2025 WNBA Regular Season | Page 49 | The Boneyard

2025 WNBA Regular Season

azfan said:
?

Aces are currently in the playoffs in the eighth spot. It'll be interesting after the All-Star break to see if the expansion good time story continues. I would think most reasonable projections place LV somewhere six seven or eight. Unless there's a major injury to the Aces roster the likelihood of the Aces finishing in the bottom tier with Dallas, Connecticut, and Chicago are less than Natasha Adair being named head coach of the Knicks
Expand ...
My bad. I misread the standings. Another senior moment.
 
cancontent said:
It was starting to become obvious that the log jam at this position wasn't going to work. Personally, I thought Aaliyah has looked good recently and thought she'd earn more minutes. Hoping she lands in a good situation.
Expand ...
Dallas seems like the optimal landing spot with Smith leaving. I see Edwards being a steady 12/7 player for the right franchise and having her play alongside Paige would be a great fit. Would Washington accept Carrington for her? DJ isn’t the right fit for Dallas with Arike/Paige in the backcourt, but could be a great asset somewhere. Dallas needs more of a 3 and D type of player at SF rather than someone who is constantly hunting their own shot.
 
cancontent said:
It was starting to become obvious that the log jam at this position wasn't going to work. Personally, I thought Aaliyah has looked good recently and thought she'd earn more minutes. Hoping she lands in a good situation.
Expand ...
The Liberty could use someone like her young and with a huge upside, Sabaly, Burke, and Gardner, have been bad since Jones was hurt, and Fiebich has been in the euro tournament. Harrison hasn't been much help either.
Cutting either Gardner or Harrison wouldn't be a loss.
 
cancontent said:
It was starting to become obvious that the log jam at this position wasn't going to work. Personally, I thought Aaliyah has looked good recently and thought she'd earn more minutes. Hoping she lands in a good situation.
Expand ...
I read this article and there's a bit of a subtleness to look at: Teams are calling Washington and they're listening. Doesn't sound like they're thinking of off-loading Aaliyah E. for any old offer.
And I wouldn't, either. She's arguably just as valuable as Austin and/or Iriafen and would be getting major time if one injury hits those two.

Unless someone blows the Mystics away, I'd tread very softly here. One of those three could come in handy as a trade chip if, say, Sykes goes away next season.

Plus -- and this is big -- those three are all "in pocket": Austin is a RFA after the '26 season, while Edwards isn't an RFA until '28 and Iriafen is still under contract until that year. Those are huge assets for the team.
Now, if someone comes to the Mystics GM before the Aug. 7 deadline desperate, nail 'em. Ditto in 2026, when most rosters are going to be a la carte! ;)
 
Last edited:
Geew1992 said:
Curt Miller should be jumping all over this

Expand ...

The Fever are hunting for a 12th player and I assume they would want another frontcourt player since they only use a 3 player rotation and Dantas is playing in the Americup currently. With the acquisition of Aari McDonald, would a trade of Sidney Colson for Aaliyah Edwards make any sense? The Mystics would get a veteran PG and the Fever could have a good bench player behind Boston and Howard. Seems like a win-win scenario to me.
 
MSSportsGuy said:
I'm skeptical over adding 3 more teams in a somewhat concentrated geographic area. Detroit and Cleveland once had teams but Cleveland folded and Detroit became Tulsa (no clue) and became Dallas. Times are very different and the sport is more popular but I'd be hesitant to select those cities. Philly is also confusing.

The WNBA jumped to 16 teams too quickly years back and I don't want the same mistake repeated again. Golden State was a great addition and I think Toronto will be as well. Sixteen is a good even number but I wouldn't take put another team in Portland or the three mentioned earlier above some other cities.

I recognize you ownership groups and if these places have them, that's fine but they seem like odd choices.
Expand ...
On the other hand, it also makes regional rivalries much more prevalent -- NY/PHL/(possibly)CONN, DET/CLE. POR/SEA/GS, etc. -- while easing some of the burden on cross country travel, with more games within teams' respective time zones.

For certain fan bases, it also makes travel easier. For example, a player like Caitlin Clark can be seen in multiple markets within a short drive between them. If a Notre Dame star with a large following (e.g., Hannah Hidalgo) is drafted by a West Coast team, it makes it easier for Midwest fans to see her in multiple places during the summer. UConn fans who live in the Northeast now have another market (PHL) in which to watch their favorite former Husky.
 
GamecockFam said:
The Fever are hunting for a 12th player and I assume they would want another frontcourt player since they only use a 3 player rotation and Dantas is playing in the Americup currently. With the acquisition of Aari McDonald, would a trade of Sidney Colson for Aaliyah Edwards make any sense? The Mystics would get a veteran PG and the Fever could have a good bench player behind Boston and Howard. Seems like a win-win scenario to me.
Expand ...

I get what you're saying but I would think the Mystic would want more than Colson. I really wouldn't want Colson at all.
 
GamecockFam said:
The Fever are hunting for a 12th player and I assume they would want another frontcourt player since they only use a 3 player rotation and Dantas is playing in the Americup currently. With the acquisition of Aari McDonald, would a trade of Sidney Colson for Aaliyah Edwards make any sense? The Mystics would get a veteran PG and the Fever could have a good bench player behind Boston and Howard. Seems like a win-win scenario to me.
Expand ...
Uh, no...at least not for me.
Here's why:
  • The reason why you're proposing this trade, in part, is that McDonald has added more value than Colson, who is -- at best -- a 10 to 15 minute player now.
  • Edwards -- along with Austin and Iriafen -- give the Mystics three very good, athletic, young and contractually attractive players. Aailiyah is under contract -- even as an RFA -- until 2028.
  • Colson is a UFA next year. No value there, at least for me.
 
