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The Washington Mystics made two big trades this week. They traded away veteran guard Brittney Sykes for Alysha Clark and a 2026 first round draft pick. Then yesterday they traded Aaliyah Edwards for Jacy Sheldon and a draft pick swap that is likely happening.
What the Mystics prioritized: DRAFT PICKS by any means necessary
First, let’s look at both trades and see what Washington’s priority was in both. In the Sykes for Clark deal, they also got a first round pick out of it. And in the Edwards for Sheldon deal, they will almost definitely likely have a higher first round pick with the swap because Washington currently has the Minnesota Lynx’s 2026 first round pick.
In short, the Mystics are looking to build with youth. They are looking to build around Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, both of whom were All-Stars this year. And that’s great. It also helps give a base of players for the Mystics to build around in 2026.
If this playbook sounds familiar, it is. Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger is clearly putting his mark on the Mystics now with the gut-everything-except-the-youth strategy, just like he is currently doing with the Wizards.
Are the Wizards going to improve a lot this season? My feeling is that it will be another sub-30 win campaign, but not like these doomsday predictions some were thinking before the 2024-25 NBA season. But the Wizards are playing in a league that is well-established, is not going to expand by many teams. And most importantly, the Wizards haven’t, and never will, play in an NBA free agency that will mirror the WNBA’s in 2026. That leads me to the next point.
The Mystics apparently don’t feel that they can compete in free agency for 2026
It has been written on this site and many others that nearly every WNBA player who is not on a rookie scale contract will be a free agent. There will be a lot of player movement because of anticipated pay increases. And even though the Lynx and New York Liberty have the best teams in 2025, it’s far from a given that they will still be top tier teams in 2026 due to the anticipation of this season.
And what does this mean for the Mystics? Well, before the trades, the Mystics were sitting close to .500 and had a realistic chance of getting a playoff spot. The Sykes-Citron-Iriafen trio looked solid, and a lot better than preseason predictions writing them off. And just when Washington can legitimately go for a playoff push, they decide to trade Sykes away for an extra first round pick. Though I’ve enjoyed seeing Alysha Clark throughout her playing career, she is toward the end of her career now, instead of in her prime.
I don’t think the Edwards trade is a bad move, however. Sheldon was picked one spot above Edwards in the 2024 WNBA Draft and is producing at a decent level this season. And the draft pick swap is icing on the cake. Given that Edwards wasn’t prioritized as much in 2025, this trade seemed inevitable.
This move could hurt Washington in 2026 right when they look to build the roster. But that may be what they actually want.
Right now, most teams, except probably the Connecticut Sun (who are in the process of an ownership change), are nominally looking to play as well as they can this season and put their best foot forward in 2026. If there was no expansion (two new teams are coming in 2026), or no major free agency changes, then I’d understand why the Mystics would trade Sykes.
And I’ll even give Winger and Wideman this regarding the Sykes trade. If the Mystics were a bottom-two team in the standings, I could get why Sykes would be traded at the deadline — even before the highly anticipated 2026 free agency season. However, why make that move when the team is competing for a playoff spot? A better-than-expected 2025 season is a stronger case to make Washington a destination team for 2026 than seeing General Manager Jamila Wideman saying, “I have cap room, roster spots and a couple rising stars” as selling points. A strong season in 2025, even if it doesn’t end up with a playoff berth should be the goal in 2025 and that gives her a fourth selling point — “I have a team that looks happy together, can more than hold its own on the court, and you are the missing piece to take us toward our second WNBA championship.”
Given how the Wizards have been building through youth nearly at all costs in the last three seasons under Winger’s leadership, I’m not surprised that he will do the same with the Mystics to a point since he began to take a more hands on approach with them this season. I’m just surprised that Winger would want that process to start now at a major inflection point in the WNBA’s history when every team will be rebuilding before 2026.
