Editor’s be aware: This article is a part of our WNBA Trade Deadline protection, which follows the strikes reshaping the league.
The WNBA trade deadline has a historical past of being comparatively uneventful, however is that about to alter?
There are a number of causes for that historical past, beginning with the league’s onerous wage cap, which limits groups’ capability to soak up contracts.
However, a number of the WNBA’s largest energy gamers consider that the inflow of cash and the brand new roster development instruments within the collective bargaining settlement — together with the minimal wage cap exception and the power to hold seven protected veteran contracts in comparison with six in earlier years — may make groups extra more likely to take possibilities earlier than the Aug. 2 deadline.
Franchises which have made daring strikes up to now have been rewarded for it.
The Minnesota Lynx have usually been essentially the most aggressive franchise on the deadline, executing offers just like the 2015 midseason trade for heart Sylvia Fowles, who went on to assist the workforce win two titles and change into a league MVP. Last yr, Minnesota acquired guard DiJonai Carrington on the deadline, and her perimeter protection has supplied an enormous set off the bench for the Lynx.
The Las Vegas Aces traded for NaLyssa Smith in June 2025, forward of the deadline, and she ended up paying dividends of their championship run.
Talks are energetic across the league with lower than every week to go earlier than Sunday’s deadline. The query is, will these talks quantity to substantial motion?
Here’s every little thing I’m hearing popping out of the All-Star break:
Expiring contracts to observe
Kelsey Plum was a part of a three-team trade in 2025 that despatched her to the Los Angeles Sparks, Jewell Loyd to the Aces and the No. 2 choose, which grew to become Dominique Malonga, to the Seattle Storm. Las Vegas can say it gained that trade by claiming its third title in 4 seasons final yr, although Malonga is now an All-Star for the Storm.
Los Angeles and Seattle weren’t one transfer away from turning into contenders once they executed that deal, and now the Sparks are liable to shedding Plum for nothing.
Plum signed a one-year deal valued at $999,999 in free company, however the sense from sources across the league, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they aren’t cleared to remark publicly on the matter, is that the 31-year-old guard doesn’t intend to re-sign with the Sparks as a free agent. Both Plum and her agent, Zack Miller of WME Basketbal, declined to remark to The Athletic on her plans.
How Olivia Miles performed her method into the MVP race
The solely method for the Sparks, who’re 10-16 and 4 video games again of the eighth-seed Washington Mystics, to ensure they don’t lose a invaluable asset for nothing is to maneuver Plum earlier than subsequent week.
The franchise fired former general manager Raegan Pebley earlier this month, and assistant GMs Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen have been filling the function on an interim foundation.
The Sparks haven’t engaged in significant trade talks involving Plum, in accordance with a number of high-level workforce executives across the league. She has missed the final month with an damage that additionally value her an All-Star Game look, however she’s anticipated to return this week.
Candace Parker, Chelsea Gray and Nneka Ogwumike are all former Sparks champions who left in free company due to the franchise’s constant missteps. After nearly a decade of staying out of the franchise’s operations, controlling proprietor Mark Walter seems to be taking a extra energetic strategy, as evidenced by Pebley’s midseason dismissal and the workforce’s announcement of a brand new $150 million observe facility that may open in 2027.
If the Sparks decide to not trade Plum, they’re taking a giant threat that they’ll be capable to execute offseason strikes that may persuade her to remain in Los Angeles.
Kelsey Plum has averaged 23.9 factors in 12 video games for Los Angeles this season. (Aryanna Frank / Getty Images)
Lynx star Napheesa Collier is one other franchise participant who, due to the phrases of her contract, must be thought of a trade choice.
The back-to-back MVP runner-up has spent her whole profession with Minnesota, which chosen her with the sixth choose within the 2019 draft. She signed a one-year, supermax deal for 2026 after being cored by the Lynx, and in doing so, she signaled to some extent that she’d wish to discover her choices in free company.
Even with out Collier, who missed 27 of the primary 28 video games of the season recovering from offseason surgical procedure on each her ankles, the Lynx have the league’s finest report at 22-6. That is largely due to Olivia Miles, who’s taking part in her method into MVP discussions as a rookie. Furthermore, the No. 2 choose is on the trail to solidifying herself because the franchise’s future cornerstone.