If anyone wants to be a GM regarding trades (deadline is Aug. 7), I'm adding this link to spotrac, which keeps track of free agents, individually and by team, as well as by year. It's invaluable.


One of the reasons why I think the Mystics can bargain hard -- very hard -- for offers made for Aaliyah Edwards, Shakira Austin or Kiki Iraiafen is this:
  • Austin is an RFA in 2026
  • Edwards isn't an RFA until 2028
  • Iriafen, as a rookie, is under contract through '28.

Rumors I've seen -- from Ogunbowale to Colson -- largely involve players who are unrestricted free agents in 2026. To make a trade like that is criminal malpractice....or something Las Vegas would do these days.

Besides being very good, those three are assets in the strongest sense of the word. Use them wisely.
 
baggerbob said:
The Liberty could use someone like her young and with a huge upside, Sabaly, Burke, and Gardner, have been bad since Jones was hurt, and Fiebich has been in the euro tournament. Harrison hasn't been much help either.
Cutting either Gardner or Harrison wouldn't be a loss.
Expand ...
Burke - not so much. This year career highs in all offensive categories and in her 22 + minutes per game is shooting 50% from the field, 49% from three land.

She might well be a candidate for 6th man of the year. But, bad . . . . . hum . . . .

Since JJ's injuries she may well have exceeded expectations with her additional minutes.
 
azfan said:
Burke - not so much. This year career highs in all offensive categories and in her 22 + minutes per game is shooting 50% from the field, 49% from three land.

She might well be a candidate for 6th man of the year. But, bad . . . . . hum . . . .

Since JJ's injuries she may well have exceeded expectations with her additional minutes.
Expand ...
She's a fine bench player but when you have 2 starters out she is overmatched. Playing her and Sabally as starters has been a disaster defensively, The offense hasn't been very good either.
 
Geew1992 said:
Lol... same reason they kept Colson for so long. The players wanted that cohesiveness. Pretty sure that's why Stokes is still on the team.
Expand ...
Which is an interesting way to run a team. I can see if that player was being productive. Or was in some type of role like the one Miami Heat had for Haslem. But the Heat also had players that were producing on the floor. The Aces management knows what they are doing, I guess.
 
JellyBean said:
Which is an interesting way to run a team. I can see if that player was being productive. Or was in some type of role like the one Miami Heat had for Haslem. But the Heat also had players that were producing on the floor. The Aces management knows what they are doing, I guess.
Expand ...

Yup and it’s biting them in the cuz they have no bench
 
baggerbob said:
She's a fine bench player but when you have 2 starters out she is overmatched. Playing her and Sabally as starters has been a disaster defensively, The offense hasn't been very good either.
Expand ...
True for almost every team in every sport. There's a reason players start and players come off the bench

Burke had been an outstanding member of the roster and you're absolutely right she's not a starter. She's an excellent bench player and she's done a more than adequate job coming off the bench.

I'm trying to think of another team that losses a starter and would have a bench player available to come off the bench and shoot 50% from the field, 49% from theeland and provide more than adequate defensively.

I think it's important to differentiate between the player and the situation and the performance the over time

I'm wondering if you have any thoughts about what bench player would have performed at a higher level than Burke in a similar situation.

Disaster would be an appropriate descriptor for the Chicago Sky in all phases of the game. Disaster would be an apt and appropriate description for the Connecticut Sun in all phases of the game.

Disaster would be an apt description for the Dallas defense.

I'm not sure disaster is an appropriate descriptor in a discussion of the New York Liberty or Kennedy Burke.

There are at least 7 WNBA teams that would exchange places with the New York Liberty right now. And I can think of 7 teams that would take Kennedy Burke in a New York minute
 
Dillon77 said:
If anyone wants to be a GM regarding trades (deadline is Aug. 7), I'm adding this link to spotrac, which keeps track of free agents, individually and by team, as well as by year. It's invaluable.


One of the reasons why I think the Mystics can bargain hard -- very hard -- for offers made for Aaliyah Edwards, Shakira Austin or Kiki Iraiafen is this:
  • Austin is an RFA in 2026
  • Edwards isn't an RFA until 2028
  • Iriafen, as a rookie, is under contract through '28.

Rumors I've seen -- from Ogunbowale to Colson -- largely involve players who are unrestricted free agents in 2026. To make a trade like that is criminal malpractice....or something Las Vegas would do these days.

Besides being very good, those three are assets in the strongest sense of the word. Use them wisely.
Expand ...
Dillon, you clearly know much, much more than I do about Restricted Free Agents in the WNBA and the potential impact of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement on the horizon, but I can't help but ponder why wouldn't a club trade for a player this year in order to have exclusive discussions with her about a long-term contract? Perhaps even build in some clauses that might take into account the upcoming restructuring of the CBA to further entice the targeted player to sign? Kinda like "Cost Plus" contracts the government signs when the need is great and future not set in stone.

In fact, I think that approach would be extremely advantageous for a forward-thinking GM to consider. Said differently, there might be significant merit in taking steps NOW to acquire the talent you are targeting down the road and pursue long-term contracts. Otherwise, the GMs are in the middle of a free-for-all with agents once the new CBA hits the streets and RFAs are rampant. Thoughts?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Online statistics

Members online
46
Guests online
1,208
Total visitors
1,254
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Share This Page

Forum statistics

Threads
163,961
Messages
4,376,767
Members
10,168
Latest member
CTFan142


.
..
Top Bottom