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The Connecticut Sun acquired forward Aaliyah Edwards from the Washington Mystics for guard Jacy Sheldon ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline.
The Mystics are also getting swap rights for the first-round pick Connecticut got from the New York Liberty. Should Washington exercise that option, the Sun would receive the Minnesota Lynx’s first-rounder.
For now, that would mean the Mystics and Suns exchanging the No. 14 and 15 overall selections.
Edwards, the No. 6 pick in 2024, has seen her role in Washington’s lineup diminish under first-year head coach Sydney Johnson. She logged 10 combined minutes in the Mystics’ losses to the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky.
Her days were pretty much numbered when general manager Jamila Wideman, who also came aboard in the offseason, used a lottery pick on Kiki Iriafen. With that decision, the organization signaled the former Stanford and USC standout was the new long-term focal point of the frontcourt.
Edwards, who averaged six points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per contest through 21 appearances, will have a fresh start on another team in a rebuild.
In Thursday’s announcement, Sun general manager Morgan Tuck called Edwards “a transformational talent,” so it sounds like she’ll be featured heavily. Maybe she’ll make the Mystics come to regret their evaluation of her.
Washington, meanwhile, is looking to Sheldon to help fill the void in the backcourt that was created with Brittney Sykes’ trade to the Seattle Storm.
The team has basically been a guard short all year thanks to first-round pick Georgia Amoore suffering a torn ACL before the opener. Watching Sykes exit exacerbated the problem.
Sheldon’s shooting is sorely needed in the nation’s capital as well.
The Mystics rank last in three-pointers made (5.3 per game) and attempted (16.6), and they’re 10th in three-point percentage. In Sheldon, they’re adding a player who’s knocking down 41.2 percent of her long-range jumpers.
Ultimately, neither Washington nor Connecticut is gaining much more from this trade than the players themselves.
Because of where they were drafted, Edwards and Sheldon count for the exact same figure against the salary cap, and they’re under team control through 2027. The effects of the pick swap project to be negligible as well.
Thursday’s deal amounted to the Mystics believing Sheldon will be more valuable and a better fit moving forward, with the Sun taking the same mindset with Edwards.
