Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 30
WNBA Analysts Weigh 2026 Trade Ideas Ahead of 3 p.m. Sunday Deadline
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 30

WNBA Analysts Weigh 2026 Trade Ideas Ahead of 3 p.m. Sunday Deadline

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 30

Summary

  • 3 p.m. ET Sunday is the key marker as analysts assessed reader-proposed WNBA trades, with cap compliance and 12-player roster rules framing what can realistically get done.
  • Washington’s 2027 first-round swap with Chicago was cast as too valuable to surrender for Skylar Diggins, while a cheaper Mystics move for Dallas guard Odyssey Sims—potentially for a 2028 second-rounder—was viewed as more plausible.
  • Los Angeles drew the sharpest guidance: the Sparks should not move Cameron Brink, should shop impending free agent Kelsey Plum for younger assets, and would be hard-pressed to reject a Golden State package of Justė Jocytė and Tip Hayes for Nneka Ogwumike.
  • Other workable concepts included Phoenix sending Valeriane Ayayi and a 2027 first to Seattle for Ezi Magbegor, while Connecticut would need at least two first-rounders to consider moving Aaliyah Edwards.
  • Minnesota was steered toward internal solutions such as promoting Eliska Hamzova and using Nia Coffey at the 3, while Golden State was seen as more likely to chase Napheesa Collier in 2027 free agency than before this deadline.

Insights

Why are WNBA teams treating 2027 picks like gold—and which deadline deal could still break through cap and roster roadblocks?
Could Phoenix’s push for Ezi Magbegor become the rare WNBA trade that works for both teams while others collapse on asset value?
If Kelsey Plum is movable but Cameron Brink is untouchable, what does that reveal about the Sparks’ real rebuild timeline?