Roster grades based on player Performance, with a crowd-voted Fan Verdict.
Team grades roll up from the roster's player grades. WNBA Performance is graded on per-game box production relative to position.
14
Players
7
Graded
Talk anything about the team
Loading…
Grade the Phoenix Mercury
Your grade joins the crowd-sourced Fan Verdict.
The Phoenix Mercury earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), reflecting a roster construction strategy that leans toward mixed execution in the tight WNBA salary environment. Of the six graded contracts on the roster, only one represents genuine value — the kind of below-market deal that creates organizational flexibility — while two positions register as clear overpays, suggesting the front office has absorbed some inefficiencies in recent negotiations. That 1-to-2 ratio of good-value to overpay contracts indicates uneven spending discipline: for every dollar-friendly deal that builds cushion, two dollars are locked into above-market commitments that constrain future maneuvering. With just six of fourteen roster spots evaluated, the Mercury's full salary picture extends beyond the graded sample, but the evaluated contracts anchor the team's cap posture — a portfolio that wastes resources rather than compounds them. In a hard-cap league where every percentage point of payroll matters, overpays don't sink you, but they do narrow the margin for opportunistic mid-season acquisitions or competitive depth signings. The C+ verdict signals a team treading water contractually: not a salary-cap disaster, but one that would benefit from sharper asset negotiation to unlock genuine competitive leverage.