Courtney Williams’ former Connecticut Sun teammates wanted her back.

Sun forward Jonquel Jones, the 2021 WNBA MVP, most especially wanted Williams back.

“This is a player-led league and (our) franchise really values our players, and our veterans truly advocated for Courtney Williams,” Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller said Wednesday hours after the announcement that the team had reached an agreement for Williams to return to Connecticut. “They recruited her back. They had a special bond.

“What any great player in any sports (on) any franchise wants is (they) want to have a more open dialogue on what the roster looks like. And so when you have those conversations with JJ, when she says, 'we need Courtney Williams, we need Courtney Williams' ... (She's) what we believe is the missing piece for us.”

Terms of the contract were not released per team policy. Richard Cohen of herhoopstats.com reported that Williams signed a one-year deal for $103,000.

Williams, a 5-foot-8 guard, played over three seasons for the Sun and helped them reach the 2019 WNBA Finals. She requested to be traded to the Atlanta Dream during that offseason to be closer to home, and was sent there as part of a three-team deal in which the Sun acquired guard Briann January from the Phoenix Mercury.

There was some public acrimony from Miller and Williams after the trade.

Williams earned her first WNBA All-Star nod last season and averaged 34.4 minutes (second in the league), 16.5 points (11th overall), 6.8 rebounds and 4 assists with the Dream in 2021.

The Dream opted not to re-sign Williams after video surfaced last October of her and then-teammate Crystal Bradford fighting with several women outside an Atlanta club last May. The WNBA announced on Nov. 23 that Williams would be suspended for two games without pay this season.

“I’m going to keep our conversations between Courtney and myself (private),” Miller said. “We talked to Courtney (about) expectations from our franchise.

“I loved coaching Courtney. She’s easy to coach. She loves the game. She’s passionate about the game.”

Williams' return is a boost for the Sun offense because they’ve lacked a consistent mid-range shooter since she left. She shot 39.6 percent (143 of 361) from 15-to-24 feet last season.

January signed with the Seattle Storm on Wednesday and announced that she plans to retire after what will be her 14th season. She was a big reason why Connecticut was the league’s top defensive team last season and was an All-Defensive first team pick.

“She has been an integral part of what we have done the last two years,” Miller said about January. “I'm a better coach in person having the opportunity to be around Briann January. We are certainly going to miss that professionalism and her defense.”

The Sun also signed guard Taj Cole and forward Joyner Holmes to training camp contracts Wednesday, giving them 13 players under contract. Miller said they’ll likely roster just 11 during the regular season due to the salary cap.

n.griffen@theday.com