WNBA: What to expect during trade deadline week 2025

This week, is it about the games or the transaction game?

The WNBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 7. Due to the fact that nearly every WNBA player not still on her rookie-scale contract is an impending free agent, a product of the forthcoming expiration of the current CBA, the 2025 deadline could feature more action than usual, as the uncertainty ahead could encourage teams to take chances and make changes.

For teams with playoff ambitions, that means aggressively adding talent that could help them advance. Teams all but officially eliminated from playoff contention, in contrast, can cash in on opponents’ sense of urgency, selling off vets who are likely to depart after the season for draft assets and/or under-contract young players who can help them in 2026 and beyond.

Such a confluence of circumstances resulted in Sunday’s trade between the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings, when the league-leading Lynx sought to level up by acquiring DiJonai Carrington. The Wings, instead, turn toward the future, as they received a package headlined by former No. 2 pick Diamond Miller in return.

The conditions seem right for lots of movement, although the league’s hard salary cap, the variable valuation of draft assets and teams’ competing priorities can make seemingly sensible deals difficult to consummate.

Nevertheless, the possibility of more activity makes it worth thinking about Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games through a trade-centric lens. Who could be playing her last game in her current team’s threads?

Dallas Wings (8-21) vs. New York Liberty (18-10)

Tuesday, August 5 at 7 p.m. ET (NBA TV)

With Sunday’s trade of Carrington already following the late-June trade that sent NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for Vegas’ 2027 first-round pick, Dallas might be done dealing. However, general manager Curt Miller also should eagerly listen to any inquiries about Arike Ogunbowale, even though it would be surprising to see the multi-time All-Star on the move.

The New York Liberty also already made their big move, signing free agent Emma Meesseman. Yet, Jonathan Kolb has proven to be one of the league’s shrewdest general managers. If there’s a move out there that could make New York better, especially considering how much they’ve struggled when just one of their core stars is out of the lineup, expect him to pursue any possible upgrades.

Washington Mystics (13-15) vs. Chicago Sky (7-21)

Tuesday, August 5 at 8 p.m. ET (WNBA League Pass)

Entering the season, it was easy to see Chicago Sky fighting for the final playoff spot as the rebuilding Washington Mystics sputtered around the league’s cellar. Instead, the injury-ravaged Sky are on a eight-game skid that has erased any dreams of a second-half playoff push, while the Mystics are battling for the No. 8 seed.

Even though they do not own their 2026 first-round draft pick, Chicago cannot be concerned about gifting the Lynx a lottery pick. Instead, they should sell off their vets to playoff contenders for draft picks that could become future lottery picks. Rachel Banham, Rebecca Allen and Elizabeth Williams, in particular, could offer difference-making play to contenders.

Based on the future-focused vision with which they approached last offseason, the Mystics seem unlikely to be swayed by their surprise season. That rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen have contributed so significantly to the team’s success should only strengthen DC’s commitment to the future over the present. If the team chooses to trade Aaliyah Edwards, who was drafted by the previous regime, has been usurped by Iriafen and been rumored to be available, expect it to be for draft picks and/or another young player who remains under contract past this season. Stefanie Dolson and Emily Engstler, two players whose roles have been minimized this season, are also names to watch.

And while it would certainly be surprising, would it be totally shocking if Washington moved Brittney Sykes for the right price? If a package similar to what they received from Chicago for Ariel Atkins materialized (the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft that became Citron, a 2027 first-round pick swap and a 2027 second-round pick), the Mystics probably could not say no.

Indiana Fever (17-12) vs. Los Angeles Sparks (12-15)

Tuesday, August 5 at 10 p.m. ET (CBSSN)

Both the Indiana Fever and Los Angeles Sparks have benefitted from the in-season market of available free agents, seemingly situating them to sit out the deadline.

Among stateside players, the Fever might have made the most fruitful move of the season, adding former Spark Aari McDonald. The Sparks have found their own backcourt boost from Julie Vanloo. Alissa Pili, who starred under head coach Lynne Roberts at Utah, will have the opportunity to infuse the Sparks with some more oomph, as she was signed to a seven-day contract on Sunday. The returns of Rae Burrell and Cameron Brink also have given LA a bigger in-season impact than any trade could. Indy will hope Caitlin Clark’s long-awaited return from her groin injury will have a similar effect.

That the Fever have won five games in row while the Sparks are 7-3 in their last 10 games also suggests both teams are satisfied with their current states.

Connecticut Sun (5-23) vs. Phoenix Mercury (17-11)

Tuesday, August 5 at 10 p.m. ET (WNBA League Pass)

After her offseason trade demand was denied, the Connecticut Sun’s Marina Mabrey remains the one the buzziest names on the market. Teams in need of an injection of high-upside offense, maybe the Aces or Seattle Storm, could be calling, creating a bidding war that could help Connecticut to recoup the first-round pick, first-round pick swap and second-round pick they sent to the Sky for her last season.

Despite their spot at the bottom of the standings, the Sun do not have any other strong trade candidates. Even if her production exhibits an admirable ageless, Tina Charles’ isolationist, offensively-tilted style of play does not lend her to being an easy late-season addition to teams with playoff ambitions, as the Storm discovered in 2023 after her failed stint with the Phoenix Mercury.

It would be a bit surprising to see this season’s iteration of the Mercury make a significant move. An aggressive offseason resulted in a roster that features a few high-salary stars surrounded by mostly unproven and inexperienced players, leaving Phoenix ill-positioned for a trade, even if the team’s recent struggles suggest that a slight shake up could help. Instead, they need DeWanna Bonner, signed after her buyout from the Fever, to rediscover the perked up play she demonstrated in her first few games back in Phoenix.

Minnesota Lynx (24-5) vs. Seattle Storm (16-13)

Tuesday, August 5 at 10 p.m. ET (WNBA League Pass)

If they see themselves as serious contenders, the Storm need to make a trade, as already emphasized.

The Lynx, in contrast, didn’t seem in desperate need of a move. Still, head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve was not satisfied, making the aforementioned trade for Carrington. The addition of Carrington, in context with the Lynx’s chemistry and cohesion, also should override any concerns about Napheesa Collier’s recent ankle injury, as long as the leading MVP candidate can return to top form before the playoffs.

Las Vegas Aces (15-14) vs. Golden State Valkyries (14-14)

Wednesday, August 6 at 10 p.m. ET (NBA TV)

The Las Vegas Aces don’t need a move; they need a miracle.

The formerly-feared two-time champs are a shadow of their former selves, with their late-June trade for NaLyssa Smith failing to help them flip the switch. With their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks already out the door, it looks like they’ll remain in a dark place, unless they can find a trade partner that is desperate enough to gamble on the possibility of Jewell Loyd or Chelsea Gray rediscovering a semblance of the old selves with a change of scenery.

The Golden State Valkyries, in contrast, are golden, exceeding every expectation in their expansion season. Surely, they’ll listen to any overly generous offers for their players. Otherwise, they’ll ride out the season by continuing to make the most of what they have.