The Sun are finalizing a multi-year deal with reigning league MVP Jonquel Jones, according to Just Women's Sports' Rachel Galligan.
Jones, 28, took home the league's MVP award this past season after receiving 48 of the 49 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
She finished last year leading the WNBA in both win shares per 40 minutes and overall win shares. Jones played 100 fewer minutes than Phoenix’s Brittney Griner, who was No. 2 in win shares. Jones also finished No. 4 in scoring (averaging 19.4 points per game) and led the league in rebounding (with 11.2 rebounds per game). The Sun also had the league's best defense by a significant margin, with Jones serving as a defensive anchor.
“She’s the ultimate chess piece; every game there’s a different advantage,” Sun coach Curt Miller told Sports Illustrated last season. “The next step is for her to take us to the mountaintop.”
The Sun entered last year's playoffs as the WNBA's No. 1 seed, but lost to the eventual champion Sky in four games.
In addition to bringing back Jones, WNBA All-Star guard Courtney Williams is expected to finalize a deal to return to the Sun, per Girls Talk Sports TV's Khristina Williams. Guard Natisha Hiedeman is also returning to the team after accepting Connecticut's qualifying offer.
