Saturday was the first day WNBA free agents are eligible to officially sign contracts, and already a flurry of moves have significantly reshaped multiple teams around the league.

The Phoenix Mercury positioned themselves as the early winners of the offseason.

Franchise legend Brittney Griner is out the door, announcing she's signing with the Atlanta Dream. Griner was a 10-time All-Star and seven-time All-Defensive honoree in her 11 seasons with the team.

Phoenix didn't waste any time finding reinforcements.

The Mercury are acquiring Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun and Satou Sabally from the Dallas Wings. Thomas and Sabally, two of the top free agents on the board, had been designated as core players by their respective teams.

The deal centered around Sabally is of the three-team variety. The Indiana Fever are sending forward NaLyssa Smith to the Dallas Wings, who are also acquiring guard Ty Harris. Harris had gone from Connecticut to Phoenix in the Thomas sign-and-trade. The Fever, meanwhile, are adding wing Sophie Cunningham.

With Griner gone and Diana Taurasi yet to announce a decision about her status for 2025, the Mercury are pivoting toward a new era, one in which Thomas and Sabally will be the leading figures.

The Seattle Storm have likewise closed a chapter in their history.

The Storm announced the completion of the three-team trading resulting in Jewell Loyd's move to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum's departure from Vegas for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Plum won a pair of titles and was a three-time All-Star with the Aces. The Sparks, however, offer her the opportunity to play a starring role that was out of reach as long as she was playing alongside A'ja Wilson.

Assuming Plum simply wanted a change of scenery, Las Vegas couldn't have done much better than replacing her with Loyd, who has been an elite two-way guard. It's not a like-for-like substitution, and there will be an adjustment with Loyd fitting into the offense with Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Still, the upside is obvious.

Loyd was the last member of the Storm's Big Three, which included Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, that guided the organization to two championships over a three-year span. That doesn't signal a shift in the front office's priorities, though.

ESPN's Chiney Ogwumike announced Saturday that older sister Nneka is returning to Seattle:

Speaking of returns, the Chicago Sky confirmed Courtney Vandersloot is signing with the franchise for whom she played her first 12 years in the WNBA. The 35-year-old is the Sky's all-time leader in assists (2,386) and steals (457), and her 3,671 points trail only Allie Quigley.

Even if Chicago remains a fringe playoff contender in 2025, Vandersloot can be a great locker-room leader for 2024 first-round picks Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.

Elsewhere, fans in the Northeast became accustomed to seeing the Sun make the playoffs with Curt Miller and then Stephanie White at the helm. Now, those fans will have to adjust to a new reality.

Connecticut is all but guaranteed to be rebuilding.

In addition to Thomas going to Phoenix, three-time All-Star Brionna Jones signed with the Atlanta Dream, and the Sun agreed to trade 2024 Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington to the Wings, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

The Sun are now without four of their five starters from last year, and the fifth, DeWanna Bonner, is an unrestricted free agent. The entire starting lineup might be turning over.

The steady failure from Connecticut's ownership to invest in the franchise's infrastructure might finally be yielding tangible dividends. More and more teams are constructing their own practice facilities, leaving those without a dedicated training facility falling behind the pack.

In the meantime, Sun first-year head coach Rachid Meziane and general manager Morgan Tuck have quite a challenge on their hands to capitalize on what's left in free agency.