“Every team is going to be opportunistic to improve their roster,” Lynx coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve instructed reporters in Minnesota on Monday. “Every team is maybe in a different spot in terms of what they think they need, whether they should or shouldn’t. We’re certainly a team that’s been, quote, open for business, open-minded to things that are being talked about. It’ll be a busy week for us.”
Reeve’s job is to find out whether or not she has assurances that Collier will re-sign with Minnesota after the season. That promise may very well be mutual, too. For instance, Collier may comply with signal a multiyear deal so long as Reeve can assure that if she needs out at any level throughout its length, the workforce will work along with her to make that occur.
Collier’s 2026 debut — 24 factors and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes — confirmed that she’s wholesome and would give any workforce that hopes to trade for her religion that they’d be buying an MVP-caliber participant transferring ahead.
The Lynx’s standing as contenders places Reeve in a unique place from the Sparks entrance workplace, as a result of retaining Collier will assist Minnesota contend for a title this season. Reeve just isn’t working from a place of desperation.
Mercury retrograde
The Phoenix Mercury are one of many largest disappointments of the season.
After making a finals run in 2025, they’re twelfth within the standings up to now this yr and 5 video games behind the Mystics for the eighth and remaining playoff spot popping out of the All-Star break.
General supervisor Nick U’Ren took a giant swing in 2025 when he acquired All-Star forwards Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally by way of a four-team trade. This offseason, he opted to not core Sabally, and she in the end signed with the New York Liberty as an unrestricted free agent.
There have been trade talks together with Thomas in the course of the Mercury’s shedding streaks earlier this season, in accordance with a number of league sources, however they’ve since gone chilly.
One participant who may very well be a goal for U’Ren and the Mercury as they appear to salvage the 2026 season is Dallas Wings ahead Alanna Smith. The reigning co-defensive participant of the yr signed a three-year max deal valued at roughly $3.75 million. While the Wings have been in a position to provide Smith the perfect monetary state of affairs, her alternatives have been restricted in Dallas, the place she’s averaging 3.8 factors and 2.9 rebounds and taking part in 14.2 minutes per sport off the bench.
The Mercury have $857,740 in cap area remaining this season, which suggests they’d must ship wage again to Dallas or in any other case clear room to land Smith.
Why are the Liberty struggling?
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s future in New York
Laney-Hamilton’s title has been in trade talks for the reason that begin of the season, in accordance with a number of league sources. Those conversations cooled in May and June, however they heated up once more with the deadline approaching.
The downside with getting a deal throughout the end line is what many league sources consider is a prohibitively excessive asking value from Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb. Laney-Hamilton missed all the 2025 season whereas recovering from surgical procedure to restore a meniscus damage that occurred whereas the veteran guard was taking part in in Unrivaled. Kolb suspended her contract final yr to create cap area and open up a roster spot, however the transfer additionally gave the Liberty unique negotiating rights over her in free company.
This season, Laney-Hamilton’s function has been considerably restricted. She picked up three consecutive DNPs main into the All-Star break, which doesn’t assist her trade inventory. She is on an expiring contract valued at $400,000, which gained’t essentially be troublesome to maneuver, but it surely all comes again to Kolb’s asking value.
“As a competitor, as somebody who’s worked really hard, as somebody who’s been a part of the organization for a long time, it can sometimes be disappointing and frustrating,” Laney-Hamilton mentioned earlier this month about her lack of taking part in time. “But, you know, that’s also part of the process.”
Sellers vs. patrons
The Connecticut Sun have a plethora of belongings between positional overlap, draft capital and cap area ($800,769). Far faraway from the playoff image, they’re in place to be a prime vendor on the deadline.
Second-year ahead Aneesah Morrow has come up in trade talks, in accordance with a number of sources. One intriguing chance may very well be a deal that sends Morrow to the Liberty for Laney-Hamilton.
The Mystics may very well be deadline patrons or sellers. Like the Sun, Washington has quite a lot of positional overlap on its roster. The workforce drafted heart Lauren Betts with the No. 4 choose regardless of having Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin within the frontcourt as a result of Betts was the perfect participant accessible and a invaluable trade asset.
They are exceeding expectations with a cushty grip on the ultimate playoff spot popping out of the All-Star break. They may try to hurry up their rebuild by making a transfer for Plum, who would complement Washington’s main scorer, Sonia Citron, within the backcourt.
The Mystics even have $1,836,639 in cap area, which is able to make bringing in wage simpler.
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