Today, the Phoenix Mercury announced via their official X account that they have signed veteran guard Kiana Williams to a rest-of-season contract.
Williams had inked a seven-day contract on August 13th, her third such deal of the season. WNBA players are only able to sign three seven-day deals in a year, and with deal number three set to expire, the Mercury had to make a choice on whether or not to keep her for the rest of the year. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, a healthy roster, and a more or less settled rotation, Phoenix did not feel the need to make any additional moves before the end of the season and decided to use their twelfth and final roster spot to keep Williams for the remainder of the campaign.
Signing three temporary deals in a single season, after being a post-training camp cut, is a lot of transition for one player to make in such a short span of time. Last week, Williams spoke to reporters about her situation being on and off the team, saying “it’s just stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. I’m just super thankful for [Phoenix general manager] Nick [U’Ren] they’ve been transparent with me. I love Phoenix. I love this organization. It’s a really great group.” [h/t to Desert Wave Media]
Jul 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Kiana Williams (23) against the Minnesota Lynx during the first half at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
She spent her time away from the team training in her hometown of San Antonio and enjoying family time, which can be hard to come by for a player who plays ball overseas during the WNBA offseason, in places ranging from China to Türkiye to Australia, all of which are a long, long way from home.
Williams might not be in line for much playing time — Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts is unlikely to use more than eight or nine players in a game going forward — but she’s good injury insurance and has proven that she can step up and contribute, most notably when she put up 17 points on just eight shot attempts off the bench in a blowout win against the Dallas Wings in July. She did not appear in a game during her most recent seven-day contract, but could get playing time if any of the guards ahead of her are dealing with an injury or if the team chooses to rest starters at any point down the stretch.
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