2025 WNBA trade deadline: Mystics trade Aaliyah Edwards, Brittney Sykes; Lynx acquire DiJonai Carrington

It wasn’t fully clear how busy the 2025 WNBA trade deadline would be, given the contract statuses of much of the league, with the CBA expiring at the end of October. And while it was busier than some past deadlines, there was no flurry of activity in the waning minutes. Here’s what went down in the last week:

Jacy Sheldon is now on her third team in less than 16 months after starting her career in Dallas.

The 5-foot-10 guard is shooting 41.2% from 3-point range (11th in the league) and will provide a boost to one of the league’s worst teams from the perimeter (32.2%). Points will be at a premium without leading scorer Brittney Sykes (traded to Seattle). Washington is 10th in the standings and one game out from the final postseason berth.

“We are excited to welcome Jacy to the Mystics and think her skill set, energy, and team-first approach will be a great fit for us,” Mystics general manager Jamila Wideman said in a team release. “She is a competitor and leads through the example of her work-ethic. She has built on her solid rookie campaign and demonstrated an ability to shoot the ball and read the game on both ends of the court.”

The Dallas Wings drafted Sheldon fifth overall in the 2024 draft, one ahead of the Mystics’ selection of Edwards. The Ohio State alumna cracked the starting rotation a month into her rookie season, but was more of a defensive addition and key facilitator. She averaged 5.4 points and 2.5 assists per game.

Sheldon was part of the four-team offseason trade headlined by former Sun forward Alyssa Thomas heading to Phoenix. She averaged 7.5 points in 24 minutes per game as one of the league’s most efficient shooters (47 FG%).

The Connecticut Sun brought a UConn star back to the state by acquiring 6-foot-3 forward Aaliyah Edwards from the Washington Mystics on Thursday. The Sun receive Jacy Sheldon in the deal. Washington can opt to swap the 2026 first-round pick it acquired from Minnesota for Connecticut’s 2026 first-round pick it acquired from New York. Minnesota and New York currently lead the WNBA standings.

“Bringing Aaliyah to the Connecticut Sun is more than just a roster move; it’s a statement about where we’re headed as a franchise,” Sun general manager Morgan Tuck said in a team release. “Aaliyah is a transformational talent with the mindset and drive that aligns with our vision of building a championship culture. What truly sets her apart is the way she leads, connects, and competes. Aaliyah is the kind of person and player who can help redefine the future of this organization and we’re ready to build that future together.”

The Sun (5-23) are in disarray after losing all of their 2024 starting five and switching head coaches. Not to mention the cloud of a potential franchise sale and relocation. Acquiring Edwards is a building block for next season amid a wave of uncertainty, given most of the league’s players will be free agents. Edwards is signed through 2026 with an option for 2027. Her rookie contract will pay $82,000 next year.

Edwards, the sixth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, fell out of the starting rotation in Washington behind rookie All-Star Kiki Iriafen and 2022 lottery pick Shakira Austin. She averaged 7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1 assist in 18.5 minutes per game in her Mystics tenure.

The Mystics (13-16) were an early surprise behind their two rookie All-Stars (Sonia Citron also made the cut), but are standing pat on their vision of a rebuild. They sent guard Brittney Sykes, an All-Star replacement, to Seattle earlier in the week and are stockpiling draft picks.

The trade deadline is less than 24 hours away and it remains, at least so far, another stretch of quiet final days. Five of the top six teams in net rating have already made major in-season moves to cover a need. The only one that hasn’t is Atlanta, which ranks third in net rating (6.5). Offensively, they fall between the Lynx and Liberty and are at the second-place Liberty’s heels in the standings at 18-11. Might they make a move to level up? The Dream haven’t reached the semifinals since 2018

A quick look at the teams in positive net rating that leveled up once play began:

Minnesota (14.7): Traded for DiJonai Carrington, a defensive specialist who can take some pressure off of Kayla McBride on that end of the floor. It’s a major addition to match up against the Liberty.

New York (7.4): The Liberty essentially completed a deadline deal by winning the Emma Meesseman sweepstakes. The frontcourt remains decimated by injuries, but all of Breanna Stewart, Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally are expected back by the postseason, head coach Sandy Brondello said.

Indiana (4.8): The Fever front office nailed their answers to in-season difficulties by signing point guard Aari McDonald following her hardship contract stint and adding forward Chloe Bibby in recent weeks. They have the ultimate ace in the hole with the potential of Caitlin Clark returning from injury. While they could make a move, standing pat with the locker room they have now might be more likely.

Phoenix (3.6): The Mercury brought back DeWanna Bonner, the franchise’s fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft, after her split from the Fever. It’s another team that’s dealt with constant injury issues and head coach Nate Tibbetts said on Wednesday, “we like what we have.”

Seattle (3.2): Traded for Brittney Sykes, a defensive star who led the Mystics offense in her best facilitating season as a pro (4.4 apg). The Storm are buoyed by the defensive end, but are inconsistent offensively.

From The Athletic: The Storm have the second-best defensive rating in the WNBA and have doubled down on that identity with Sykes, a four-time all-defense selection from 2020-23 who also led the league in steals in 2021 and 2022. She fell short in 2024 as injuries limited her to 18 games out of 40.

Sykes could join the starting lineup next to fellow All-Stars Skylar Diggins and Gabby Williams, giving Seattle the most fearsome perimeter defensive trio in the league. More likely, however, Sykes will be a super sub, as the current Storm starting five of Diggins, Erica Wheeler, Williams, Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor is the second-most used in the WNBA and has a plus-16 net rating. Furthermore, Wheeler is Seattle’s most prolific 3-point shooter with 1.6 made 3s per game on 36.4 percent shooting. Her spacing is critical next to Williams and the two bigs, while Sykes is a career 30.4 percent shooter from deep.

The Storm can use Sykes as a backup point guard to keep Wheeler off the ball and increase the pace in their second units. Their reserves score 16.1 points per game, better than only the Sparks league-wide, and that puts an undue burden on their veteran starting group. Where Sykes can make an immediate impact is getting Seattle to the foul line — the Storm are last in the WNBA with 15.9 free-throw attempts per game, and Sykes is second in the league with 6.3 on her own. That’s an efficient way for a below-average offense to generate points.

The Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty have been at the top of the standings all year after meeting in last year’s WNBA Finals. By every measurement possible, they are the two best teams in the WNBA. Still, with veteran general managers and coaches, they both have shown that the best teams don’t stand pat and hope their good fortune will continue.

The Liberty struck first, officially signing Belgian superstar Emma Meesseman last week. She hadn’t played in a WNBA game since 2022 as she focused on building up the Belgian national team, which just repeated its EuroBasket title. She also won two EuroLeague titles and two EuroLeague MVPs in her time away from the WNBA. Meesseman is a skilled, smart player who elevates her teammates, and signing her was a huge boon for New York.

Just a few hours earlier, the Minnesota Lynx made a big move to strengthen their roster, trading for the Wings’ Dijonai Carrington, who was named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2024 and was on the first All-Defensive Team. Minnesota sent Diamond Miller and Karlie Samuelson to Dallas, as well as a 2027 second-round draft pick, in exchange for Carrington.

The move came one day after Napheesa Collier left the Lynx’s blowout win over the Aces with an ankle injury. According to ESPN, Collier is expected to miss two weeks with the injury. Similar to Stewart, Collier is the heart of her team, and she will be missed as her 2025 MVP campaign gets put on hold. This makes Carrington’s arrival even more important.

Read more on the two teams’ trajectories here.

The Minnesota Lynx acquired guard DiJonai Carrington from the Dallas Wings on Sunday.

Minnesota already had the WNBA’s best record by a rather significant margin. Now, the Lynx have bolstered their defense by adding the 5-foot-11 Carrington. The five-year veteran was named to the All-Defensive first team last season, in addition to winning the league’s Most Improved Player award.

This season with the Wings, Carrington averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 20 games. She was Dallas’ third-leading scorer behind Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale. If she maintains that production, Carrington will be Minnesota’s fourth-leading scorer and rebounder.

Carrington, 27, was in her first season with Dallas (8-21) after playing four years with the Connecticut Sun, who selected her in the second round of the 2021 WNBA Draft out of Baylor.

Last year, Carrington averaged 12.7 points and five rebounds per game as the Sun finished with the WNBA’s second-best record at 28-12 before losing to the Lynx in the playoff semifinals.

This offseason, the Seattle Storm reunited with guard Alysha Clark, signing the veteran to a one-year, $185,000 deal in free agency, per Her Hoops Stats.

After spending nine years with the Storm to start her career, Clark spent 2022 with the Mystics and two seasons with the Aces before returning to Seattle for her age-37 season.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne provided some insight into the move on Tuesday, noting that Clark’s expectations for her role with the Storm “fell short,” but fans can expect a larger role with the Mystics. Clark’s 18.0 minutes per game average is her lowest average since 2014.

The Brittney Sykes trade gets the Washington Mystics one step closer to a big-time rebuild, Her Hoops Stats’ Alford Corriette shared Tuesday.

The team now owns three first-round picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft, including their own. Currently at 13-15, Washington is projected outside of the 2025 playoff picture and would be one of five teams in the WNBA draft lottery.