"I actually cried" - Sun president Jen Rizzotti shares honest feelings on Marina Mabrey trade

During the 2024 WNBA season, the Connecticut Sun acquired Marina Mabrey as part of a deal with the Chicago Sky. While the deal brought the team a talented player, Sun President Jen Rizzotti was saddened by the loss of Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson.

As part of the deal, the Sun packaged the two veterans, a 2025 1st round pick, and a 2026 1st round pick-swap in exchange for Mabrey and a 2025 2nd round pick. While Banham was averaging just 4.8 points per game and Jefferson had seen her playing time drop to just 6.8 minutes per game, Rizzotti was left saddened by the fact that the Sun had to part ways with the duo.

During an appearance on the Locked On Women's Basketball show on Tuesday, Rizzotti reflected on the trade and said:

"When people ask me about what we had to give up they think I'm talking about our draft picks, and I will be honest with you, I actually cried when we had to give up Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson, like we're talking about two of the best humans in this league.

Rizzotti highlighted that it was the right basketball decision but one that was hard for her to take:

"Yes, they weren't the guards at that moment that were going to help us win a championship and so trading them away was the right decision for the basketball side, but I said that, 'I can't do this, in this role' because I'm heartbroken."

Connecticut Sun reportedly deny Marina Mabrey's trade request ahead of 2025 WNBA season

After being traded to Connecticut last season, Marina Mabrey saw a slight improvement in her scoring average, going from a 14.0 ppg scorer in Chicago to a 14.9 ppg scorer in Connecticut.

While her rebounding and assist numbers dipped slightly, the most notable improvement was in her efficiency numbers. Prior to the trade, Mabrey was scoring at 38.1% from the floor, however, after the trade she scored at an efficient 46.7% rate. The change was also seen from beyond the arc as well, with her 3-point percentage going from 34.8% in Chicago to 42.4% with the Connecticut Sun.

Despite that, and the Sun taking the Minnesota Lynx to five games in the playoffs last year, Mabrey wants out. The guard requested a trade earlier this month, which was denied by the Sun.

In response, Mabrey's agent, Marcus Crenshaw fired back in a statement relayed to ESPN's Alexa Philippou last week:

"In this current age of women's empowerment and support of the players, the CT Sun threatening to force Marina Mabrey to play for them after her trade request is mind-boggling."

In response, Jen Rizzotti was quoted by ESPN as saying that because of the assets the team gave up to acquire Marina Mabrey, they didn't feel it was in their best interest to trade her. She also mentioned that the team valued her abilities.