With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming later this month, teams across the league aren't waiting for the August 7th deadline to pull the trigger on trades and waivers, significantly shaking up league rosters.
On Monday, Dallas abruptly traded forward NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for a 2027 first-round draft pick, surprising Smith and her Wings teammates — including girlfriend DiJonai Carrington.
"Sick to my stomach dawg, never seen this coming," Smith posted to X after the WNBA announced the trades, adding "if I could've chose anywhere to go it would've been Vegas, so hella excited [for] this new opportunity."
WNBA trades target future prospects
The recent WNBA trades both reflect the depth of options Dallas has in their frontcourt — most recently boosted by the Wings acquiring center Li Yueru from Seattle last month — and indicates the team's early play at a talented WNBA Draft class, with NCAA stars like USC's JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo going pro in 2027.
At the same time, Smith's trade extends Las Vegas's first-round draft drought, with the Aces — who last added a first-round selection in 2022 — currently without an early draft pick until 2028.
As the Las Vegas focuses on leveling up this season, hoping Smith helps boost their current seventh-place league standing, the Aces also added roster cuts to their Monday trade.
Las Vegas handed out waivers to guard Tiffany Mitchell and second-year forward Elizabeth Kitley, who was selected 24th overall by the Aces in the 2024 WNBA Draft despite tearing her ACL at the end of her NCAA career.
Golden State waives 2025 EuroBasket champ Vanloo
Making their own controversial Monday move was 2025 expansion side Golden State, as the Valkyries cut Belgian guard Julie Vanloo shortly after the 2025 EuroBasket champion rushed to return to California, skipping her national team's title-winning celebrations.
"Literally just touched down in the bay," Vanloo wrote on an Instagram story littered with broken heart emojis. "I need some time to process all of this man and put my feels into words. I can't right now."
While Golden State faces backlash for the timing of the cut, waiving Vanloo ultimately opens up a contract for the Valkyries, with rumors swirling that either guard Kaitlyn Chen or forward Laeticia Amihere will earn the roster spot after impressing as replacement players during European absences.
All in all, with WNBA roster space remaining at a premium, teams are making big swings in an effort to shore up their ranks as they push toward the 2025 season's halfway point.
The reigning champion New York Liberty battled through injury and absences over the weekend, narrowly retaining their second-place spot in the WNBA standings despite seeing their losing streak extend to two games with Sunday's 89-79 stumble against the Seattle Storm.
Already missing starting guard Leonie Fiebich, who is overseas competing at the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament, the Liberty also played without center Jonquel Jones and guard Sabrina Ionescu.
While Ionescu is day-to-day with a neck issue, Jones will miss four to six weeks of action due to an ankle injury, the team announced on Saturday.
Despite dropping three of their last four matchups, the champs appear to be taking their recent downturn in stride.
"This isn't going to be the hardest thing that we face all season," said forward Breanna Stewart after Sunday's loss. "We have to kind of embrace the adversity a little bit, whether it's we're down players or things happen in the middle of the game."
New York wasn't the only team in trouble this weekend, though, as the Indiana Fever followed up last Thursday's stumble against the Golden State Valkyries with an 89-81 Sunday loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
Fever guard Caitlin Clark is now one-for-17 from behind the arc in her last two games, as Indiana struggles to break out of their eighth-place standing.
How to watch the New York Liberty this week
New York will hope for added firepower in order to snap their losing streak on Wednesday, when they'll face a rising Golden State squad at 10 PM ET.
Coverage of the game will air live on WNBA League Pass.
The FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 has arrived, with the 16-team regional tournament tipping off its group stage on Wednesday before the knockout stages begin on June 24th.
Hosted across the continent with games in Czechia, Germany, Italy, and Greece, the 40th edition of the annual competition carries the additional weight of serving as a qualifying event for the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.
As a result, the top five teams in this month's EuroBasket contest will earn automatic spots in one of the March 2026 qualifiers.
Leading the charge to this year's trophy are 2023 winners Belgium, who enter the EuroBasket tournament as reigning champions.
However, 2024 Olympic silver medalists France have since stepped into the spotlight, with the always-dangerous Spain also threatening a podium finish.
Familiar faces to WNBA fans will feature on the 2025 EuroBasket courts this month, as several WNBA players have temporarily departed their US clubs to join their national teams in Europe, including Belgium guard Julie Allemand (LA Sparks), Great Britain center Temi Fagbenle (Golden State Valkyries), and Germany forward Leonie Fiebich (New York Liberty).
As a major international tournament, the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket is exempt from the WNBA's prioritization rule, meaning eligible players can miss regular-season league play to compete in the overseas contest without being in violation of WNBA protocols.
How to watch FIBA Women's EuroBasket in the US
The EuroBasket group-stage action tipped off on Wednesday morning, with all games streaming live on Courtside 1891.
Dallas will take aim at their second win of the 2025 season against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night, with the Wings hoping that the return of starting point guard Paige Bueckers gives them a much-needed boost out of last place in the WNBA standings.
Bueckers missed a total of four games — three in concussion protocol following the Wings' May 29th loss to Chicago, plus one game due to illness — but doctors cleared the 2025 No. 1 draft pick to play earlier this week.
"She's been working behind the scenes and so she's good to go and we'll be all set for tomorrow," Dallas head coach Chris Koclanes told reporters on Tuesday.
While one star returns, however, another falls, as Dallas also announced on Tuesday that guard Ty Harris will miss the rest of the 2025 WNBA season after undergoing surgery on her left knee.
Before the addition of Bueckers shifted her to this season's bench, Harris posted a 2024 average of 10.5 points and three assists per game across 38 starts.
International play will also cause the Wings to lose players, with Dallas joining several other WNBA teams who will see temporary exits as athletes travel overseas for this summer's 2025 EuroBasket, which tips off on June 18th.
Return of Alyssa Thomas to bolster Phoenix Mercury
Roster shifts have also affected the Wings' Wednesday opponents, though, like Bueckers's return to Dallas, the fourth-place Mercury will also see a key player back in their lineup.
With forward Alyssa Thomas returning to the court after missing five games with a calf injury, Phoenix will shoot for a surge in production as they look to add another win to their 6-4 season record.
Despite a strong start, the Mercury have struggled to maintain momentum with both Thomas and guard Kahleah Copper sidelined in recent weeks.
"The plan is for [Thomas] to play," said Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts on Tuesday. "She's been trending in the right direction."
How to watch Dallas Wings vs. Phoenix Mercury tonight
The Phoenix Mercury will host the Dallas Wings at 10 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.