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Sun trade Williams to Dream in 3-team deal including Mercury

G Fiume / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Atlanta Dream have acquired rising star Courtney Williams from the Connecticut Sun in a trade that also includes the Phoenix Mercury, the teams announced Wednesday.

Williams, 25, averaged a career-best 13.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game last season, helping lead the Sun to the 2019 WNBA Finals. The 5-foot-8 guard saved some of her best basketball for that series, scoring 48 points total between Game 1 and 2.

"The addition of Courtney Williams brings us a dynamic scorer who thrives in the big moment," Dream coach Nicki Collen said in a statement. "Courtney is arguably the best mid-range scorer in the WNBA but has also become a very efficient 3-point shooter, which will keep defenses honest."

Atlanta also receives the Mercury's 2020 second-round pick (17th overall).

In return, the Sun land guard Briann January and the Mercury's 2021 second-round pick. January, 33, averaged 6.5 points and 3.2 assists in 26.6 minutes per game with the Mercury last season.

Rounding out the deal, the Mercury get forward Jessica Breland and wing Nia Coffey from the Dream. Breland averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 23.2 minutes per game with Atlanta last season. The 24-year-old Coffey averaged five points and 2.8 rebounds in just under 14 minutes per contest.

The three teams involved in the deal were already among the busiest in what has been a WNBA offseason underscored by dramatic overhaul.

The Sun's and Mercury's front offices were already well acquainted: Last week, Phoenix sent All-Star forward DeWanna Bonner to Connecticut for a package of picks that were ultimately used to pry All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith from the Dallas Wings in a separate deal.

Meanwhile, the Dream allowed their face of the franchise, Angel McCoughtry, to test free agency. The five-time All-Star opted to sign with the Las Vegas Aces, signaling a transition into a new era of hoops in Atlanta that will feature the newly acquired Williams as a key component.

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