The Phoenix Mercury had a few big losses this offseason, the first being Brittney Griner signing with the Atlanta Dream in free agency and the second being the retirement of Diana Taurasi. The Mercury have retooled their roster this offseason, most notably with the addition of Satou Sabally. The Mercury continued their roster building ahead of training camp with the signing of Shyla Heal, as per WNBA transactions.
The Mercury’s signing of Shyla Heal to the roster is a training camp contract, meaning she will have to make the final regular season roster. Heal’s addition brings the team’s current roster to 15 players.
WNBA teams are allowed a maximum of 18 players in training camp, and must cut that number down to either 11 or 12 players by the start of the regular season. WNBA training camps are scheduled to open on Apr. 27, a little over one week after the WNBA Draft.
Heal returns to the WNBA after a brief stint with the Chicago Sky during the 2021 season. She was selected by the Sky with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft. She appeared in only four games for the Sky that season averaging 2.0 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists.
She was traded to the Dallas Wings that season in the deal that brought Dana Evans to the Sky. The Wings immediately waived Heal and she hasn’t appeared in the WNBA since. At only 23-years-old, Heal still remains an intriguing prospect as a pro.
Over the past couple of seasons, she’s been playing in the WNBL in her home country of Australia. She’s played in the WNBL since turning pro, but this past year she joined Women’s Basketball Super League in Turkey.
Heal has also played for the Australian national team in both U19 and under competition, and with the senior national team in 2022 at the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. She is the daughter of former NBA player Shane Heal who played for both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs.
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