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Ranking the 6 worst trades in WNBA history, from Becky Hammon to Angel Reese
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- Ranking the 6 worst trades in WNBA history, from Becky Hammon to Angel Reese
Ranking the 6 worst trades in WNBA history, from Becky Hammon to Angel Reese originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Like all North American sports league, the WNBA's history is awash with baffling roster moves. Even the most astute franchises can get things wrong every now and then.
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In 2010, the Liberty sold low on a first-round pick, sending it to the Sparks in exchange for some immediate help. That transaction set into motion a chain of events that ended with the Sun acquiring future MVP Tina Charles and the Lynx landing future Basketball Hall of Famer Lindsay Whalen.
Trades, like draft picks, are only as effective as the franchises that facilitate them. On occasion, the calculus that one team employs to land another piece skews away from its desired result. The consequences can set an organization back decades.
With that, here's a look back at the worst trades in WNBA history.
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Ranking worst trades in WNBA history
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6. Ariel Atkins for rights to Sonia Citron, 2025
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Sky receive:Ariel Atkins
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Mystics receive:Rights to Sonia Citron, 2027 first-round pick swap, 2027 second-round pick
The Sky hoped to accelerate their rebuild after dour showings during the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. They opted to part way with draft capital to do so, sending the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft to Washington in exchange for two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins.
Atkins, a former five-time All-Defensive selection, figured to bring the versatility that Tyler Marsh's side craved. The experiment lasted little more than a year; Atkins was shipped to the Sparks in April 2026.
Washington, meanwhile, used its newly-acquired pick to select Sonia Citron. The Notre Dame product has enjoyed a sterling start to life in the WNBA, earning two All-Star appearances thus far. The deal could prove even more lopsided in the Mystics' favor come April; the Mystics will acquire Chicago's top-four-bound pick in next year's draft via pick swap.
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5. Kristi Toliver for Angie Bjorklund, 2010
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Sparks receive:Kristi Toliver
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Sky receive:Rights to Angie Bjorklund
Los Angeles was in the midst of an underwhelming run when it made a move for Toliver, the Sky's No. 3 pick in the 2009 Draft. The Maryland product showed flashes of her three-point prowess during her lone season with Chicago, placing second in the league in three-point shooting.
Despite her penchant for triples, Toliver was deemed surplus to requirements by Chicago's front office. The Sparks were the beneficiary if that mischaracterization, acquiring Toliver in exchange for their 2011 second-round pick.
Bjorklund, the player the Sky selected with Los Angeles' pick, played seven games in the WNBA. Toliver, meanwhile, earned three All-Star appearances, two titles and the 2012 Most Improved Player prize.
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4. Kelsey Plum for rights to Dominique Malonga, 2025
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Sparks receive:Kelsey Plum, rights to Sarah Ashlee Barker, rights to Chance Gray
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Aces receive:Jewell Loyd, rights to Aaliyah Nye
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Storm receive:Rights to Dominique Malonga, Li Yueru, rights to Taina Mair
After failing to make the playoffs in five straight seasons, the Sparks attempted to make a splash acquisition during the 2025 offseason. Los Angeles acquired Kelsey Plum in a three-team blockbuster with the Aces and Storm, sending the rights to its first-round pick to Seattle in the deal.
The move proved a curious one at the time. The Sparks needed talent, to be sure. But with Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson already in town, they seemed better suited to continue to prioritize their youth.
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Instead, Los Angeles mortgaged its future. Plum performed admirably in Sparks colors, averaging 20.5 points and 5.9 assists across 55 appearances for L.A. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Plum's displays did little to improve its standing. She skipped town a little more than a year after arriving, made the centerpiece of a trade deadline swap to the Mercury.
That No. 2 pick would come back to cost the Sparks. Seattle selected French big Dominique Malonga with Los Angeles' selection. She became the youngest player to earn an All-Star selection in 2026 and figures to be one of the sport's brightest supernovas for years to come.
3. Katie Smith for Chandi Jones, Stacey Thomas, rights to Shona Thorburn, 2005
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Shock receive:Katie Smith
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Lynx receive:Chandi Jones, Stacey Thomas, rights to Shona Thorburn
Smith was Minnesota's best player in its first years of existence, picking up MVP votes every season from 2000-06. She saw her numbers tumble in by the mid-point of the 2005 season. At 31, she appeared to be in the midst of her prime. But underwhelming returns in the first half of the season prompted the Lynx to dangle her to consider sending her elsewhere.
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Detroit benefitted from Minnesota's decision, landing Smith for a cut-rate fee in the form of Jones, Thomas and a 2006 first-rounder. The Basketball Hall of Famer went on to play eight more seasons in the league, accruing two more All-Star berths with the Shock. She also helped power two title-winning Detroit sides, capturing Finals MVP honors for her efforts during the 2008 championship series.
Smith was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. Jones, Thomas and Thorburn combined to play 29 games for the Lynx.
2. Angel Reese for 2027, 2028 first round picks
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Dream receive:Angel Reese, 2028 second-round pick swap
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Sky receive:2027 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick
Chicago opted out of the Reese experiment after just two seasons, sending her to the Dream in exchange for two first-round picks — both of which are likely to be near the bottom of the board.
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While there were certain parts of Reese's game that undoubtedly needed refinement upon her Sky exit, she was a two-time All-Star who already established herself as the sport's greatest-ever rebounder (and one of its premier defenders, too).
The franchise worked with Reese to manufacture the move to her preferred destination, an act of goodwill amid a fracturing relationship between employee and employer. Reese's departure confirmed that the franchise held 6-7 big Kamilla Cardoso — drafted four spots before the LSU product in the 2024 Draft — in higher regard than Reese.
It hasn't even been a year, yet that assessment already looks to be a disastrous one. The Sky toiled in 2026, winning just16 games. Reese, meanwhile, picked up Defensive Player of the Year and All-WNBA second team honors. She was a pillar on Atlanta's roster as it raced to its third-ever WNBA Finals, producing memorable numbers as the Dream locked horns with the Valkyries.
Perhaps the Sky can salvage some of the damage by making astute selections with Atlanta's 2027 and 2028 firsts. But at present, it's hard to argue against the idea of this trade being one of the worst in league history. Chicago won't even get anything out of its lackluster displays, having surrender its 2027 and 2028 first-rounders to the Mystics.
Becky Hammon
1. Becky Hammon for Jessica Davenport, 2007
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Silver Stars receive:Becky Hammon, rights to Chioma Nmamaka
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Liberty receive:Jessica Davenport, rights to Erlana Larkins
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We flirted with giving Reese top billing on this list, considering the shock value of her departure given her age, production and marketability to Chicago (and now, Atlanta's) franchise.
In the end, it's still too soon to brandish her with the crown. Hammon's trade remains the measuring stick by which other heists are compared to. It's easy to see why.
New York was well-aware of Hammon's gifts when it sent her packing. She was a three-time All-Star who earned All-WNBA second team honors in her penultimate season in Liberty colors.
Hammon immediately became San Antonio's most important player, finishing second in MVP honors in her maiden 2008 campaign with the franchise. She would go on to make three All-WNBA teams during her time with the Silver Stars/Stars, cementing her Hall of Fame candidacy.
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Davenport and Larkins were productive players who enjoyed six- and nine-year careers, respectively. Neither came close to matching Hammon, who was included on the WNBA's 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams. Talk about a fleecing...
