he won just one playoff game, and suffered devastating home losses in the wild-card round to the San Francisco 49ers (2021) and Green Bay Packers (2023).

McCarthy has followed a similar coaching plan of sitting out a year before.

After he was let go by the Packers late in the 2018 season, he interviewed for the vacancies with the Cleveland Browns and Giants but opted to sit out the 2019 season.

The 2025 WNBA offseason has been marked by star movement. Three former All-WNBA picks have already changed teams via trade this offseason, with more potentially to come as things continue to heat up.

The Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm kicked things off Sunday with a reported three-team trade sending Jewell Loyd to the Aces, Kelsey Plum to the Sparks via sign-and-trade and a package of draft picks headlined by the No. 2 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft to the Storm.

On Tuesday, the Phoenix Mercury made a blockbuster deal to land Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun two seasons after she finished as the runner-up in MVP voting. In return for Thomas and starting guard Tyasha Harris, Phoenix sent veterans Rebecca Allen and Natasha Cloud to Connecticut along with the No. 12 pick in this year's draft.

Which teams got the better of these deals and how do the moves affect the rest of the WNBA and what else we'll see in free agency? ESPN breaks down all the implications.

Phoenix Mercury: A

The 2025 Mercury are going to look much different from what we've seen in the Valley.

We've seen Phoenix add stars in the past five years, but to complement cornerstone veterans Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. In 2020, that was Skylar Diggins-Smith, who helped the Mercury reach the Finals in 2021 before her relationship with the team deteriorated. Last year, it was Kahleah Copper, who got Phoenix back to the playoffs after a 9-31 finish in 2023 but not back to .500.

Adding Thomas is different. If Griner (who is taking meetings as an unrestricted free agent for the first time) or Taurasi (whose return for a 21st WNBA season is uncertain) remain on the Mercury, they'll be tasked to fit in around Thomas rather than the opposite.

At surface level, Thomas is an unlikely star for Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts' offense, which is predicated on floor spacing. During Tibbetts' first season, the Mercury went from attempting 32% of their shots from 3-point range in 2023 to 39%, third highest in the league.

Thomas hasn't made a 3-pointer since her rookie season and is 2-for-21 beyond the arc in her WNBA career. But Thomas is near the top of the league when it comes to generating 3-pointers for her teammates. Thomas ranked second in 3s from her passes in 2024, behind only Cloud.

Given that Phoenix GM Nick U'Ren came from the Golden State Warriors, the inevitable comparison for how Thomas could play with the Mercury is prime Draymond Green. Like most versatile posts, Thomas has preferred to play alongside a traditional big, spending most of her Connecticut career first next to Jonquel Jones and then Brionna Jones (and occasionally both).

Lineups with Thomas at center and maximum shooting around her -- a la the Warriors' so-called "Death Lineup" that U'Ren famously suggested to head coach Steve Kerr during the 2015 NBA Finals en route to Golden State's first title -- figure to maximize her impact.

We saw that in 2023, when Brionna Jones sustained an Achilles rupture with the Sun off to a 10-3 start, forcing Thomas to play more in the middle. Connecticut went 17-10 the rest of the way without an All-Star post, and Thomas finished second in MVP voting after averaging 15.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists over the final 27 games.

Defensively, the Death Lineup comp also works. The Mercury switched the second-most on-ball screens in the WNBA last season, per Second Spectrum tracking data, but were limited in that regard by Griner's need to stay anchored near the paint. According to Second Spectrum, Phoenix switched just 7% of picks when Griner defended the screen setter, compared to 23% overall. Lineups with Thomas at center could allow the Mercury to switch as a base defense.

Who else fills out that lineup remains to be seen. Getting Harris back was key to making this trade work financially for Phoenix, which doesn't have any players remaining on rookie contracts. (The Mercury, who were in win-now mode throughout Taurasi's later career, last made and kept a first-round pick in 2019.) At $100,000 in the final season of her contract, Harris won't make appreciably more than the No. 12 pick, and is a proven starting point guard.

The Mercury are still in pursuit of one of the top other remaining uncommitted free agents, Satou Sabally of the Dallas Wings. Like Thomas, Sabally was her team's core player, meaning Phoenix would have to strike a deal with Dallas if Sabally chooses the Mercury.

