Saturday serves up a pair of national TV games for WNBA fans, with the Las Vegas Aces first visiting the Chicago Sky (1 p.m. ET,CBS) before the New York Liberty take on the Phoenix Mercury (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
However, it’s the transaction game, rather than the actual games, that likely will preoccupy WNBA obsessives.
Sure, we can get excited about a South Carolina showdown between A’ja Wilson, who appears to be in peak M’VP form after a 33-point and 10-rebound double-double in the Aces’ latest win over
the Liberty, and Kamilla Cardoso, whose 18 fourth-quarter points clinched the Sky a comeback win over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday.
And the matchup with the Liberty is must-win for the Mercury if they want any chance, however slim, of surging to the No. 8 seed and into the playoff field. New York currently has a five-game lead over Phoenix, in addition to already securing season series with two wins.
Such adversity should only bring out the best in Alyssa Thomas, whose near triple-double of 25 points, nine rebounds and eight assists against the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday has Phoenix on a three-game winning streak.
But, it’s impossible to resist the fun of far-fetched trade fantasies. Our Edwin Garcia already has cooked up some blockbusters.
Two more names, both of whom (probably) won’t be in action on Saturday, even as their teams will, also have been the subject of much trade speculation: Skylar Diggins and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton.
Both vets expected to be key contributors to their teams. Diggins arrived in Chicago as a high-profile unrestricted free agent addition whose competitive fire was supposed to help the retooled Sky return to the postseason. Laney-Hamilton was ready to re-inject the Liberty with the toughness, grit and clutch play the team missed during her season-long injury absence last year.
Those expectations have been upended by uncomfortable realities.
Diggins’ fit on the Sky has been complicated by the team’s late addition of Natasha Cloud and prioritization of Courtney Vandersloot, on top of injuries up and down the roster that have Chicago far from their playoff ambitions. Laney-Hamilton has yet to earn the confidence to new head coach Chris DeMarco, who has favored offensively-titled options over the more defensive-minded Laney-Hamilton.
Both players’ uncomfortable realities also extend beyond, and also possibility factor into, their current contexts.
Diggins, who has been out of the lineup since early July with a knee injury, is a small guard who will turn 36 years old tomorrow. Even though she’s enjoying her best 3-point shooting season since 2020, she’s finishing less than 40 percent of her field goal attempts inside the arc, her worst mark since 2015. Her defensive playmaking is also down, an indicator, along with her poor 2-point scoring, of a loss of athletic pop.
Laney-Hamilton, likewise, is struggling through her worst shooting season since 2019. As she is coming off a long-term knee injury at age 32, it’s understandable that it is taking her some time to re-acclimate and find a rhythm. But after shooting 37 percent or better from 3 since 2022, she’s failing to scratch 25 percent from deep in her 17 games this season. As with Diggins, her defensive disruption has also dropped.
It’s difficult to disentangle potentially declining play from less-than-ideal circumstances and/or a lack of opportunity.
So while both Skylar and Betnijah could use a change of scenery, finding a new team that can provide them with the time and space to rediscover better versions of themselves is a challenging proposition, especially since such acquiring teams are likely not inclined to give up the kind of assets, whether picks, young players or other vets in need of a refresh, that would entice Chicago or New York.
A Diggins deal, in particular, could be a near-impossibility, as she is owed $940,000 next season. Laney-Hamilton, in contrast, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season; her $400,000 for this season also is an easier match for trade purposes. That Diggins also is a primary offensive initiator, whereas Laney-Hamilton operates off the ball, adds another speed bump to a Skylar trade, as the receiving team, presumably, would need to be prepared to empower Diggins within their offense.
So, I would be surprised if Skylar is moved, a sentiment that is reflected in the most-recent reporting from ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, who shared on SportsCenter:
We also have a player in Skylar Diggins that is someone who has expressed she is not super happy with her situation in Chicago, but we have heard that the Sky are not shopping her and there’s not really been much of any inbound interest from people around the league, so wouldn’t be shocking to see her stay with the Sky.
Because of her favorable salary and positional appeal, I can see a team taking a chance of Betnijah. If she’s given the opportunity to rediscover her shot and rev up her defense, she could emerge as a rotational piece for a playoff team. Among contenders, ESPN’s Michael Voepel cites Dallas as a team to watch for Laney-Hamilton.
Yet, even as DeMarco appears not to trust Laney-Hamilton, would New York risk giving her up only to see her across the way and making a difference in a playoff series?
How do you see things playing out for Skylar and Betnijah?
Could Saturday afternoon be the last time they’re on the sidelines for the Sky and Liberty, respectively? Will they be moved before the deadline strikes at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday? Or, will their currently awkward situations extend through the end of the 2026 season?
And, do you have your eyes on any other trade candidates among the teams taking the court on Saturday? Could another Sky or Liberty player be on the move? What about someone from the Aces or Mercury? Is there a surprise trade candidate somewhere on these teams?
Tell us what should happen, what will happen and what won’t happen in the comments.
