Washington Mystics trade Brittney Sykes to Seattle Storm

New York Times

2 days ago

The Seattle Storm have acquired 2025 WNBA All-Star guard Brittney Sykes in a trade with the Washington Mystics.
In exchange for Sykes, the Mystics receive veteran forward Alysha Clark, the Storm's 2026 first-round pick, and third-year player Zia Cooke. Washington is waiving third-year forward Sika Koné to complete the transaction and waiving Cooke in a corresponding move.
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Sykes is enjoying one of the best seasons in her nine-year career, helping lead Washington to a 13-15 start. Her 15.4 points per game average is the second highest of her career, and she's averaging a career-best 4.4 assists per game. Sykes' 12.7 shots per game are the second most she's taken in her career as well. Sykes, a four-time WNBA All-Defensive team member, has been with Washington since 2023, but she is now set to join a team eyeing a playoff push.
Welcome to the PNW, @BrittBundlez! ⛈️
📰 https://t.co/nYO8pTpttA pic.twitter.com/CjLfa9B8zd
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) August 5, 2025
'We're grateful for (Sykes's) contributions this season as she played a key role in our growth,' general manager Jamila Wideman said in a statement. 'We're proud of the individual success she achieved during her time with us, including earning her first All-Star selection. This allows (Sykes) the opportunity to join a team that is expected to contend for a championship this season.'
Clark signed with Seattle in the offseason, returning to the franchise where she spent her first nine seasons in the league. Clark is now returning to a franchise with which she has familiarity, as she was a 29-game starter for Washington's 2022 team.
With Seattle, Clark had been averaging 18 minutes per game, her fewest since 2014. Clark, 37, played an integral role on Las Vegas' title-winning team in 2023. Wideman said she brings 'veteran leadership that is invaluable as our team continues to develop and grow.'
As Washington continues to build its foundation for the future, the Mystics are also acquiring one of Seattle's three 2026 first-round picks. The Storm also hold the rights to Las Vegas' and Los Angeles' first-round selections, which in theory opens the possibility of moving their own selection.
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The Mystics could make additional moves before Thursday's trade deadline. Forward Aaliyah Edwards reportedly requested a trade in early July. Edwards, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has been a consistent contributor for the Mystics across her two seasons, but she played a career-low three minutes in Washington's 16-point loss to the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
Cooke, the No. 10 pick of the Los Angeles Sparks in 2023, played in 24 games for the Storm (16-13), averaging 3.3 points per game, while Koné appeared in 11 games for Washington, averaging 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
The Storm have the second-best defensive rating in the WNBA and have doubled down on that identity with Sykes, a four-time all-defense selection from 2020-23 who also led the league in steals in 2021 and 2022. She fell short in 2024 as injuries limited her to 18 games out of 40.
Sykes could join the starting lineup next to fellow All-Stars Skylar Diggins and Gabby Williams, giving Seattle the most fearsome perimeter defensive trio in the league. More likely, however, Sykes will be a super sub, as the current Storm starting five of Diggins, Erica Wheeler, Williams, Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor is the second-most used in the WNBA and has a plus-16 net rating. Furthermore, Wheeler is Seattle's most prolific 3-point shooter with 1.6 made 3s per game on 36.4 percent shooting. Her spacing is critical next to Williams and the two bigs, while Sykes is a career 30.4 percent shooter from deep.
The Storm can use Sykes as a backup point guard to keep Wheeler off the ball and increase the pace in their second units. Their reserves score 16.1 points per game, better than only the Sparks league-wide, and that puts an undue burden on their veteran starting group. Where Sykes can make an immediate impact is getting Seattle to the foul line — the Storm are last in the WNBA with 15.9 free-throw attempts per game, and Sykes is second in the league with 6.3 on her own. That's an efficient way for a below-average offense to generate points.
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Seattle hasn't won a playoff game since the combined exits of Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart in 2022. Sykes has played in only eight playoff games, five of them in 2018 with Atlanta. Both parties hope their union leads to sustained postseason success.
Cooke was barely in Seattle's rotation, and Clark had been phased out, even getting a DNP-CD in the Storm's double-overtime loss to Los Angeles last week.
Although Mystics rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were both named All-Stars before Sykes was selected as a replacement, Sykes has been Washington's leader this season as the most reliable engine of offense and a veteran presence on the league's youngest roster. Moving on from Sykes is an admission that the Mystics are not prioritizing winning this season, even as they sit one game out of a playoff position.
'This was a great opportunity to continue building our program and move us closer to our long-term goals,' Wideman said.
Given that Washington has already waived Cooke, the prize of this trade is the 2026 first-round pick, which will likely land between 10th and 14th in the upcoming draft. The Mystics already have their own first-rounder plus Minnesota's, giving them three more bites at the apple in 2026, or the opportunity to package some draft assets in a separate move.
Washington still has ample cap flexibility and an open roster spot. The Mystics could reroute Clark to another destination, though her $185,000 salary would make that challenging. More likely, Clark can play out her season as one of Washington's two veterans alongside Stefanie Dolson.
(Photo of Brittney Sykes: Brien Aho / Getty Images)