With the salaries of Allen and Cloud no longer on the books, Phoenix has enough cap room to give both Sabally and Thomas the supermax and still sign DeWanna Bonner (Thomas' fiancée who started her career with the Mercury) to a max offer as an unrestricted free agent.

Until Phoenix fills out the roster, it's tough to say how seriously we should take the Mercury as title contenders. But adding Thomas puts Phoenix back in that conversation for the first time since reaching the 2021 WNBA Finals.

Connecticut Sun: B-

The 2025 Sun are going to look much different from what we've seen before. Coaches and teammates have come and gone, with Thomas as the constant as the Sun won at least 60% of their games in all but one season since 2017. (And that one below-.500 season, 2020, saw Thomas drag Connecticut to the semifinals.)

The Sun have done a remarkable job of remaking the roster around Thomas, including shaking off the trade sending former MVP Jonquel Jones to the New York Liberty. But losing Thomas and coach Stephanie White, with both Bonner and Brionna Jones unrestricted free agents, heralds the start of a new era in Connecticut.

In particular, Thomas' departure suggests facilities issues might finally be catching up with the Sun. It's probably no coincidence that Thomas wanted out not long after lamenting Connecticut sharing the team's practice court with a child's birthday party during the playoffs. Like Las Vegas and Seattle, Phoenix has invested in a dedicated practice facility for the Mercury, upping the ante ahead of a 2026 offseason, when virtually every veteran player of note can be a free agent.

The timing of Thomas' departure isn't ideal for the Sun, who gave up swap rights on their 2026 first-round pick in the deal to add Marina Mabrey from the Chicago Sky last summer. Incidentally, Chicago can swap a first-round pick from Phoenix -- acquired in the Copper trade -- with Connecticut's pick, meaning the Sun might not benefit if they fall into the lottery.

With that in mind, the Sun will surely try to compete in 2025. Allen, Cloud and Mabrey give them three capable starters, and Connecticut also has the rights to restricted free agent DiJonai Carrington. Although Brionna Jones is fully unrestricted after playing two years on the core designation, the Sun can offer her more than any team to re-sign via the supermax.

Getting a first-round pick from the Mercury helps Connecticut replace the team's own first-rounder, which also went to the Sky in the Mabrey deal. Pending the remainder of free agency, this is a solid package that should allow the Sun to remain competitive. Still, without Thomas as the anchor, the odds are against Connecticut continuing its semifinal streak.

Jan. 26: How the Kelsey Plum-Jewell Loyd blockbuster shakes up three teams -- and possibly the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes

Who won Sunday's blockbuster WNBA trade involving All-Stars Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum, plus the No. 2 pick of the upcoming draft?

As reported by ESPN, the three-team trade fulfills Loyd's trade request by sending her to the Las Vegas Aces to replace Plum, who will join the Los Angeles Sparks via sign-and-trade after the Aces used their core designation to take her out of free agency. Meanwhile, the Storm move up from No. 9 to No. 2 in April's draft -- which could facilitate an offer to land the No. 1 pick from the Dallas Wings if top prospect Paige Bueckers of the UConn Huskies prefers not to play in Dallas.

Las Vegas Aces: B+

If Plum wanted out, Loyd was almost certainly the best replacement the Aces could get. There's great familiarity on both sides. Loyd has teamed with Chelsea Gray, A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young for USA Basketball, winning gold last summer, and she has played more playoff games against Las Vegas than any other opponent -- averaging 16.7 points in those games, better than Loyd's overall playoff average of 15.7 points.

Loyd also shares an agent, Jade-Li English, with her new teammates Gray, Wilson and Young. After the ugly breakup between Loyd and the Storm, which culminated in a trade request last month, those ties can help Las Vegas feel confident Loyd will stay with the Aces beyond the one season remaining on her contract.

From a basketball standpoint, Loyd comes to Las Vegas knowing she won't be the first option on offense. Loyd's spot in the pecking order in Seattle after the additions of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike was less clear. Although Loyd remained the Storm's leader in usage rate (29%), Ogwumike was Seattle's best player, earning All-WNBA second-team honors as Loyd was shut out.

Part of the issue was Loyd's adjustment in shot selection after having a bigger offensive role in 2023, when Seattle had just one other double-figure scorer (Ezi Magbegor) and she set a single-season record for points that Wilson broke last year. Loyd's usage rate went down playing alongside Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike, but she took too many off-balance jumpers early in the shot clock.

Per Second Spectrum tracking, Loyd's 39.8% quantified shot quality -- the effective field goal percentage we'd expect from an average player on the same shots based on location, type and distance to nearby defenders -- was the lowest among all players with at least 50 attempts. Plum's quantified shot quality, by contrast, was 47.5%.

We don't have Second Spectrum data for Loyd's time playing alongside Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, who teamed up to win WNBA championships in 2018 and 2020, but Loyd's efficiency was far better. Loyd shot 38% from 3-point range and had a .541 true shooting percentage from 2017 to 2022, as compared with 27% on 3s and a .497 true shooting percentage in 2024.

By teaming up with another MVP, plus two other Olympians, Loyd is choosing a role similar to the bulk of her Storm career. From 2018 to 2022, Loyd's usage rate was 26% of Seattle's plays, in the same ballpark as Plum's 25% usage last season.

Adding Loyd's supermax salary ($249,032) will make it more challenging for the Aces to build their roster. Including Plum, Las Vegas' stars had repeatedly taken below-market extensions, meaning Wilson was previously the Aces' highest-paid player for 2025 at $200,000, according to salary data from HerHoopStats.com.

Even with the flexibility of non-guaranteed contracts for centers Megan Gustafson and Kiah Stokes, Las Vegas will probably have to choose between adding one more player at max-type money or splitting that salary among multiple veterans. The latter scenario could include bringing back key contributors Alysha Clark and Tiffany Hayes, both unrestricted free agents.

Flipping a 2026 first-round pick that has a decent chance of being lower in a 15-team league than the second-round pick they're getting back this year (No. 13 overall) helps the Aces financially because that player will be on a modest rookie contract. Effectively, Las Vegas replaced the team's 2025 first-round pick that the WNBA rescinded due to impermissible benefits.

Of course, we've also seen the Aces get discounts before by virtue of free agents' desire to play for a championship contender in a first-class facility. If Las Vegas can find a way to add Loyd and a top free agent without sacrificing depth, this grade will bump up to an A.

Los Angeles Sparks: B-

Adding Plum is a fascinating move for the Sparks that signals their intent to snap a four-year playoff drought by accelerating their rebuild with an upgrade to their backcourt.

We can probably trace the decision to expedite the rebuild to the trade Los Angeles made on the eve of 2024 free agency, acquiring the No. 4 pick (used on Rickea Jackson) from the Storm along with Kia Nurse in exchange for the Sparks' 2026 first-round pick. Without that pick, Los Angeles wouldn't benefit from another season in the lottery.

Giving up the No. 2 pick in this deal is painful for the Sparks, who have gone from dreaming of adding Bueckers to their young talent by winning the lottery to having only the No. 9 pick in this year's first two rounds. Still, given the difficulty of attracting top talent without a dedicated practice facility, I can understand why they wanted to take advantage of Plum's interest.

Despite going 8-32 in 2024, Los Angeles already has plenty of frontcourt pieces. Dearica Hamby is coming off an All-Star season during which she finished second in most improved player voting, while Jackson was chosen for the All-Rookie team and No. 2 pick Cameron Brink was on track to doing so before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in June. Veteran Azura Stevens is a fourth capable frontcourt starter.

The Sparks' backcourt was their undoing. Besides those four players, eight of the other 10 Los Angeles regulars -- all but Rae Burrell and restricted free agent Aari McDonald -- rated worse than replacement level by my wins above replacement player (WARP) metric. Los Angeles hasn't had an All-Star guard since Gray left for the Aces as an unrestricted free agent before the 2021 season.

Enter Plum, who will likely be the best guard to change teams this offseason. An All-Star each of the past three seasons, she peaked as an All-WNBA first-team pick in 2022, when Las Vegas won the first of its back-to-back titles. Presuming the Sparks re-sign Plum after this season, they'll have a window to win while she's still playing at an All-Star level and their 2024 first-round picks are approaching their prime years.

To help Plum, Los Angeles should continue upgrading the backcourt. Plum didn't miss Gray alongside her in the backcourt despite Plum's shooting slump to start 2024, but her shot quality improved after Gray's return from a foot injury. Before Gray's first start on June 21, Plum's quantified shot quality was 45%, according to Second Spectrum's metric, putting her in the 33rd percentile leaguewide. The rest of the season, that improved to a league-average 49%.

