San Antonio Stars trade Monique Currie to the Mercury in exchange for Shay Murphy, Sophie Brunner and a third round pick

The San Antonio Stars traded forward Monique Currie to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for guard Shay Murphy, forward Sophie Brunner and a third round pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. The Stars also waived guard Sequoia Holmes.

“We are very excited to bring Mo back to the Mercury family,” said Phoenix general manager Jim Pitman. “She is a known commodity in this league, a proven scorer who can contribute right away. We know how she fits in Sandy Brondello’s system, we know the kind of player she is in the locker room, and we know her will to win. We thank Shay and Sophie for their contributions, and for being great teammates and people during their time with us this season.”

A 12-year WNBA veteran, Currie spent the 2015 season in Phoenix as a starter on the Mercury team that won 20 games and advanced to the Western Conference Finals despite playing without Diana Taurasi. This season, Currie is averaging 11.8 points, her highest scoring average since 2012, and shooting 43.4 percent from the field, including 35.9 percent from three-point range.

Murphy (5-11, USC) averaged 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 14.2 minutes through nine games this season with the Mercury. She signed with Phoenix as a free agent on Feb. 22. The 2014 WNBA champion has averaged 4.9 points and 2.5 rebounds throughout her nine-year WNBA career. At USC, she finished top-10 in scoring (1,492) in Trojans program history and as its all-time leader in three-pointers made (181).

Brunner (6-1, Arizona State) signed with Phoenix on April 19 and has appeared in three games with the Mercury. During her senior year at Arizona State in 2015-16, Brunner averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 26.1 minutes. She concluded her career third on ASU’s all-time list in career points (1,405) and field goals (551), also finishing second in rebounds (921).