The 2025 WNBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and we’ve already seen some movement ahead of Thursday. Most notably, the league-leading Minnesota Lynx acquired 2024 Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington from the Dallas Wings on Sunday to boost their hopes of winning a record-setting fifth championship.
Could more moves follow this week? Ahead of what figures to be an interesting few days, here’s a trade deadline primer with everything you need to know:
When is the trade deadline?
The 2025 WNBA trade deadline is Thursday, Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. ET. After that time, teams cannot make trades for the remainder of the season.
Why has the trade deadline usually been quiet?
There are multiple reasons why the trade deadline has not been nearly as busy as trade deadlines in other sports like the NBA or MLB. Let’s run through them.
- A hard salary cap: While the NBA has a soft salary cap that offers teams some financial flexibility, the WNBA has a hard salary cap, which for the 2025 season is $1,507,100. Teams cannot go over that amount by even one penny. Teams do not need to match salaries in a trade, but they do have to ensure that the deal is compliant with the salary cap.
- Fewer teams, fewer sellers: Even with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season, the first expansion team to join the league since 2008, there are only 13 teams in the WNBA. And when eight of those teams make the playoffs, there are naturally going to be few clear sellers at the deadline. As of Monday, 10 of the 13 teams have a legitimate chance to make the postseason.
- Restrictions on trading draft picks: In the NBA, trades often revolve around draft picks, sometimes to a dizzying degree. When the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks last summer, they received four unprotected first-round picks, another protected first-round pick and a first-round pick swap. In the WNBA, teams do not have the option of trading that much draft capital. While there is no official rule in the collective bargaining agreement regarding trading picks, there is a handshake agreement among clubs. Her Hoops Stats previously reported that picks could not be traded beyond the next year’s draft. It’s clear that stance has changed, however, as multiple 2027 picks have changed hands already this year. A league source confirmed to CBS Sports that the new policy requires teams to own at least one first-round pick in the next three drafts, either their own or one acquired via trade. Take the Las Vegas Aces, for example. They sent their 2026 first to the Seattle Storm in the Jewell Loyd trade and their 2027 first to the Dallas Wings in the NaLyssa Smith deal, which means they cannot trade their 2028 first this summer. Even if a team owned all of its own first-round picks moving forward, as the Atlanta Dream do, for example, that team would only be allowed to trade two of them. When teams cannot overwhelm trade partners with future draft picks, it becomes much harder to find player-centric deals that make sense, especially with a hard cap.
Why could this year be different?
There have already been a few notable deals this summer, both involving the Dallas Wings, who are stuck in 11th place at 8-21. In June, the Wings sent NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces for a 2027 first-round pick, and on Sunday they moved DiJonai Carrington to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round pick.
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Will any other meaningful deals happen before Thursday’s deadline? We’ll see, but there is a big wrinkle this season that makes activity more likely than usual.
The players have known for a few years now that they were going to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement, which they did last October. As a result, the vast majority of players not on a rookie scale contract maneuvered to be free agents after this season, with the expectation that they would get a significant pay raise under the new CBA. With so many players on expiring deals, nearly every acquisition would be a rental. On the one hand, that lowers the price that sellers can demand. At the same time, it may motivate sellers to trade players they expect to lose for nothing in the winter.
Ahead of Thursday, here’s a look at where all 13 teams stand:
The Dream limped into the All-Star break but have been excellent since play resumed. They’ve won three in a row and five of their last six to move into third place — just a half-game behind the second-place Liberty. While the Dream are still below the Liberty in the standings, they have jumped the reigning champions for the second-best offense in the league (107.2 offensive rating).
At first glance, offense may not seem to be the Dream’s biggest issue, but they could really use some more outside shooting come playoff time. Under Karl Smesko, they take 28.1 3-pointers per game, which ranks second in the league, but are shooting just 33.8%. A significant portion of their damage is done by Allisha Gray, who is making a career-high 40.8% of her attempts from behind the arc. Everyone else on the team is shooting a combined 31.9%. If they can add another outside threat that teams have to respect, it would make their offense even more dangerous.
- Open roster spots: 0
- Cap space: $27,473
- Status: Seller
- Possible trade candidates: Rebecca Allen, Rachel Banham, Kia Nurse, Elizabeth Williams
The Sky were buyers during the offseason, which was a mistake at the time and only looks worse now. They’re on an eight-game losing streak, their longest since 2012, sit in 12th place at 7-21 and have been without Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins for the majority of their games post-All-Star break. To make matters worse, they owe their first-round pick to the Lynx. (Although they do have swap rights with the Sun’s first-round pick and own the Mercury’s first-round pick, which helps soften that blow.)
The Sky should be sellers at the deadline. Rebecca Allen and Rachel Banham figure to draw the most interest from other teams due to their shooting ability, but the Sky really should listen on just about any offer that doesn’t involve Reese or Cardoso. This is quickly becoming a lost season in Chicago, but Jeff Pagliocca can salvage something from this summer by adding future assets this week.
- Open roster spots: 0
- Cap space: $268,950
- Status: Seller
- Possible trade candidates: Tina Charles, Bria Hartley, Marina Mabrey
No one expected the Sun to make the playoffs this season after a mass exodus from Uncasville in the winter, but no one expected them to be this bad either. They’re all alone in last place at 5-22, and remain on pace for the worst season in franchise history. There’s only one path for the Sun at the deadline.
Marina Mabrey requested a trade during the offseason, but the Sun refused to grant it. They would be wise to change course at the deadline if they get a suitable offer that can bring back more assets for their rebuild. Mabrey is shooting a career-worst 27.2% from 3-point range, but will still draw interest from contenders given her track record. Her $210,000 salary — just shy of a max — may make it difficult to find a deal, however. Bria Hartley is another name to watch for teams that may need some backcourt help. Tina Charles also cannot be forgotten, though it’s unclear if any team would be willing to part with an asset to acquire the all-time great at this stage of her career.
Dallas Wings
There have been three trades since the season started, and the Wings have been involved in all of them. They acquired Li Yueru from the Storm, sent NaLyssa Smith to the Aces and dealt DiJonai Carrington to the Lynx. In each move they added a valuable asset for the future: Yueru, the Aces’ 2027 first-round pick and Diamond Miller.
The Wings remain the team to watch this week to see just how far Curt Miller will go with this teardown amid a disappointing season. Myisha Hines-Allen figures to draw interest, but the big question is whether Arike Ogunbowale will still be in Dallas by the end of the week. The four-time All-Star has spent her entire career with the Wings, but has struggled mightily this season and makes $249,032. Ogunbowale is the most talented player that could be on the move, but trading her will not be easy for multiple reasons.
Golden State Valkyries
- Open roster spots: 0
- Cap space: $295,441
- Status: Buyer or Seller
- Biggest needs: Frontcourt depth, shot creation, 3-point shooting
- Possible fits: Rachel Banham, Aaliyah Edwards, Emily Engstler, Brittney Sykes
- Possible trade candidates: Tiffany Hayes, Monique Billings, Temi Fagbenle, Kate Martin,
The Valkyries are in an interesting spot after a big week in which they went 3-1 to climb back to .500 and into playoff position. Even without leading scorer Kayla Thornton, who went down with a season-ending knee injury last month, they still have a real chance to become the first expansion team ever to make the playoffs in their inaugural season.
If they want to be a buyer, they have enough young talent, draft picks and cap space to easily add some help for the playoff push. If they want to be a seller and stock up on more future assets, they have veterans that other teams would be interested in acquiring. The Valkyries’ deadline plans will come down to how badly they want to make the playoffs and what sort of offers are on the table.
- Open roster spots: 0
- Cap space: $95,320
- Status: Buyer
- Biggest need: Wing and frontcourt depth
- Possible fits: Myisha Hines-Allen, Kia Nurse
This has been a strange season for the Fever, but even though Caitlin Clark remains sidelined with a right groin issue — her third soft tissue injury of the season — they are hitting their stride. They’ve won five games in a row to climb into fifth place and are five games above .500 for the first time since 2015, which is the last time they won a playoff game.
Fever GM Amber Cox has done some excellent work on the waiver wire to boost the team’s depth. Aari McDonald signed for the remainder of the season once DeWanna Bonner‘s departure was finalized, and Chloe Bibby did the same earlier this month. The Fever will be on the lookout for additional help, but any significant moves are probably unlikely. Bibby’s arrival as a stretch forward filled their biggest need, and it would be hard to shake this group up right now.
Las Vegas Aces
- Open roster spots: 2
- Cap space: -$23,646 (Cheynne Parker-Tyus is on a pregnancy/child birth exception and her $78,831 salary does not count toward calculations on whether a team is under the cap after trades, per Richard Cohen.)
- Status: Stand pat
The Aces’ season has been a disaster by their standards. They lost by 53 points to the Lynx earlier this month — the second-largest defeat in league history — and are stuck in seventh place with a 15-14 record. A’ja Wilson has been her usual self, and Jackie Young was an All-Star again, but everyone else has been a question mark from night-to-night. The Aces’ 103.7 defensive rating is the worst among the eight teams currently in playoff position.
Back in June, the Aces tried to address their lack of frontcourt depth by bringing in NaLyssa Smith from the Wings. While the former No. 2 overall pick has been solid, she has not moved the needle, particularly against the top teams. There’s a good chance the Aces will eventually regret giving up a 2027 first-round pick in that deal, if they don’t already. The Aces’ roster isn’t good enough to win a title, but they have limited flexibility due to their cap situation and lack of interesting young players and draft picks. Though they profile as a buyer, it’s more likely they stand pat.
- Open roster spots: 0
- Cap space: $88,390
- Status: Stand pat
A few weeks ago, the Sparks were limping through another disappointing season. Now, they’re suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league. They’ve won six of their last seven games, including a double-overtime thriller on the road in Seattle earlier this month. Though they sit in 10th place at 12-15, they are just 1½ games behind the Valkyries for the final playoff spot. That is not an insurmountable deficit, especially with one game remaining between the clubs.
