Winners & Losers: WNBA Trade Deadline 2025
The WNBA trade deadline has passed as rosters lock in for the final stretch of the 2025 regular season. Who got better and who got worse? We dive into it all.
For the first time in awhile, we had a pretty active trade deadline period by WNBA standards. The last week was punctuated by three trades, one involving a young and promising potential star while the other two concerned all-star caliber contributors.
So who is walking out of the deadline better and who wishes they had made one more move? Let’s discuss it all!
If you want to see our immediate reactions to the three biggest deadline deals, check out the following YouTube videos here.
DiJonai Carrington traded to Minnesota.
Brittney Sykes traded to Seattle:
Aaliyah Edwards traded to Connecticut:
Trade Deadline Winners
Dallas Wings -
I am willing to hear the argument that I do not, in fact, have to hand it to Curt Miller. As General Manager of the Dallas Wings, he was the one who made the moves in the offseason that put the team in a compromising position. But the credit that is due, especially at the trade deadline, is that he didn’t go down with the ship he created. The NaLyssa Smith trade with Vegas for a first round pick looks even better in hindsight given how few teams seemed willing to part with unprotected future firsts. Dealing away DiJonai Carrington felt a long time coming but I actually feel a lot better about how the Wings are positioned for the future now than I did even two weeks ago. That makes you a winner even if the bar isn’t high to clear.
Connecticut Sun -
It’s very clear that Connecticut is building for the future and, to that end, I think they’re set up quite nicely now. With the addition of Aaliyah Edwards, they now have five players on cost-controlled rookie contracts through 2027 (Edwards has a team option for that season). When you factor in an inevitable cap spike and more stars coming into the league, the Sun are actually poised to be a legitimate player in free agency (provided players want to come to Uncasville). The young core also looks incredibly promising and that’s before you consider the prospect of retaining 6’5 center Olivia Nelson-Ododa who is still just 25.
Seattle Storm -
Seattle needed one extra dimension in the backcourt and they hit a home run. Brittney Sykes fits exactly what the Storm require: a defensive stopper who can get to the line and give you a bucket when needed. While the bench and rotations are still a bit of a question mark, their starting five is as good as any in the league. What happens in the future is anyone’s guess but the goal was clear this season: win a title. This move just underscores how seriously Seattle’s front office is taking that mandate.
Washington Mystics -
The Mystics might end up being the best team in the league come 2027-2028. They’ve been open about their plan to rebuild over the course of a season or two and they’ve followed it to a T. It’s a shame Aaliyah Edwards didn’t pan out but, on some level, that’s kind of what you get with a lot of draft capital. Some players fit with each other, some don’t and you move accordingly as a front office. Getting Jacy Sheldon from Connecticut also helps shore up the backcourt in Sykes’ absence and I think Sheldon is better than people give her credit for.
Trade Deadline Losers
Las Vegas Aces -
The Aces are deadline losers because of what other teams did with their capital. Pick swaps and second rounds were involved in some of these deals but no one was willing to hand away coveted picks the way Vegas did for NaLyssa Smith. Granted, the Aces are working on a different timeline and those picks don’t matter as much if you’re towards the end of the first round anyway. The issue for me is that the lack of a true General Manager has been a consistent problem for Vegas all season. The moves have been questionable, the trades don’t seem to make them markedly better and we’re left wondering what the vision is.
Chicago Sky -
Ariel Atkins was a rumored trade block candidate but the Sky decided to stay put. At this point, I’m just not sure what to do with Jeff Pagliocca. This season is a clear wash, sure. Any top player you’d have gotten would’ve likely been on a one-year deal and you don’t have the frontcourt depth to trade Elizabeth Williams for someone like a Jacy Sheldon, for instance. In short, the Sky have just kind of lost this year in general and no moves at the deadline are a partial result of bad moves in the offseason.
Phoenix Mercury -
I really feel like Phoenix is the one contender that needed to do something especially up front. Their lack of size on the interior has cost them more than couple games and legitimately lowers their ceiling as a Finals contending team. Yes, Kalani Brown is there and Phoenix has two 6’4 wings in DeWanna Bonner and Satou Sabally but it just feels like I would’ve wanted more. Aaliyah Edwards might not have been the player but I’d have liked to see a push for someone to help make up the gap when they see the Lynx/Dream'/Liberty in the future.
Wait-And-See
Minnesota Lynx -
I’m more bullish on the DiJonai Carrington trade than others but it’s still worth wondering how this is all going to go. I’d be truly stunned if it blows up in spectacular fashion. Carrington strikes me as the type of player that thrives in structure and with coaches that tell it like it is. I don’t think anyone in the WNBA fits that bill better than Cheryl Reeve. Whether or not it raises their ceiling when the big question around the Lynx is frontcourt size is a different question entirely. There’s nothing wrong with bringing on an elite defensive guard who can get you some buckets here and there but we’ve got to get some data before we decide if the one year rental is a winner for Minnesota.
New York Liberty -
The Liberty made a move of sorts by bringing in Emma Meesseman for the stretch run. But given their injury luck this year I was a bit surprised that they didn’t try to make a run at another wing defender or someone in case Kennedy Burke is out for a longer period of time. In the same breath, they don’t have a ton of capital to ship out somewhere else and still boast one of the most impressive starting fives in the league. There’s a fair argument that they didn’t need to do anything but it’s interesting to see the Liberty sit knowing how active GM Jonathan Kolb tends to be.