Trading for DiJonai Carrington really seems like such an obviously good decision for the Minnesota Lynx, but there was some concern that her lack of 3-point shooting and some defensive regression in Dallas this year would make the move not actually pay off like Minnesota thought it would.
One game into the Carrington era in Minnesota, though, and it appears me can put most of our concerns aside. Because it certainly appears that Carrington was exactly what this team needed.
The WNBA trade deadline hasn't even passed, but the Lynx already appear to be the clear winners of it after making the Carrington deal.
DiJonai Carrington comes up big in Lynx debut
Carrington's first game with Minnesota was a strong one.
In Minnesota's 91-87 win, Carrington scored 13 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. It was just the second time since June 17 that Carrington had scored in double figures as her role in Dallas had dwindled down to scraps.
In addition to the points, Carrington finished the game with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in just 17 minutes of action. She helped shore up the Lynx bench, allowing the team not to have to play Yvonne Anderson.
Minnesota was in desperate need of wing depth, and Carrington was able to give them that wing depth. She also seemed to be having a lot of fun out there.
DiJonai Carrington after her first game with the Lynx:
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) August 6, 2025
"This was one of the first times I've had fun playing basketball this season."
It's a wonder what being part of a winning team will do for player morale, isn't it? And maybe even more importantly, it's a wonder what having a well-defined role will do. Wings head coach Chris Koclanes has been on a constant quest to figure out the team's rotation, which made it tough for any players outside of Paige Bueckers to really get much of a rhythm going. Carrington now lands somewhere she knows that she's the first wing off the bench every night, somewhere where she can just go out there and play her game.
Cheryl Reeve is the kind of coach who can make pretty much any player work. There's a reason she's spoken of as one of, if not the, GOATs of WNBA coaching. It was obvious that she was going to get the best out of Carrington, and also that Carrington reuniting with former Connecticut Sun teammates Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman was going to help her immediately gel with her new team.
It's still not clear if the addition of Carrington is going to be more important than New York signing Emma Meesseman, but as far as actual trades at the deadline go, it's hard to imagine one that works out better than Carrington to the Lynx.