It's possible Julie Allemand could be the playmaker the Sparks need. The Belgian point guard was set to join Los Angeles after a February trade but was sidelined because of an ankle injury that required surgery. Allemand averaged 5.8 assists in her only full WNBA campaign as a starter for the Indiana Fever in 2020. Back healthy after missing the Olympics, Allemand is averaging 7.3 points and a team-high 6.1 assists in EuroLeague play this season for Fenerbahce.

Alternatively, Los Angeles could still add another max player to Plum in free agency. Courtney Vandersloot would be a logical target.

Blockbuster WNBA deal: The Seattle Storm are trading six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in a multi-team move that sends three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources tell me, @ramonashelburne, @alexaphilippou, @kendra__andrews. pic.twitter.com/OlRb37RKIA

Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 27, 2025

Seattle Storm: A-

Trading Loyd for a package built around draft picks probably wasn't Plan A for the Storm, who are expected to re-sign Ogwumike and cored player Gabby Williams to go with Diggins-Smith and Ezi Magbegor as a veteran group hoping to contend.

Swapping Loyd for Plum would have been convenient for Seattle, but Plum evidently wasn't as interested in returning to the state where she starred at the University of Washington as going back to her native Southern California. The Storm could still trade the No. 2 pick to another team for veteran help -- for example, a package built around Ariel Atkins from the rebuilding Washington Mystics -- but I think getting that high in the draft changes the equation.

Landing the No. 2 pick suddenly puts Seattle in position to make a run at the No. 1 pick if Bueckers tells the Wings she'd rather return for a sixth year of college eligibility than come to Dallas. Given their year-old practice facility, strong fan support and history with UConn point guards, the Storm would be an attractive landing spot for Bueckers.

Seattle could offer the Wings the No. 2 pick and additional first-rounders -- including the Sparks' 2026 first-rounder, which has upside if Los Angeles misses the playoffs because the WNBA lottery standings reflect the record over the past two seasons combined.

The Storm now have a league-high five first-round picks over the next three years to offer for No. 1. (The Chicago Sky, who pick third, also hold five first-round picks.)

If Bueckers goes No. 1 to Dallas, or another team, Seattle would have its pick of Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Olivia Miles, USC Trojans post Kiki Iriafen and French center Dominique Malonga. None fills an immediate need for the Storm -- it's unclear whether any would start as rookies -- but each has the long-term potential to be part of a young core, including Magbegor (25) and Jordan Horston (23) and the pair of 2026 first-rounders.

Replacing Loyd's supermax salary with the No. 2 pick, set to make $78,331, gives Seattle more cap flexibility. Even if Williams also takes the supermax offer guaranteed by the core designation and Ogwumike signs for the max, the Storm could make another near-max offer to a free agent.

There's no obvious replacement for Loyd in unrestricted free agency, but Seattle has the flexibility to add a bigger wing such as Clark or Aerial Powers or could try to add another ball handler, with Vandersloot and Natisha Hiedeman as realistic options.

As for Li, she's an interesting fit on a Storm team with the lithe Magbegor at center. Unrestricted free agent Mercedes Russell, who's unlikely to return given her friendship with Loyd, matched up against post-up centers the past couple of seasons. Now that role could fall to the 6-foot-7 Li, who received extended minutes last season against the Connecticut Sun (Brionna Jones), Dallas Wings (Teaira McCowan) and Phoenix Mercury (Brittney Griner).

Perhaps best for Seattle, Li is a reserved free agent who is likely to play next season for the league minimum of $66,079. That's important for a Storm team that will be trying to stretch every dollar filling out its bench.

Barring a trade for Bueckers or a veteran shooting guard, Seattle probably won't have as strong a roster in 2025 as last season, when the Storm looked like contenders entering the season. But Seattle is in position to win now while also building through the draft for the first time since taking Loyd and Stewart with the No. 1 pick in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Big moves in WNBA free agency have been the norm the past few years, but Tuesday delivered a huge one for 2025: Center Brittney Griner, the 2013 No. 1 pick who has spent her 11-season WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury, is headed to the Atlanta Dream.

A two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Griner has averaged 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots in her career. The former Baylor star is one of the best true centers in WNBA history, leading the league in blocks eight times. With 812 blocks, Griner trails only the late Margo Dydek (877) and Lisa Leslie (822) in career blocks.

Griner, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, has been synonymous with the Mercury and a big part of the Phoenix community. Along with Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor, who were on all three Mercury championship teams, Griner has been one of the Mercury's most beloved signature players.

Now, with Griner gone and the reported addition of forward Alyssa Thomas, and the 42-year-old Taurasi's status for this coming season uncertain as she contemplates retirement, the Mercury will have a new look. We examine how Griner will mesh with the Dream, what she meant to the Mercury and how they will adjust without her.

How does Griner fit with the Atlanta Dream roster?

During a long career at Florida Gulf Coast, new Dream coach Karl Smesko was known for playing a smaller-sized lineup that shot a lot of 3-pointers. This is his first foray into the WNBA, so we don't know how he will alter his system with pro talent. But surrounding a center of Griner's ability with shooters sounds like a good idea.

The Dream went 15-25 last season under coach Tanisha Wright and were the last team to make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. They lost in the first round to eventual champion New York. That wasn't enough to save Wright's job; she was fired after three seasons in Atlanta.

Atlanta entered the league as an expansion team in 2008 and got No. 1 pick Angel McCoughtry in 2009. The Dream have reached the WNBA Finals three times -- 2010, 2011, 2013 -- but have never won a Finals game. Seattle swept them in 2010, and Minnesota did it twice.

The Dream have made the playoffs twice in the past six seasons, in 2023 and 2024. But Atlanta has a solid nucleus with a young star like 2022 No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard, who led Atlanta in scoring last season at 17.3 PPG, versatile guard Allisha Gray (15.6 PPG) and point guard Jordin Canada, whose past two seasons have been the best statistically of her WNBA career.

Griner, who turned 34 in October, has played extensively overseas and with USA Basketball, so adjusting to a new system shouldn't be difficult for her. It will be interesting to see how Atlanta completes the team around her. -- Voepel

What does signing Griner mean for the Dream?

This is the biggest signing Atlanta has ever made in free agency. The Dream signed Tina Charles last year, paving the way for her to become the WNBA's all-time leading rebounder and move to No. 2 on the all-time scoring list. The Dream also added Canada via sign-and-trade. But Griner is a legend who was still in demand from multiple teams. Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Aces also considered Griner.

Setting aside the basketball element, adding Griner elevates the Dream's standing in the Atlanta sports world, even if it can only do so much financially. The Dream announced last week they've sold out their allotment of season tickets for the 2025 season, the second consecutive year they've sold out playing at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena at College Park.

Last year, Atlanta played both games against the Indiana Fever at the much larger State Farm Arena, the Dream's home from 2008 through 2016. With Griner on board, Atlanta might feel more comfortable moving additional games this season and could consider a larger venue in the future if she sticks around. -- Pelton

Breaking: 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream, sources tell me and @ShamsCharania

Griner spent her entire career with Phoenix and now heads to Atlanta in one of the most stunning free agency moves in league history pic.twitter.com/bPpqIEx7bw

Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 29, 2025

What is Griner's legacy with the Mercury?

The Mercury won their most recent WNBA title in 2014, Griner's second season in the league, and made their last trip to the WNBA Finals in 2021, when she led Phoenix in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage. In February 2022, Griner was imprisoned in Russia after playing there in the offseason and missed the 2022 WNBA season.

Griner was released in a prisoner exchange in December 2022. Her return to action on Phoenix's homecourt in May 2023 -- two days after Griner and the Mercury had opened the season in front of a large, supportive crowd in Los Angeles -- was one of the most emotional games in league history. Griner said many times in her career, including after her return from her detainment, that Phoenix was home, and she couldn't imagine playing anywhere else.

But in pro sports, never say never. The Mercury crashed in 2023, going 9-31 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Last season, they improved to 19-21 under new coach Nate Tibbetts, losing in the first round of the playoffs. Phoenix has had a reset with Tibbetts and general manager (Nick U'Ren) Griner's departure is another step.

Her legacy, though, is set in Phoenix as a player who lived up to her potential, was consistently one of the WNBA's star players and was a fan favorite. No matter what Griner went through in her life and career, the "X-Factor" Mercury fans stuck with her. They will miss Griner and vice versa. -- Voepel

How will Phoenix be impacted by Griner's exit and the addition of Thomas?

