Liya Traded | The Boneyard

Liya Traded

That's a great trade for Washington and a good one for Connecticut.

Washington had a logjam in the frontcourt and just traded an excellent defender (ETA: Brittney Sykes) who also happened to be a pretty good scorer. They just got one back in Sheldon, who's also a few years younger, fitting into their youth movement.

The Sun also have a lot of frontcourt players, but Aaliyah gives them another Husky to put fannies in seats. Plus Tina is likely gone after this season and Rayah Marshall hasn't been that good. Aaliyah had been languishing on the Mystics bench, but she had a very good rookie year. I think this is a good move for her.
 
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I think the Sun got the better end of this (slightly) - both players have averaged about 6-7 PPG each season and both are "sophomores" in the W. But Sheldon's scoring has come on quite a bit more minutes played than Liya. Still, the Mystics had a logjam at Liya's position, Marshall hasn't been that impressive for the Sun so far, so there seems to be some good space for Liya.

Also, she's about the same(ish) size and athleticism as Tina. I think she could learn a ton from Tina, hopefully including Tina's amazing hook shot - possibly the best ever in the WNBA. Totally unstoppable - even against the likes of Griner etc. I do think Liya has more upside than Jacy, but time will tell for both of them for sure...

Love seeing 4 Huskies on the Sun roster, but not sure how that will help with fannies if the franchise moves to Boston, or even further...

BTW Tuck's comments about Liya just WOW!!!

"Bringing Aaliyah to the Connecticut Sun is more than just a roster move; it's a statement about where we're headed as a franchise," Sun general manager Morgan Tuck said in a statement. "Aaliyah is a transformational talent with the mindset and drive that aligns with our vision of building a championship culture. What truly sets her apart is the way she leads, connects, and competes. Aaliyah is the kind of person and player who can help redefine the future of this organization and we're ready to build that future together."
 
Bigboote said:
That's a great trade for Washington and a good one for Connecticut.

Washington had a logjam in the frontcourt and just traded an excellent defender who also happened to be a pretty good scorer. They just got one back in Sheldon, who's also a few years younger, fitting into their youth movement.

The Sun also have a lot of frontcourt players, but Aaliyah gives them another Husky to put fannies in seats. Plus Tina is likely gone after this season and Rayah Marshall hasn't been that good. Aaliyah had been languishing on the Mystics bench, but she had a very good rookie year. I think this is a good move for her.
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Edwards and Sheldon are both in their second year of the WNBA except Edwards just turned 23, and Sheldon turns 25 in two weeks.
 
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Aaliyah Edwards has always reminded me of Asjha Jones (physical 4 with face up game, good defender and size but not a shot blocker) and now their career paths are remarkably similar too:
-both drafted by Washington, and underutilized
-both traded to Connecticut in (or after) their second season


I think it's a great trade for both franchises, too. Sheldon is a player how can help the Mystics win now and help fill the void left by Sykes. Edwards has more upside and is a better piece to build around for the Sun. I could see Edwards having a breakout year next season.
 
hoopsfan22 said:
Edwards and Sheldon are both in their second year of the WNBA except Edwards just turned 23, and Sheldon turns 25 in two weeks.
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Oops! I was unclear. I was referring to Brittney Sykes as the defender they just traded. :oops:
 
I was hoping she would go to Dallas to reunite with Paige. I hope she gets more playing time in CT.
 
Just my opinion, but I believe that the Mystics completely bungled Edward's season thusfar (I realize that injuries have also played a part), and, now, haven't gotten close to equal value for her in this trade.
I hope that she is healthy now and can continue to develop under the tutelage of Tina Charles (which actually started at UCONN).
 
cancontent said:
The trade swap option of 2026 draft picks is interesting considering who originally held them (Minnesota and NY). With both picks likely ending up being late first rounders, could this end up being a nothingburger?
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At the moment, Washington has 3 first-round picks and 2 second-round picks in 2026.
 
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This thread has me reflecting on Aaliyah’s UConn years. Injuries sapped some of those teams, but not her. Sometimes she had great frontcourt partners and sometimes it was just her. A stunning freshman season next to Paige with Liv playing the 5 to her 4. A bit of a sophomore slump but Dorka joined Liv in the low post for that season. An incredible junior campaign with Dorka. And finally a tremendous senior season, occasionally spelled by Ice, but was essentially the only true post player on the floor almost all the time. It’s difficult to do justice to Aaliyah’s accomplishments in Storrs.
 
boontonbomber said:
At the moment, Washington has 3 first-round picks and 2 second-round picks in 2026.
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I think you're missing the point to my question. Washington had the three picks already after they made the trade with Seattle. The option to swap picks doesn't make sense to me as the draft position for both these picks could likely be late in the first round.
 
Bone Dog said:
This thread has me reflecting on Aaliyah’s UConn years. Injuries sapped some of those teams, but not her. Sometimes she had great frontcourt partners and sometimes it was just her. A stunning freshman season next to Paige with Liv playing the 5 to her 4. A bit of a sophomore slump but Dorka joined Liv in the low post for that season. An incredible junior campaign with Dorka. And finally a tremendous senior season, occasionally spelled by Ice, but was essentially the only true post player on the floor almost all the time. It’s difficult to do justice to Aaliyah’s accomplishments in Storrs.
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The jump to the W is difficult for a lot of very good college players. It’s not simply a case of talent, but also what team you end up with and whether or not there’s a real opportunity to play and develop with that team.

I really believe Aaliyah has all the tools necessary to succeed in the W. I am hoping she gets enough PT with the Suns in order to turn the corner and establish herself as a solid pro for years to come. As you point out, Aaliyah spent much of her senior season as “the only true post player on the floor almost all the time.”
 
I see Are becoming a good solid WNBA player for the long term and quite possibly having All Star years. At UConn she did her job well regardless of who was surrounding her. She's talented, determined and has the UConn expectation to win. She's going to do ok. As to whether or not she is "transformational" as Morgan thinks, well, I hope she is right.
 
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The Mystics certainly weakened themselves in the sort run by dealing Sykes and Edwards for Clark and Sheldon.

They are banking on the future with all those draft picks. But dealing Edwards away is a big mistake in my opinion. She will be a solid WNBA player for many years.

I was also hoping for more action at the WNBA trade deadline. Very quiet overall.

Also surprised by Miller's comments regarding Ogunbowale, I would like to see the Wings "move in another direction". There should be some other quality free agents who would like to team up with Paige.
 
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Huskee11 said:
The Mystics certainly weakened themselves in the sort run by dealing Sykes and Edwards for Clark and Sheldon.

They are banking on the future with all those draft picks. But dealing Edwards away is a big mistake in my opinion. She will be a solid WNBA player for many years.

I was also hoping for more action at the WNBA trade deadline. Very quiet overall.

Also surprised by Miller's comments regarding Ogunbowale, I would like to see the Wings "move in another direction". There should be some other quality free agents who would like to team up with Paige.
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If I recall correctly, Miller said they had no interest in trading Arike this season. This doesn't mean that the front office isn't looking to move on, eventually. Like this post notes, Miller has collected some good players and has kept others, like Siegrist to build around Paige. Time will tell if these moves will pay off.
 
cancontent said:


If I recall correctly, Miller said they had no interest in trading Arike this season. This doesn't mean that the front office isn't looking to move on, eventually. Like this post notes, Miller has collected some good players and has kept others, like Siegrist to build around Paige. Time will tell if these moves will pay off.
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FWIW, Wings reporter Melissa Triebwasser tweeted earlier this week that in addition to not shopping Arike, the Wings are "hopeful she will remain in Dallas long term". Hmmmm

But kudos to Miller for collecting young talent that will be around next season. I like most of them, not a big Quinerly fan though.
 
Huskee11 said:
The Mystics certainly weakened themselves in the sort run by dealing Sykes and Edwards for Clark and Sheldon.

They are banking on the future with all those draft picks. But dealing Edwards away is a big mistake in my opinion. She will be a solid WNBA player for many years.

I was also hoping for more action at the WNBA trade deadline. Very quiet overall.

Also surprised by Miller's comments regarding Ogunbowale, I would like to see the Wings "move in another direction". There should be some other quality free agents who would like to team up with Paige.
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I think Sykes wanted out so they were in a tough spot regarding her. They at least get a draft pick next year out of it, but this significantly weakens Washington.

Iriafen is a better player and fit than Edwards for a similar role in Washington. It's just not a good fit for Aaliyah with this roster since she was beat out. Long term Kiki is the right pick for the franchise, but at the same time Edwards is too good to be buried on the bench. For another team (like Connecticut), Edwards should be an excellent fit. Washington could use help from Sheldon and she's a solid pro, but between her and Edwards, I think Edwards is a much better prospect long term and I think she'll pan out to be a very good player for the Sun.

Regarding Arike Ogunbowale, I know she's not popular on here and isn't having a great scoring season, but I think her playing style is a perfect fit for playing alongside Paige. For all the fear that Arike would chuck up a zillion shots and Paige would be submissive playing next to her, the opposite has happened. Paige is more assertive looking for her shot than I've ever seen her before and she's emerged as Dallas's go to scorer and clutch time shooter. Arike has shown to be a willing passer and has decreased her FGA significantly, plus her on court demeanor is far more mellow than it was in previous years. Her shot hasn't been falling but I think the foundation is being built for Dallas to be a giant in the next couple of season, especially if they can land Betts in the upcoming draft.
 
