🐺 DIJONAI CARRINGTON TRADED TO THE LYNX

MINNESOTA GETS SOME REINFORCEMENTS

In the early morning on August 3, the Lynx announced that they acquired Dijonai Carrington from the Dallas Wings. Heading to Dallas in exchange for Carrington will be Karlie Samuelson (who was waived by the team, but will be supported by them as she continues her injury rehabilitation), a 2027 second-round pick, and Diamond Miller. When Miller was a “DNP - Coach’s Decision” in a 50-point game, you got the sense that her days in Minnesota were numbered.

Now on the Wings, she should get plenty of opportunities to play and showcase all of her skills. Although this season has been below the Wings’ expectations, they are building towards an exciting future.

For the Lynx, they get another plus defender and a player that can slot into a variety of lineups. Carrington returns to contention and is joining a Lynx team that is making a beeline for the WNBA championship. She made her debut in a win on August 5 against the Seattle Storm and got off to an impressive start with her new club.

Playing under Cheryl Reeve should help her reach new heights, and by joining an established team as compared to a young team with a first-year WNBA head coach, things should be easier for Carrington on multiple fronts.

🐺 THE STORM GETS GUARD HELP

WELCOME TO SEATTLE, BRITTNEY SYKES!

On Tempestade Talk, Erica L. Ayala and Roberta Rodrigues have spoken extensively about the Seattle Storm’s need for a shooting guard. Seattle has All-Stars at every other position, but could use some help to complete their starting five. On Tuesday, they got the help they’re looking for.

The Storm acquired 2025 All-Star Brittney Sykes in exchange for Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke, and the Storm’s 2026 first-round draft pick. The Storm still have two picks in the upcoming Draft via trades with the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm.

In Sykes, the Storm get some much-needed scoring punch and another player that can get downhill and get to the free throw line. Over at CBS Sports, Jack Maloney wrote:

“Adding Sykes to the mix will only make the Storm more difficult to play and score against. Good luck against a starting lineup of Diggins, Sykes, Williams, Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. That group could switch everything with ease and opponents would have no one to hunt.

Instead of addressing their weaknesses, the Storm leaned into their strengths and may now have the best defense in the league. Whether that's enough to vault them back into the title race remains to be seen given their offensive limitations, but it's a worthwhile gamble, especially considering the price.”

On the latest edition of Tempestade Talk, Erica broke it all down and took a look ahead to the rest of Seattle’s 2025

For the Mystics, they weren’t done there. On August 7, the team traded Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun for Jacy Sheldon and a pick swap.

Although Washington is within striking distance of a playoff spot, their eyes are on the future and the influx of new talent in the upcoming Drafts. With Sheldon, they get a young guard that can help offset the loss of Sykes while also giving them someone who can run an offense for head coach Sydney Johnson.

The Sun got a former University of Connecticut standout and a young player that they will look to add to their burgeoning foundation of Saniya Rivers and Aneesah Morrow.

Normally, a move like this would be the biggest news surrounding the Sun. However, it’s been a wild, wild week in Connecticut…

💰 MONEY MOVES

THE SUN SETS IN UNCASVILLE?

On August 2, the Boston Globe was the first to report that the Connecticut Sun had been sold to a group led by Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca. The news shook the WNBA world up and had us wondering how the Sun would move into their new era.

The reporting stated that the Pagliuca group would be spending $325 million on the team and would dedicate $100 million to a practice facility for the team in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Sun has been to Boston twice for games, and it’s been a hit each time. Once the news broke, everything appeared to be a done deal. However, things were a LOT more complicated than we could have imagined.

On Saturday evening, Pagliuca put out a statement saying that they did not actually acquire the Sun, but merely put forth an offer

The group makes an offer, and we wait for the league to approve all the details and get this show on the road. Simple enough, right? There’s a big hitch in this plan, and it’s the WNBA itself.

On August 4, Annie Costiable of Front Office Sports reported that the Sun’s owners, the Mohegan Tribe, actually agreed to sell the team to the group led by Pagliuca in July of this year. They presented the agreement to Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, but Engelbert reportedly never presented this agreement to the league’s board of governors for approval.

As a result, the bidding for the Sun is back on, and a group led by former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry is making a big push to acquire the team. The Lasry group is looking to keep the team in Connecticut, and they have a powerful supporter in Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont.

Governor Lamont said he would do “what it takes” to keep the team in Connecticut. If the group is able to purchase the Sun, they would likely move them from Uncasville to Hartford to a much larger arena for their games. The support for this move has been gaining steam, and the locals are prepared to welcome the Sun in with open arms.

From the outside looking in, it appears that the WNBA league office would prefer to have the Sun sold to a group that keeps the team in Connecticut while also leaving the door open for Boston to bid on an expansion team of its own the next time the W expands, which is scheduled to be in 2033.

There’s logic to that, but it’s still a risky decision. For one, who knows what the societal landscape will look like the next time the league wants to expand. Circumstances change, new priorities are developed, and an offer that may be present today may not be available tomorrow.

The league has to make sure it gets the most out of this process while also maintaining positive relationships with prospective buyers and the cities involved in this process.

It’s important to remember the road to CBA negotiations as we close out. $325 million for the Connecticut Sun and $100 million for a practice facility in Boston was the offer that was presented to Engelbert.

Don't let the WNBA league office (and the NBA) tell you there isn't money to pay the players.

📰 WHAT WE’RE READING

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in the women’s basketball community.

Here’s what we’re reading:

• Connecticut Sun to Boston? Everything we know so far by Deyscha Smith for The IX Basketball

• A Special Five Out: If This Is The End of The Connecticut Sun... by Andrew Haubner for No Cap Space

• Olivia Nelson-Ododa Is the Bridge Between the Sun’s Past and Future by Ian Carter-Hamilton for Winsidr

• The WNBA Science Fair with Myles Ehrlich and Owen Pence by Sarah Spain for Good Game with Sarah Spain

• Moving on from Game 7 without letting go of Game 7 by Caitlin Cooper for Basketball, She Wrote

• The History of the Black Joshi by Ciara Reid for the Black Rasslin’ Podcast

⛹🏽‍♀️ UPCOMING GAMES

Here’s the schedule for the next few days (Eastern Standard Time)

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