Griner and the Mercury had been preparing to go in different directions. Cap space is at a premium given Phoenix's ambition to add Thomas and Satou Sabally, plus potentially DeWanna Bonner. (ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported Tuesday that the Mercury are one of two finalists for Bonner, an unrestricted free agent and Thomas' fiancée.)

Additionally, the on-court fit between Thomas and Griner could have been tricky. Though Thomas played with a non-shooting center in Connecticut (Brionna Jones), the result was an offense that ranked 11th of 12 WNBA teams in 3-point attempts and had relatively little space in which to operate. That's not the style Tibbetts prefers to play.

Based on those circumstances, the Mercury were surely comfortable letting Griner explore free agency and find a better fit. At this point in their respective careers, Thomas is more effective on the court. She was the runner-up in MVP voting in 2023 and was an All-WNBA first-team pick last season.

If Phoenix can land Sabally via a sign-and-trade, the Mercury will position themselves as offseason winners despite the loss of Griner. If Thomas is likely the best player who will change teams this offseason, Sabally -- two years removed from joining Thomas on the All-WNBA first-team -- might end up second on that list.

Still, Phoenix will surely be overjoyed if any of this offseason's newcomers approach the impact Griner made in the Valley. -- Pelton

SALT LAKE CITY -- Isaiah Thomas showed he is still a potent scorer, pouring in 40 points Tuesday night in his return to the NBA G League.

A two-time NBA All-Star, Thomas was activated by the Salt Lake City Stars on Tuesday and shot 13-for-28 from the field and had eight assists in their 122-115 loss to the Valley Suns.

Thomas, a 5-foot-9 guard, is still hoping for a return to the NBA after playing six games for the Phoenix Suns late in the 2023-24 season. He earned that opportunity after averaging 32.5 points in four games for the Stars.

Thomas played in 556 games during his 12 NBA seasons. His best season was in 2016-17, when he averaged 28.9 points for the Boston Celtics and finished fifth in MVP voting.

After 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Griner, who has spent her entire career in Phoenix after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2013, heads to Atlanta in one of the most stunning free agency signings in league history.

Griner announced the move in a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday night. The signing can't be made official until Saturday, when contracts are allowed to be signed.

"So, free agency has been everything I wanted it to be," Griner said in the video. "I was able to find where I wanted to go. And honestly, what led me to that decision ultimately was the team, the players, as individuals, and then also my family."

Griner's departure marks the beginning of a new era for the Mercury, who could also be without Diana Taurasi for the first time in two decades if she decides to retire. Taurasi and Griner won the franchise its third and most recent championship in 2014.

"You know it was a hard decision," Griner said, "you're leaving what you know, what I've known for my whole career. But there's also the exciting factor of like, OK, this is a rebrand now, I get to show them something different."

The 6-foot-9 center missed the 2022 campaign when she was wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly 10 months. She was eventually freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange and returned to All-Star form in 2023 and 2024.

Griner, a six-time All-WNBA selection, goes to Atlanta as the biggest free agent signing in franchise history. She joins a team also headlined by Rhyne Howard, drafted first overall by the Dream in 2022, and Allisha Gray, for whom Atlanta traded for in 2023. The franchise moved on this offseason from former coach Tanisha Wright and hired Karl Smesko from Florida Gulf Coast University to lead the team.

The Las Vegas Aces also looked at signing Griner, sources told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, in their long-standing effort to find another big to play alongside A'ja Wilson. But after acquiring former Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd and evaluating their style of play moving forward, sources said the Aces have turned their attention to other post players such as Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and trying to re-sign veterans Tiffany Hayes and Alysha Clark.

Earlier Tuesday, the Mercury also finalized a deal to acquire five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas and Ty Harris from the Connecticut Sun, sources told ESPN, a trade that will send Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the 2025 No. 12 pick to Uncasville.

According to sources, Phoenix is also expected to meet with Satou Sabally, who has requested a trade out of Dallas, and to speak with free agent DeWanna Bonner.

ESPN's Shams Charania contributed to this report.

PHILADELPHIA -- The 76ers said Tuesday that forward Paul George suffered tendon damage to the pinkie finger on his non-shooting left hand.

George hurt the finger when he jammed it Saturday against the Chicago Bulls. An MRI and ultrasound showed the tendon damage, the team said.

George sat out Tuesday night's game against the Lakers, the 15th game he has missed this season, and will be evaluated in the coming days. But coach Nick Nurse indicated the injury is not major and that George is day to day.

George, 34, already had missed games this season with knee and groin injuries, and because of load management. He has averaged 17.1 points and had just scored 30 points in a win Friday over Cleveland in the first season of a four-year, $212 million free agent deal.

Also Tuesday, Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) sat out again against the Lakers and is expected to miss Wednesday's game against the Kings. He did warm up against the Lakers in full uniform a day after he was spotted at practice performing handstands.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is sitting out Tuesday's home game against the Utah Jazz due to bilateral knee injury management.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the hope is that Curry will be available for the second night of the back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"It felt like with three games in the next four nights with his knees where they are, let's be smart about it and go from there," Kerr said.

Curry, 36, a late addition to the injury report, has rested parts of back-to-backs four times this season as he manages knee soreness.

"We take it day-to-day, week-to-week, and it made sense to give him the night off and try to get him right for the rest of the week," Kerr said.

PHILADELPHIA -- Despite his season having been cut short because of left knee surgery, 76ers rookie Jared McCain had reason to smile Tuesday.

The Sixers guard was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge, earning one of 10 rookie roster spots to play against a pool of players in their sophomore season and from the G League at NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco next month.

"It's obviously been one of my goals to be in that game, and I didn't know if I was eligible or not to even be in it," said McCain, who was surprised by the news when his agent texted him a photo of the roster. "But it was really cool to be named that in the games I was played in."

McCain, selected by Philadelphia with the No. 16 pick out of Duke, averaged 15.3 points on 46% shooting (38.3% from 3) and 2.6 assists in 23 games before suffering a torn meniscus Dec. 13 against the Indiana Pacers.

He underwent surgery Dec. 17 and was ruled out for the rest of the season after being seen by team doctors on Jan. 9, officially ending a promising rookie campaign for the 20-year-old who earned Eastern Conference rookie of the month honors for November.

Using a cane to support himself up a few stairs to the podium for a pregame news conference Tuesday and speaking to reporters for the first time since the surgery, McCain detailed the injury, saying he originally believed he could have hurt his head after falling to the floor against Indiana. After he cleared a concussion test, he went back in the game, and he said his knee was hurting and "it kind of felt weird."

When his knee swelled up overnight and he was limping the next day, he notified Sixers medical staff, and an MRI was schedule. His agent called him with the results: a tear of the lateral meniscus in his left knee, which would require surgery to repair.

"I started crying," McCain said. "It was very tough to hear how long I'd be out for and to know I've worked so hard to be in the NBA and now it just gets taken away from me so quick. So, it was tough, especially that night. ... Luckily, I'm good now and I got a little cane with me, so taking it step by step."

McCain said Sixers star Joel Embiid, who was sidelined his first two seasons in the NBA because of injuries, was quick to FaceTime him and check in after his surgery.

"He wanted to just know what I was doing, what really had happened, and just told me kind of how to get through it and just help me with that," McCain said. "So it was really cool to hear from him."

McCain said he has been filling his free time by brushing up on his Spanish and learning how to play the piano. He also has been using daily mental exercises.

"I do my journal. I now meditate for longer. I visualize for longer visualizing a healthy knee," McCain said. "I made a new goal board and then I usually go into my reading."

McCain, whose rehabilitation has been limited to walking on an altered-gravity treadmill thus far, said he was unsure whether he would attend the Rising Stars game.

"Just taking it super slow," he said. "Definitely don't want anything to happen. And knowing it is going to be a full recovery, just keeping that in mind."

PHILADELPHIA -- Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis exited early in Tuesday night's 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with an abdominal muscle strain and did not return.

Davis subbed out with 2:10 remaining in the first quarter, with L.A. leading 20-17, and immediately went to the locker room for examination. By the time he was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime, the Sixers were up 73-57.

L.A. started the third quarter with Dorian Finney-Smith in Davis' spot along with the starters.

Davis came into the night on a tear, averaging 32.8 points on 58.2% shooting, 15 rebounds and 2.5 blocks during the Lakers' four-game winning streak.

"He's playing at a really high level right now," Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Davis before the Sixers game. "He's got his pop and his juice back."

Davis finished with four points on 2-of-3 shooting, two rebounds and one steal Tuesday.

The Lakers continue their five-game road trip in Washington on Thursday and New York on Saturday before returning to L.A. to face the Clippers in another road game at the Intuit Dome on Tuesday.