As for Miller saying he hopes Arike will stay in Dallas, what is he supposed to say? How would it look if he backstabs her in the press by saying, "nah, she can leave now if she wants.." I am also surprised that Arike gets along so well with Paige in terms of ball distribution as well as personally, it seems. I'm fine with letting things play out during the offseason and just hope she gets some more inside shotmakers to keep the ball moving.
 
oldude said:
I really believe Aaliyah has all the tools necessary to succeed in the W. I am hoping she gets enough PT with the Suns in order to turn the corner and establish herself as a solid pro for years to come. As you point out, Aaliyah spent much of her senior season as “the only true post player on the floor almost all the time.”
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I think she's a player who will chew up minutes on a weak team and wind up a limited role player on a good one.
 
Oldschoolbb said:
I think she's a player who will chew up minutes on a weak team and wind up a limited role player on a good one.
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Somewhat disagree, as she was on fire with Unrivaled last winter, and then her early season injury set her back, and unlike the NFL and other leagues, the WNBA season is so short, the coaches will go with the lastest hot hand. Liya became the odd-woman out of the rotation, through no fault of her own.
 
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BRS24 said:
Somewhat disagree, as she was on fire with Unrivaled last winter, and then her early season injury set her back, and unlike the NFL and other leagues, the WNBA season is so short, the coaches will go with the lastest hot hand. Liya became the odd-woman out of the rotation, through no fault of her own.
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Actually, she was on fire for the 1 on 1 competition, but was not a starter in the regular season, and had below average stats (#33 in PPG out of 39 players)...

The first column is games played, 2nd is minutes/game, and 3rd is PPG. Frankly, I was surprised she performed the way she did during the regular season of unrivaled...

Screenshot 2025-08-09 101049.jpg
 
Oldschoolbb said:
I think she's a player who will chew up minutes on a weak team and wind up a limited role player on a good one.
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I profoundly disagree. I believe that you are severely underestimated what she can become in time & in the proper situation.
 
A little shocking but you kind of knew that something was going to happen, trade wise. I wish AE all the best.
 
Basingstoke said:
I profoundly disagree. I believe that you are severely underestimated what she can become in time & in the proper situation.
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I agree with your disagreement. 😀 If you look at Aaliyah's and Kiki's senior seasons in college, they are virtually identical, with Kiki averaging slightly more points per game (18.0 to 17.6) and Aaliyah more rebounds (9.2 to 8.4). When she transferred from Stanford, she was predicted to be a first-team All-American, but, like Aaliyah, she ended up as a second-team All-American.

I think Kiki is a great player, but I also think she has marketed herself very well and has a great hype machine behind her. Note the fact that she was named to the WNBA All-Star game ahead of veteran post players (e.g., Brionna Jones, Azura Stevens, Dearica Hamby) who had flat-out better stats than hers.

I'm not arguing that Aaliyah is better than Kiki, but I'm not convinced that, if healthy and given the same number of minutes per game, Aaliyah won't perform just as well.
 
Jonathan14 said:
I agree with your disagreement. 😀 If you look at Aaliyah's and Kiki's senior seasons in college, they are virtually identical, with Kiki averaging slightly more points per game (18.0 to 17.6) and Aaliyah more rebounds (9.2 to 8.4). When she transferred from Stanford, she was predicted to be a first-team All-American, but, like Aaliyah, she ended up as a second-team All-American.

I think Kiki is a great player, but I also think she has marketed herself very well and has a great hype machine behind her. Note the fact that she was named to the WNBA All-Star game ahead of veteran post players (e.g., Brionna Jones, Azura Stevens, Dearica Hamby) who had flat-out better stats than hers.

I'm not arguing that Aaliyah is better than Kiki, but I'm not convinced that, if healthy and given the same number of minutes per game, Aaliyah won't perform just as well.
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For what it’s worth, after hitting her first few shots against UConn in the Elite 8, Iriafen was pretty much taken out of the game by a combination of Sarah, Ice & Aubrey. She ended up shooting 3/15 and was not really a factor in the game. Rayah Marshall played the game of her life, keeping USC within shooting distance until UConn pulled away.

Iriafen is a very good player. But I am in agreement that a healthy Aaliyah is a comparable player.
 
cancontent said:


If I recall correctly, Miller said they had no interest in trading Arike this season. This doesn't mean that the front office isn't looking to move on, eventually. Like this post notes, Miller has collected some good players and has kept others, like Siegrist to build around Paige. Time will tell if these moves will pay off.
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Maddy looked good with PB's passes to her. Siegrist was always good at finishing through contact.

The Wings remind me a little of Iowa State men's team under Johnny Orr (early 1980's) who said, "I have the best sixth man in all of the NCAAs... Too bad I don't have a starting five!"

Dallas may have their PG, and SF with PB and MS...

JJ Quinerly looked quick, and was defending well last night in the one point win vs the Fever.
 
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