Overview
- The Mystics completed the trade on August 5 by sending All-Star guard Brittney Sykes to Seattle in exchange for veteran Alysha Clark, waived players Zia Cooke and Sika Koné, and a 2026 first-round draft pick.
- With the addition from Seattle, Washington now controls three selections in the 2026 lottery as it shifts fully into a youth-driven long-term rebuild.
- Seattle plans to integrate Sykes immediately into its backcourt rotation to boost scoring, defense and playmaking as it pursues a late-season playoff run.
- Head coach Sydney Johnson announced that rookie Sonia Citron will assume closing roles and primary playmaking duties in Sykes’s absence.
- Alysha Clark brings three WNBA championships and veteran leadership to guide the Mystics’ emerging core of rookies and young players.