PHOENIX -- Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith is expected to be part of the team next season after leaving the organization with two games left in the regular season because of a personal matter, general manager Jim Pitman said Sunday.
"Sky's under contract for next year," Pitman said a day after the Mercury were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces. "She's obviously not with us for personal reasons that I really can't talk about, but she is under contract, so, yes."
Diggins-Smith did not play in the two games before she left the team on Aug. 11. The Mercury said she was not with the team due to a non-COVID-19 illness before she missed Phoenix's win over the Dallas Wings on Aug. 6, and then said she was not with the team due to personal reasons for the loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 10.
A day later, the Mercury announced she was leaving the team and suspended her contract retroactively to Aug. 10.
Later Sunday, Pitman was asked why the team suspended Diggins-Smith's contract, and he said he couldn't say anything more beyond that she left the team for personal reasons. Diggins-Smith has one year left on her contract.
She finished her All-Star season averaging 19.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. She also led the WNBA in minutes per game with 34.0.
