The Connecticut Sun are sending 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones to the New York Liberty in a three-team trade also involving the Dallas Wings, the teams announced on Monday. The news had previously been reported by multiple outlets.

Jones requested the trade to the Liberty after meeting with multiple teams during the offseason, according to Rachel Galligan of Winsidr and Just Women’s Sports. In exchange for Jones, New York will send Rebecca Allen and the No. 6 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft to Connecticut and Natasha Howard to Dallas. The Wings will also receive the contract rights to Liberty guard Crystal Dangerfield and will send Kayla Thornton to New York and Tyasha Harris to Connecticut.

The three-team trade sending Jonquel Jones to the Liberty has gone through, per @Winsidr

New York receives:
- Jonquel Jones
- Kayla Thornton

Connecticut receives:
- No. 6 draft pick
- Rebecca Allen
- Ty Harris

Dallas receives:
- Natasha Howard
- Crystal Dangerfield rights pic.twitter.com/idJ533Xmi1

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) January 16, 2023

Jones, 29, was in the final year of her contract with the Sun. Connecticut recently hired Stephanie White as head coach after Curt Miller left the Sun in October to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Bahamian forward will join a Liberty team with a promising young core led by guard Sabrina Ionescu, who made her first All-Star team last year after New York selected her with the first overall pick in 2020. The Liberty are coming off playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022 after missing the postseason for three straight years. The original WNBA franchise hired champion coach Sandy Brondello away from the Phoenix Mercury before last season.

In 2022, Jones led the Sun to their second WNBA Finals appearance in four years after averaging a team-leading 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. The four-time WNBA All-Star was named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2017 and the Sixth Player of the Year in 2018 before winning the MVP award in 2021. The 6-foot-6 forward had spent her entire career with the Sun since they acquired her draft rights from L.A. in 2016.

With Jonquel Jones off the books, the Sun plan to use the extra cap space to core forward Brionna Jones by the league deadline on Friday, according to ESPN. An unrestricted free agent, Brionna Jones will not be able to sign a contract directly with another team under the core designation. The 27-year-old was the WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2021 and Sixth Player of the Year in 2022.

Based on the WNBA’s free agency timeline, teams can issue qualifying offers and designate core players until Friday. Free agents can begin negotiating with teams on Jan. 21 and signing contracts on Feb. 1.

The Liberty are likely to court Seattle Storm superstar Breanna Stewart again in free agency. The trade for Jones actually freed up cap space for New York, so Stewart remains a tantalizing possibility.

Stewart met with New York brass as a free agent last year before ultimately signing a one-year, supermax deal with the Storm for Sue Bird’s final season. The two-time WNBA champion and 2018 MVP is a native of Syracuse, N.Y.

The Wings will add the veteran Howard to a young team built around Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally. After making the 2022 postseason and winning their first playoff game since 2009, Dallas replaced Vickie Johnson with first-year head coach Latricia Trammell in the offseason.

The Sun return 2022 All-Star Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and DiJonai Carrington to the 2023 roster, along with Brionna Jones. The team is still searching for its first championship after falling to the Las Vegas Aces in four games in last year’s Finals.

This year's All-Star action extends beyond the court, as more than 40 players — including All-Stars, executive committee members, and WNBPA representatives — met with the WNBA in Indianapolis on Thursday for the second CBA negotiations of 2025.

"I'm encouraged. I'm just so inspired by the amount of players that showed up, the engagement that was there," WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said after Thursday's session, which drew the largest turnout in union history.

"It was something that was very informative for me. First time being able to see and hear the wording from both sides," Chicago Sky star Angel Reese added. "I was really eager to know and understand what was going on."

With revenues booming, both players and the league are struggling to settle issues surrounding payouts, revenue sharing, and the salary caps ahead of the current CBA's October 31st expiration date.

"This business is booming — media rights, ratings, revenue, team valuations, expansion fees, attendance, and ticket sales — are all up in historic fashion," the WNBPA wrote in a statement following Thursday's meeting. "But short-changing the working women who make this business possible stalls growth. The only thing more unsustainable than the current system is pretending it can go on forever."

