The 2025 WNBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, as contenders look to make final moves to solidify rosters ahead of a playoff run, while others look to acquire assets for the future.
This deadline could prove to be a particularly interesting one, as a significant number of players will become free agents for the 2026 season in coordination with the start of a new CBA. Multiple players negotiated their contracts through 2025 based on the timing of the current CBA, which runs through Oct. 31, 2025.
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Hours before the deadline, the Washington Mystics made their second move of the week, trading Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun for Jacy Sheldon and the rights to a potential 2026 first-round pick swap. The rebuild continues in Washington, which traded All-Star guard Brittney Sykes to the Seattle Storm on Tuesday in exchange for Alysha Clark, guard Zia Cooke and a 2026 first-round pick. Seattle currently sits sixth in the WNBA standings, acquiring Sykes, who’s averaging 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
The 2025 deadline action tipped off Sunday with a trade between the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings. The Lynx acquired guard DiJonai Carrington, while the Wings acquired forward Diamond Miller, guard Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round draft pick.
It marked the second time Carrington had been traded this year, having joined the Wings via trade in February, just months after being named WNBA All-Defensive First Team and the WNBA’s Most Improved Player. She’ll offer immediate contributions for Minnesota as it looks to fill an immediate and significant vacancy left by All-Star Napheesa Collier, who’s expected to miss at least two weeks with an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, heads to Dallas in hopes of a fresh start. After starting in each of her 32 games for the Lynx in her rookie season, Miller has yet to make her first start in 2025. Samuelson was waived after the trade, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported.
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The financial ramifications of a new CBA could drastically reshape the WNBA landscape, with the salary cap, player salaries and revenue sharing topping the list of concerns in negotiations. Currently, the WNBA minimum salary for a player of 0-2 years of experience is at $66,079 per season, and players with 3+ years of experience earn a veteran minimum of $78,831; supermax contracts max out at $249,244. The salary cap for each team in 2025 is set at just over $1.5 million, per Her Hoops.
Earlier this season, the Las Vegas Aces made a surprise move to acquire forward NaLyssa Smith from the Wings in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick, also her second time being traded in the 2025 calendar year. At 15-14, the Aces sit seventh overall in the league standings.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the 2025 WNBA trade deadline: