Maybe it's not as consequential a move as their rival Liberty adding Emma Meesseman, but the Minnesota Lynx did their best to answer New York on Sunday by trading for Dallas Wings wing DiJonai Carrington.
Carrington was a huge offseason acquisition for Dallas, but it just never really worked out with the Wings. She was in and out of the lineup and failed to develop much of a rhythm when she was healthy. Still, there's a reason Carrington was viewed as a great signing for Dallas just a few months ago, and she'll have a chance to showcase that in a better team context in Minnesota.
With Carrington in Minnesota now, let's take a look at what the team's depth chart should look like as the Lynx strive to stay in front of the rest of the league.
Projected Minnesota Lynx depth chart after trading for DiJonai Carrington
Starter | Bench | Bench | |
|---|---|---|---|
Point Guard | Courtney Williams | Natisha Hiedeman | |
Shooting Guard | Kayla McBride | Yvonne Anderson | |
Small Forward | Bridget Carleton | DiJonai Carrington | |
Power Forward | Napheesa Collier | Anastasiia Kosu | |
Center | Alanna Smith | Jessica Shepard | Maria Kliundikova |
The big question with the addition of Carrington is whether she'll start or not, but it would be best to assume that the team's newest addition will come off the bench, largely because the Lynx need Bridget Carleton's shooting in the starting five. Carleton isn't on quite the heater she was last season when she shot 44.4 percent from deep, but her 35.9 percent mark is solid, and the spacing she provides at the small forward spot is useful.
Carrington's biggest issue is her lack of shooting, so bringing her off the bench and specifically using her to attack downhill on offense seems like a good way to utilize her.
Carrington also fixes what was the biggest issue for this team, which was a lack of bench depth on the wing. Diamond Miller, who was traded to the Wings in this trade, is an intriguing young player, but it's become clear that she isn't ready to be a key contributor on a contender. In Dallas, she'll have a real shot to showcase her skill and start the process of growing into a WNBA-worthy player.
The lack of jump shooting from Carrington is also minimized a bit as a concern by what she theoretically brings as an on-ball defender. Her contributions on that end of the floor just didn't feel like they were up to their usual level in Dallas, but part of that was that the Wings didn't have many other good defensive pieces to help out. Minnesota has one of the best defenders in the league in Napheesa Collier to help clean things up, allowing Carrington to be more aggressive.
Minnesota still has some depth concerns on the wing, but Carrington gives them some additional upside there. Rotations tighten in the playoffs anyway, so being able to use Carrington as the primary backup at both the two and three will be huge for Minnesota as they try to win the WNBA title.