The 2025 WNBA season has been unique in many ways, and one significant area has been mid-season player movement. In years' past, teams have avoided moving players during the season for many reasons: the season was shorter, there were restrictions when it came to cap space, the list goes on.
Now, with over 80 percent of the league about to be Unrestricted Free Agents after this season, and an extremely competitive environment, teams are all about win-now moves this season. While the WNBA trade deadline will not be as active as the average NBA trade deadline, we could see some movement. Here are some teams that could make moves ahead of the deadline.
Las Vegas Aces (11-11)
The Las Vegas Aces are having their worst season since the 2010s, and it's pretty apparent when watching them play. Despite their MVP A'ja Wilson putting up 22.3 points per game along with 9.2 rebounds, the rest of the team can't seem to come together enough to produce consistent wins. Unfortunately for the Aces, time is of the essence, as they have traded away their first-round draft picks for 2026 and 2027. If they don't make the playoffs this season, they won't get the benefit of a lottery pick not just next year, but the year after as well.
The Aces have already made one trade since the season started, acquiring NaLyssa Smith from the Dallas Wings in exchange for a first-round pick. They are still 3-3 in their last six games, and kick off the second half of the season with games against Atlanta, Indiana and Minnesota. Making another move before the trade deadline could either help them get back some assets in the draft next year OR boost their current roster.
Minnesota Lynx (20-4)
The top team in the WNBA has a significant 3.5-game lead over the next highest team in the standings (currently the New York Liberty). Despite that, they are a likely candidate to make a trade before the deadline. First, the Liberty just leveled up BIG time with the signing of Emma Messeman from Belgium.
Messeman was the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP when she won a championship with the Mystics, and despite her personal choice to not play in the WNBA over the past few seasons, is an MVP-caliber player in the league. That's a huge move for the Liberty, and now with both Messeman and Jonquel Jones (who will return from injury this week), the Liberty are not messing around.
The Lynx could make a move to try and level up in response. The other factor on their side is that they have a lot of draft assets to deal with. Per the Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database, Minnesota has a 2026 first-round pick (from Chicago), a 2026 third-round pick, and all three of their 2027 picks. They also have the rights to Maia Hirsch and Aubrey Griffin, and then their roster of players.
Connecticut Sun (3-19)
The Sun are a team that definitely is not making "win-now" moves this year. If they make any trades, it will be to acquire future draft stock and help with the franchise's rebuild. One player that could potentially move is Marina Mabrey, who requested a trade before the season started. The team denied her request, given they had just acquired her in a midseason trade in 2024. Yet, with all these teams looking for playoff options, Mabrey could be an asset to many other franchises. If the price is right for the Sun, Mabrey could be available.
The Sun also have Tina Charles, the experienced veteran, who could help teams in playoff situations. Teams lacking front court depth could use Charles in a backup position.
Chicago Sky (7-15)
Remember a few paragraphs ago when we talked about Minnesota having a draft pick from Chicago? Yeah, that's their first-round pick for 2026 ... and they are currently in a lottery position. It's hilarious (unless you're a Chicago fan... sorry). This is after they traded their No. 3 overall pick for this year's draft to Washington for Ariel Atkins. Atkins is a great player, but that pick turned into Sonia Citron, who became an All-Star as a rookie and participated in the 3-point contest.
For 2026, the Sky do have a first-round pick from Phoenix, but with Phoenix currently being a top-3 team in the standings with little chance of slowing down, that pick could be in the 12-15 range. Fine, but not great. They have their own second and third-round picks, as well as an additional second-round pick from New York. They could potentially bundle those picks on their own or with a player on their roster to a team with better picks for next season. Moving down in the first round for a young star, they could pair with Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso should be the priority.