Sky reaches Olympic break and trades away Mabrey
As the Sky arrives at the monthlong Olympic break, a couple of pleasant surprises stand out.
One is obviously the performance of guard Chennedy Carter. She didn't even play in the WNBA last season and now is the team's leading scorer at 16.4 points a game.
She poured in 34 points Tuesday as the Sky finished the first half with an impressive 93-85 road win over two-time defending champ Las Vegas. Carter literally ran circles around Aces defenders, hitting 14 of 24 shots from the field.
The other piece of good news is Dallas has the worst record in the WNBA at 5-19. That helps the Sky because it still owes the Wings a pick swap in the 2025 draft, the final piece of the expensive trade for guard Marina Mabrey two years ago.
If Dallas finishes at the bottom of the standings, there will be no reason to swap picks and the Sky has a good chance of landing in the top five with its own selection. Adding another young piece to join rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso will be vital to the team's future.
In related news, Mabrey is no longer on the Sky. She was traded to Connecticut with a 2025 second-round pick on Wednesday for veteran guards Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson, a 2025 first-rounder and an option to swap picks with the Sun in 2026.
Mabrey was asked about potential changes to the Sky roster after the win in Las Vegas.
“It's a business,” she said. “At the end of the day, you show up and do your job, whether you have a different teammate or you're in a different place or whatever it is.”
Based on the return, this trade seems to be a matter of the Sky deciding Mabrey isn't a great fit with the current nucleus of Carter, Reese and Cardoso and moving her to a spot where she can challenge for a WNBA title this season.
Banham and Jefferson are both in their 30s and don't figure to be part of the Sky's long-term future. Jefferson had arthroscopic surgery on her right ankle and hasn't played in a game since June 12. The No. 2 overall draft pick in 2016 out of UConn, Jefferson did average 10.5 points and 3.6 assists for Phoenix last year.
Banham, 31, averaged 4.8 points in a reserve role for the Sun this season. Both new players are under contract through next season, so the move doesn't help the Sky at all with the salary cap. Connecticut has the league's second-best record. With a Golden State expansion team coming next year, the Sun's first-rounder would be No. 12 overall. This year, the Sky had the No. 13 overall pick and that player didn't make the team. In other words, that pick may not be of much value.
Essentially, the Sky moved on from a big move by previous coach James Wade that didn't pan out. Mabrey did have maybe her best stretch of the season in the past three games, averaging 17 points while hitting 11 of 19 3-point baskets.
First-year general manager Jeff Pagliocca has been aggressive in reshaping the Sky roster, first trading all-star Kahleah Copper and now Mabrey. The Sky (10-14) will resume the season at home against Copper and the Phoenix Mercury on Aug. 15.