Seattle Storm trade for 15.4 PPG scorer while dealing away player, pick to chase playoffs
The Seattle Storm are going for it.
Currently in third place in the WNBA's Western Conference, the Storm made a big trade Tuesday to try and push toward their goals.
The deal, reported by ESPN's Alexa Philippou:
Storm receive: Brittney Sykes
Mystics receive: Alysha Clark, 2026 first-round pick
Washington is out of contention, so it makes sense that they'd trade Sykes. The former Syracuse star had been linked to a number of teams leading up to Thursday's deadline.
Sykes is averaging 15.4 points per game this season. She's an impressively effective slasher and finisher inside.
The 5-foot-9 Sykes is also having her best season as a distributor, handing out 4.4 assists per game.
She also averages 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, and she was an All Star for the first time.
Sykes is 31 years old, and she was the seventh overall pick by the Dream in 2017.
She spent her first three seasons in Atlanta, her next three with the Sparks and was now in her third campaign in Washington.
It's an exciting move for Sykes, who will get to be thrown into the heat of a playoff race.
Clark heading back to the Mystics is mostly a throw-in. She's 38 now and averaging 3.5 points per game this season.
The first-round pick is the key get for Washington. It might not be at the top of the round, but any chance for a rebuilding team to add more young talent is a shot worth taking.
This won't be the last trade before the WNBA deadline, but it's a notable one. It signals Seattle's intent to make a late-season run, and Sykes should help them do just that.
MORE: Sun's Marina Mabrey trade hopes hinge on 2 problems
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