Lynx, Aces and more teams who need to be WNBA Trade Deadline buyers

The WNBA trade deadline is still about a month away, but it's definitely time for some teams around the league to start thinkng about potential moves, especially teams that might be a piece or two away from making a deep playoff run.

These four teams in particular seem like teams that should be buyers at the trade deadline.

Minnesota Lynx

On Monday night, the Minnesota Lynx were without their best player, Olivia Miles, but it didn't matter, right? They were playing the Connecticut Sun, the worst team in the league. Surely the result would be an easy win for Minnesota, right?

Uhh ... nope. With Miles out, the team struggled on the defensive end, allowing the Sun to score 10 more points than the team averages on the season. The loss really underscored a major issue this team has with bench depth. That issue is solved in the frontcourt by the return of Dorka Juhasz and the upcoming return of Napheesa Collier, but the backcourt issues aren't so simple to fix. The team needs to find another ball-handler off the bench who can take pressure off if Miles or Courtney Williams miss time.

Finding that player won't be easy, but there are options out there. Jacy Sheldon, if the Sky decide to give up on this season, would be a perfect fit, but trying to add Erica Wheeler from the Sparks could be an option as well.

Las Vegas Aces

The Las Vegas Aces have one glaring hole in their starting lineup: Stephanie Talbot, who is averaging 3.9 points per game.

On one hand, Vegas has enough offense that when the team is at full strength, having Talbot out there isn't really hurting them, but the issue is that if the team has injury issues and has to rely on Talbot for some offense, they can't really do that, so adding an additional wing would be a good way to go about the trade deadline.

There might not be an instant starter out there, but there are players who could bolster the bench and could step in if needed. Kennedy Burke from the Sun is one intriguing option, as would be anyone from the Liberty's glut of wings, though you wonder if the Liberty would be interested in dealing with Vegas or not.

Atlanta Dream

The Atlanta Dream have been on a losing skid that's almost entirely caused by a lack of shooting. The team needs one of two things: a point guard who can shoot off the dribble, or a wing who can come in and knock down open shots.

Getting the first won't be easy, but the second? That should be achievable. This is where the New York Liberty come into play. Maybe the team won't want to deal with another contender, but if they did, Atlanta would be more likely than Vegas would be, and the Liberty have too many wings right now.

Rebecca Allen, Rebekah Gardner and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton are all potential options to be dealt, and New York should defintely move at least one if possible. I'm not sure what Atlanta has that New York would want, but it's worth exploring this option.

Dallas Wings

The Dallas Wings have been winning despite a couple of big disadvantages: the center position and the need for wing depth. Signing Alanna Smith hasn't worked out, and the team has been forced to play Arike Ogunbowale at the three because of the way the roster is built.

You can survive with Ogunbowale at the three because of how good the other guards are, but if Smith doesn't suddenly return to the form she had in Minnesota, the Wings have an issue, especially because Jessica Shepard gives them basically zero rim protection.

Whether or not the Wings can find such a player will depend on what teams are willing to sell. Chicago's Elizabeth Williams feels like a great potential match here, but Chicago would need to officially throw in the towel. Maybe Connecticut's Olivia Nelson-Ododa or Seattle's Stefanie Dolson could be potential options here?

More WNBA news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow