One of the Phoenix Mercury players is set not to feature for the remainder of the 2026 season, as announced by the Mercury themselves. However, it was a difficult decision for the player to make, and, considering Mercury's form, it will take a heavy toll on their future games.

The Mercury rookie Jovana Nogić will not play the rest of the season due to "personal reasons", the team announced on June 29. In her statement, Nogić expressed her thoughts on the Mercury and how she felt about playing on the team.

"This was not an easy decision, I love Phoenix, our organization and our fans,” said Nogić according to a post by Stephen Pridgeon on X.“The Mercury community made me feel welcome from day one, and I look forward to returning to Phoenix next season."

Nogić played her last game for Phoenix on June 17 against the Las Vegas Aces, with the Aces winning 86-76. Nogić scored 12 points in that game. On June 20, her contract was suspended by the team, without any clear reason, although coach Nate Tibbetts said it was due to some personal reasons.

While speaking with ESPN, Nogić's agent, Boris Lelchitski of Sports International Group, not only denied Sport Klub's claim that she is leaving the Mercury to fulfill duties with UMMC Ekaterinburg and the Serbian national team, but also confirmed that Nogić's goal is to return to Phoenix in 2027.

But now that she is no longer available for the Mercury, how will this affect their future games?

Phoenix Mercury Might Get Into More Trouble As The Season Continues

It certainly has not been the month for the Phoenix, with their veteran player Alyssa Thomas under scrutiny for fouling Caitlin Clark on June 24, and then receiving a Flagrant Foul 2 penalty and a one-game ban for it.

And now, with their third-highest scorer, Nogić being out of the team, Phoenix hae lost one of their main impactful players. Nogić averaged 10.4 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 rebounds per game in the 16 games that she was featured in, playing 20.2 minutes per game.

According to WNBA.com, Mercury have not been up to par this season, having a record of 7-13. If we look at Phoenix's first 20 games last season, they had a splendid 14-6 record. Being the WNBA Finals team last season, Phoenix have had a massive turnover this year.

They currently stand seventh in the Western Conference standings and 12th in the league standings. The Mercury will face the Seattle Storm next on Thursday, July 2, at the Mortgage Matchup Center.

The Mercury will hope to continue their two-game winning streak and grab more wins to climb up a few positions in the standings.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi