2025 WNBA Trade Deadline Grades

This post is a part of WNBA Week+.  During this stretch, I will release several blog posts related to the WNBA, including news stories, player discussions, and teams’ seasons.

 

The WNBA Trade Deadline is usually a quiet event for a number of reasons, the biggest one being that the salary cap is a hard cap (unlike that of the NBA), which limits the number of teams that have enough cap space to make a trade.  Historically, very few teams make moves that include players who are in rotations (in fact, last season was an oddity when a player as notable as Marina Mabrey was traded at the deadline).  This year, there were 3 trade deadline moves, each of them are notable and include a player going to each team who will be in the rotation.  I gave my grades for each of these trades, ordered by how notable each trade.

 

Brittney Sykes

Seattle receives:  Brittney Sykes

Washington receives:  Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke, 2026 1^st round pick (SEA)

 

Seattle Grade:  C

Seattle has consistently shown that they don’t care about fit and prefer targeting talent (as evident by combining Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins last year and signing Tina Charles midseason in 2022).  The problem with these moves is that they often have not worked since the fit makes no sense, and I fear that the same will happen this season.  Sykes inefficient scoring is going to make her a difficult fit alongside Diggins, who isn’t the most efficient scorer in her own right.  On top of that, Sykes is best with the ball in her hands with the freedom to look for her own shots and make the right plays; the issue is that Diggins is better at filling that role, making it preferable to have the ball in her hands.  That said, Sykes will be a welcome fit on the defensive end, as she is a great perimeter defender who excels both individually and as a team defender.  With her redundancies on offense, I wonder if she is best served coming off the bench, which makes me wonder why you would give up what you did to get an All-Star player having one of the best seasons of her career.  While they didn’t give up a boatload of stuff in the trade (keep an eye on that pick though, especially if Seattle continues to freefall, as this could be a loaded draft class), I just don’t get it.

 

Washington Grade:  B

Despite being a surprisingly competitive team this year, this move made it clear that Washington would rather end up in the lottery than in the 8-seed.  They were unlikely to get a big return, but this isn’t the best return for Sykes, who is having a great year (though she was struggling a bit after the All-Star break).  Cooke was immediately waived, and while Clark was included for salary reasons, she still will be a great presence as a veteran leader who can still play key minutes despite being 39.  The biggest thing is to bank on Seattle’s pick being good, which is possible given how much Seattle is free falling.  This draft could be a deep one, so even getting a pick that is just outside the lottery could be very good.  The biggest thing about this trade is that Washington is more likely to be in the lottery; since they do the odds based on the previous two seasons, which at least will give them better odds than Connecticut.  It also will give their younger players more opportunities, which I think they’re ready for.

 

DiJonai Carrington

Minnesota receives:  DiJonai Carrington

Dallas receives:  Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson, 2027 2^nd round pick (MIN)

 

Minnesota Grade:  A+

I absolutely love this trade for Minnesota.  Samuelson out for the rest of the year with an injury and Miller has been an awkward fit who barely played this year.  Carrington will fit seamlessly as either a starter or bench player with the team given how versatile she is defensively.  Minnesota has multiple versatile defenders on their team, and Carrington can hold her own for at least against 1-4.  She has always been a good offensive player in transition, which I think Minnesota can exploit after forcing a stop.  While there are questions about her shooting, Minnesota has better spacing than either Dallas or Connecticut, so I think she will shoot better than she ever has from deep; if you’re looking for evidence of this, the only time Carrington topped 31% from deep was in 2023, when she shot 37.1% when Connecticut used a more open and fast paced offense after Brionna Jones was injured.  This spacing could also allow her to have cleaner looks at the rim.  I think she will be the perfect fit with this team.

 

Dallas Grade:  B+

Despite a weak return on the surface, I like this move for Dallas.  Samuelson was promptly waived, which wasn’t shocking given her season-ending injury.  The 2^nd round pick on its own is unlikely to have value on its own given that most draft picks after the first round don’t make rosters as rookies.  Why do I like this so much?  There are three reasons.  First, I think it’s worth giving Miller a shot since she Dallas is now unlikely to make the playoffs.  While she hasn’t done much after her rookie year (while inconsistent, she was named to the All-Rookie team in 2023), she is only 24 and was the second pick in 2023; it’s worth giving her the opportunity.  Second, while the pick likely won’t provide a ton of value, it could be utilized in a trade.  With there being questions about what rosters look like after the next collective bargaining agreement, it’s worth keeping a 2027 pick in the arsenal.  Lastly, Carrington was a really bad fit offensively with this team, so it makes sense to get anything for her, especially with her contract expiring after this season.

 

Aaliyah Edwards/Jacey Sheldon swap

Connecticut receives:  Aaliyah Edwards

Washington receives:  Jacy Sheldon, 2026 1^st round swap rights (between MIN and NYL)

 

Connecticut Grade:  B

Washington Grade:  B+

Honestly, I think the grades depend on which player you like more in the trade.  I think both have the potential to be role players in the W, so I don’t mind this for either team.  I personally think Sheldon is a little easier to fit into a role in the future, which is why I have Washington getting a higher grade.  The pick swap doesn’t do a lot since Washington is unlikely to move up 3 spots with this swap.  Edwards was a clunky fit in Washington after it became clear that Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin are their front court of the future, as both have played well this year; with Olivia Nelson-Ododa’s ceiling not looking as promising as it did prior to the year and there being questions about what Aneesah Morrow will be (I think she’s good enough to be a backup big, but I’m not sure if she’ll be a starter), it makes sense to give to give Edwards a shot.  As Leïla Lacan has played well upon coming over to the W, I expect Sheldon was moved to allow Lacan and Shaniyah Rivers (who has also had a good rookie year) to get more opportunities at the guard spots; as for Washington, there isn’t a clear-cut guard/wing for the future after Sonia Citron, as they have tried Jade Melbourne, Sug Sutton, and Lucy Olsen to varying results, so it makes sense to give Sheldon a shot.  I think it’s a fine trade for both teams.

 

 

What do you think of these trades?  Let me know in the comments!