In its first move since the free agency period opened, the Connecticut Sun acquired veteran guard Tiffany Mitchell and the No. 19 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Natisha Heideman.
Mitchell was chosen No. 9 overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2016 WNBA Draft and was selected to the All-Rookie Team that season. She played seven years in Indiana before signing with the Lynx as a free agent in 2023. Mitchell averaged 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 40.4% shooting from the field in Minnesota last season.
Sun coach Stephanie White is a familiar face for Mitchell: White was the head coach of the Fever when Mitchell was drafted in 2016. The pair only spent a season together before White left to lead Vanderbilt, but the 2023 WNBA Coach of the year is thrilled to have Mitchell back on her roster.
“I was in Indiana when we drafted Tiff and it’s been fun to watch her career unfold,” White said in a news release. “I’m excited to be on the same sideline with her again. She’s a competitor and fits the grit and toughness that permeates our franchise.”
Mitchell had a standout college career at South Carolina, earning All-American honors three times and helping the Gamecocks to their first Final Four appearance in program history in 2015. She was the SEC Player of the Year in both 2014 and 2015, and South Carolina won three straight conference tournaments with Mitchell.
Heideman, entering her sixth season in the league, has spent her entire WNBA career with the Sun. The Marquette legend was selected No. 18 overall in the 2019 draft and started 40 games for Connecticut in 2023, helping the team to the second round of the WNBA playoffs. She averaged 8.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds last season.
“I want to thank Natisha for everything she has done for this organization and for our team,” White said in a release. “T is a joy to coach and will impact every team she’s a part of. We wish her the best.”
The No. 19 draft pick, a late second-round pick, could become an interesting piece for the Sun. An early December mock draft by Yahoo Sports projected UConn point guard Nika Muhl to the Lynx at 19, but players like Utah’s Alissa Pili, Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee and LSU’s Hailey Van Lith could also still be on the board. Connecticut now has four picks — 10, 19, 22 and 34 — in the 2024 draft.
Rebecca Allen, Brionna Jones and DeWanna Bonner are all free agents in 2024, but the Sun have six players already under contract. With star forward Alyssa Thomas signed as a protected veteran, it seems likely that Bonner will be back to play alongside her fiancée. The Sun cored Jones on Jan. 19, indicating that they hope to keep her in Connecticut after a torn Achilles tendon cut her 2023 season short.
