WNBA Announces Blockbuster Trade as 3-Time Champ Swapped for All-Star originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Washington Mystics have been one of the surprise teams in the WNBA this season, as they’ve managed to stay around the playoff race. The young players on the team have stepped up tremendously, while the veterans have also led the way when they needed to.
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The Mystics had three All-Stars this season with Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Brittney Sykes, and they were all deserving of the honor. Now, with the trade deadline approaching, many were wondering what direction the team would go in after a surprise first half of the season, and they made a deal that may have shocked a lot of people.
Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
On Tuesday afternoon, the Mystics traded Sykes to the Seattle Storm for Alysha Clark and a 2026 first-round pick. Zia Cooke was also a part of the deal and sent to the Mystics, but she was eventually waived.
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Sykes was having one of her best seasons of her career, as she averaged 15.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this year for the Mystics. She was the driving force for the Mystics, and now she will be a key part of a Storm team that looks to be going all in on trying to make a deep postseason run.
For Clark, she took less money to sign with the Storm during the offseason, and she’s very familiar with the team, winning championships in 2018 and 2020 with them. Things didn’t work out this time around as her role was not what she expected it to be, and she had her first DNP since 2012 on Friday. Clark is also familiar with the Mystics, having played for them in 2021 and 2022.
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Clark won a championship with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023 as well.
Related: Angel Reese Had Four Words After Big WNBA Trade on Tuesday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
