The 2024 WNBA trade deadline is Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Throughout much of the league’s history, the deadline has passed without a splash, as the combination of a hard salary cap, roster size limitations, the uncertain value of non-lottery draft picks and the absence of salary matching requirements for trades creates a cocktail factors that make finding, much less executing, equitable exchanges of players and assets difficult.
In fact, this season’s All-Star break swap between the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky could prove to be the most consequential midseason trade in nearly a decade, especially if the Sun can, finally, capture the franchise’s first title. The acquisition of Marina Mabrey is an effort to make that ambition a reality, as Connecticut hopes her ability as an isolation scorer can offer an extra dose of offensive juice in the postseason cauldron. The Sky, focused on a present and future that features Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Chennedy Carter, were willing to sacrifice Mabrey’s star-like services for two players with more narrow roles in sharpshooter Rachel Banham and change-of-pace point guard Moriah Jefferson, along with a future second-round pick.
In late July of 2015, the Minnesota Lynx swung a pair of trades that did help the franchise win…
