A WNBA agent said the Connecticut Sun are trying to “force” a player to play on the team by not granting her trade request.

After guard Marina Mabrey reportedly requested a trade in early February, her team openly denied the request despite losing a chunk of their roster.

Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti reportedly told ESPN that the team didn’t want to trade the 28-year-old so soon after acquiring her. The Sun picked up Mabrey and a 2025 2nd-round pick from the Chicago Sky in July 2024.

The organization decided, however, that it wasn’t in the team’s “best interest” to move Mabry because of the value that they not only gave up to get her but because of the value they place on her as a player.

This apparently did not sit well with Mabrey’s agent, Marcus Crenshaw of the FAM Agency, who went above and beyond in his reasoning for why the team should trade his client.

“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,” Crenshaw said, according to Yahoo Sports.

“Why would anyone try to force someone to play on their team when they don’t want to be there?” the agent asked.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Crenshaw then described the team’s decision as “counterproductive in a ton of ways” and claimed widespread confusion about the team’s handling of Mabrey’s situation.

The agent complained that the team had also traded away “Hall of Fame-caliber players,” which included Alyssa Thomas and DiJonai Carrington.

Fans may recognize Carrington for her remarks about WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark; Carrington complained Clark did not address “misogyny” and “xenophobia” when she addressed media criticisms about female basketball players.

Clark had said she did not put much thought into journalists involving her in culture wars, remarks that seemingly bothered Carrington.

“Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them all is nuts. We all see the s***. We all have a platform. We all have a voice & they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury,” Carrington wrote on X.

‘They are doing all they can to try and force Marina to stay.’

In the end, Mabrey’s agent noted that coach Stephanie White also left the Sun, leaving the team in a tough spot given they allegedly were unable to hold onto any of their best signings.

“They are doing all they can to try and force Marina to stay when she clearly doesn’t want to be there. It’s interesting,” Crenshaw added.

The 2025 WNBA regular season starts with three games on Friday, May 16.

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