Any discussion about the Sparks’ deadline plans must begin by acknowledging that they do not own their 2026 first-round pick, which they sent to Seattle in the Kelsey Plum blockbuster. If someone calls and overwhelms the Sparks with an offer, they’ll have to consider it given the status of their rebuild. However, they have no incentive to shop around their veterans to try and tank the rest of the way, especially with how well they’ve been playing. The Sparks feel like a team that will stand pat at the deadline
Minnesota Lynx
- Open roster spots: 1
- Cap space: $41,428
- Status: Stand pat
The Lynx were clear buyers going into the deadline, and took care of their business early. On Sunday, they sent Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round pick to the Wings in exchange for DiJonai Carrington, a move that will make their league-leading defense (95.1 defensive rating) even better.
While the Lynx do still have an open roster spot, it’s hard to see them making another move before the deadline when they have a clear top-eight for their rotation come playoff time. If they feel they need some more depth, they can always pick someone up off the waiver wire down the stretch.
New York Liberty
- Open roster spots: 0
- Cap space: $44,165
- Status: Stand pat
There’s no need for the Liberty to entertain the trade market when they can add a player like Emma Meesseman for free. The former Finals MVP and two-time All-Star officially signed with the Liberty earlier this month and made her debut in their win over the Sun, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Meesseman, who is making her return to the league for the first time since 2022, is on a pro-rated veteran minimum contract and only making $75,694, which is how the Liberty were able to fit her into their cap space.
Meesseman was the Liberty’s big midseason addition and they will almost certainly stand pat at the deadline. While their 18-10 record is somewhat disappointing, they’ve looked incredible when healthy and have more than enough talent to repeat.
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- Open roster spots: 1
- Cap space: $67,139
- Status: Buyer
- Biggest needs: Frontcourt depth, 3-point shooting
- Possible fits: Stefanie Dolson, Aaliyah Edwards, Rachel Banham, Marina Mabrey
After an excellent start to the season, the Mercury have hit some turbulence. They’ve lost five of their last seven games to fall to fourth place, and earning home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs is no longer a guarantee. Recently, All-Star forward Satou Sabally was benched during the second half of a blowout loss to the Dream and was called out by coach Nate Tibbetts for not bringing the right “energy.” Sabally then missed the Mercury’s next game for “personal reasons,” and while Tibbetts said her absence was unrelated to her benching, the timing has raised some eyebrows.
The Mercury entered the season with a top-heavy roster buoyed by a relatively unknown supporting cast. They showed a willingness to deviate from that experiment by signing DeWanna Bonner in July after her departure from the Fever, and it’s fair to wonder if they’ll look for additional established players at the deadline. They could use some more frontcourt depth and another reliable 3-point shooter. The Mercury are tied for third in the league in 3-point attempts per game (27.8), but Kahleah Copper and Monique Akoa Makani are the only players in the rotation shooting above 35% from behind the arc.
Seattle Storm
- Open roster spots: 0
- Cap space: $223
- Status: Buyer
- Biggest needs: 3-point shooting
- Possible fits: Rebecca Allen, Rachel Banham, Bria Hartley, Marina Mabrey
The Storm were a historically bad 3-point shooting team last season when they made just 28.8% of their attempts. Early this season, it appeared that their moves to address their lack of shooting and floor spacing had paid off. After the first month of the season, they led the league in 3-point shooting at 38.5% — nearly a 10% increase. Ever since then, however, the Storm have reverted to last season’s form. Over their last 16 games, the Storm are shooting 29.8%, which ranks last in the league in that span.
During their loss to the Fever on Sunday, the Storm went 2 of 15 from behind the arc and missed four potential game-tying 3s in the final 70 seconds. This team has a lot of top-end talent and an elite defense, but has been far too inconsistent this season, in large part because no one can reliably knock down an outside shot. The good news for the Storm is there should be some shooters available and thanks to previous trades they have two extra first-round picks in the 2026 draft via the Sparks and Aces.
- Open roster spots: 1
- Cap space: $394,308
- Status: Seller
- Possible trade candidates: Stefanie Dolson, Aaliyah Edwards, Emily Engstler, Brittney Sykes
The Mystics have been much more competitive than anyone expected this season, but are starting to stumble. They’ve lost five of their last seven games to drop two games below .500 at 13-15, and are now a game behind the Valkyries for the final playoff spot. What’s more, the Sparks are surging, adding another team to the mix for the No. 8 seed.
Could the Mystics wind up making the playoffs? Perhaps, but in the long-run they’d be better off missing out and adding another lottery pick to the mix. Just imagine what this team could look like in the future with another talented guard such as Azzi Fudd, Flau’jae Johnson, Olivia Miles or Ta’Niya Latson — all top prospects in the 2026 draft — added to their young core. And if they move some of their veterans to ensure they fall into the lottery, they could add even more future assets.