While CBA negotiations continue, the union indicated that players are open to a work stoppage should they fail to reach a new deal by the end of this WNBA season.

Team Clark has youth on their side this weekend, with Mystics rookie Sonia Citron gearing up to hit Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star court alongside Washington teammate and fellow 2025 draft pick Kiki Iriafen.

"I was not expecting this at all," Citron told WNBA legend Lisa Leslie on Between the Lines last week, referencing her surprise All-Star call-up. "I'm still in shock. I don't really think it's hit me yet."

"We're young, we've got a bunch of shooters, a little bit of everything" she said of Team Clark's lineup.

Saturday's game isn't Citron's only assignment this weekend, with the All-Star debutant also set to compete in Friday's 3-Point Contest.

The Mystics are on the rise this year, exceeding season expectations behind first-year firepower to send three players in Citron, Iriafen, and Washington's scoring leader Brittney Sykes to the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.

Citron is currently averaging five rebounds and 14 points per game — trailing only Sykes's 17 points per game on Washington's stat sheet. Her rookie campaign has her shooting 45% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc.

Fellow first-year Iriafen is also impressing, leading the Mystics with 8.5 rebounds per game as well as sinking nearly 12 points per game while shooting 46% from the field.

"[The rookies] have really played a key piece in our success this season with us being so young, but also them being so adaptable," second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards told Leslie in an earlier episode. "And they're runners for Rookie of the Year, so why not only have one when you can have two? I'm just loving it."

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How to attend a live taping of "Between the Lines"

Just Women's Sports is taking over Indianapolis with multi-faceted activations for the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend — including a live recording of Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie.

Featuring interviews with Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), and Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), the exclusive podcast taping will occur at 110 S Pennsylvania Street at 3 PM ET on Saturday.

Even with Indiana Fever sharpshooter Caitlin Clark sidelined, Friday's 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will heat up the Indianapolis competition before Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game tips off.

Single-round record holder Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) and reigning champion Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream) headline the 3-Point Contest, with Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks), Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics), and Clark-replacement Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever) rounding out the bill beyond the arc.

Gray will also be on hand to defend her 2024 Skills Challenge title, with Natasha Cloud (New York Liberty), Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm), Erica Wheeler (Seattle Storm), and Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx) looking to upend the Dream guard.

Players are shooting for more than just bragging rights in the Friday competitions, with Aflac boosting prize money for the second year in a row.

The insurance giant will award $60,000 to the 3-point Contest winner and $55,000 to the Skills Challenge champ, topping off the league's $2,575-per-player All-Star bonus check.

With big money on the line, both Gray and Ionescu are battling to become just the second WNBA player to win multiple 3-Point Contests, following in the footsteps of retired Sky guard and four-time event champion Allie Quigley.

How to watch the All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest will take the Indianapolis court at 8 PM ET on Friday, with both competitions airing live on ESPN.

Team Collier is looking locked and loaded for Saturday's 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, with captain Napheesa Collier heading up a roster stocked with talent from the league-leading Minnesota lineup.

The Lynx star will start the game alongside 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), and rookie phenom Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings).

Team Collier's bench showcases a balanced group of Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx), Skylar Diggins (Seattle Storm), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury), and Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks).

Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx) will also join the squad, replacing the injured Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), boosting the team's Minnesota contingent to three players.

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Adding to the Lynx representatives is Minnesota manager Cheryl Reeve, who will serve as the squad's head coach following a first-of-its-kind draft-day swap between the Collier and fellow All-Star captain Caitlin Clark.

"I'm just glad people are understanding Phee's greatness," Reeve said about Collier before the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend. "There's nothing else you can say at this point."

With a steady front and backcourt presence, Team Collier has experience on their side as they take on a youth-heavy Team Clark on Saturday.

How to watch Team Collier at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game

Team Collier and Team Clark will square off in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday.

Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.