The WNBA trade deadline is easily over a month away, but the Chicago Sky aren’t waiting until then to make moves.
It’s a full-on youth movement in the Windy City, and the team has sent veteran Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun in a transaction that is sure to turn heads.
The Sky are still rebuilding, but the Sun are title contenders and could challenge the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. However, before they can upset Vegas, they have to beat New York — a team that has simply kicked its tails up and down the court THREE TIMES this season.
Adding Mabrey, who has averaged 18 points and nearly three made shots from behind the arc in her last 15 games against the Liberty, to the roster certainly passes an initial eye test. But let’s break down how this trade went for both sides.
Breaking: The Chicago Sky have traded Marina Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick to the Connecticut Sun, the team announced.
The Sky receive Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, the 2025 first-round draft pick and the rights to swap 2026 first-round picks. pic.twitter.com/HMF2HAG73W
— espnW (@espnW) July 17, 2024
The Sky get: Guards Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson and a 2025 first-round draft pick, plus the rights to swap a 2026 first-round pick
The Sun get: Guard Marina Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick
(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
This trade is going to be a tough one for Chicago Sky fans to swallow.
Although Marina Mabrey’s play was inconsistent, and she probably made a few fans want to pull out their hair watching her shoot free throws, she was a fairly decent presence from the 3-point line. Giving up a 34 percent shooter right now might not seem like a big deal. But the reality is that the Sky are DEAD LAST in 3-pointers made per game (4.5) in the WNBA.
Additionally, the Sky gave up a LOT to get Mabrey in a four-team trade last season, including its first-round draft picks in 2024 and 2025. They recouped a bit of that, but the trade still feels heavy.
There’s also something else to consider. What are the Chicago Sky going to do about Dana Evans?
Per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times, Evans was benched after just 12 games as a starter. Despite her production, Evans was averaging 30 minutes and is now down to 13.8 minutes. Furthermore, she was supposed to be a starter until Marina Mabrey showed up. With Mabrey gone, does that mean that Evans gets an expanded role? Will her currently declining minutes suddenly go up? The Sky has some decisions to make.
Trade grade: C
(David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
I’m not mad about this move at all for the Connecticut Sun. (Still, I send my condolences to Rachel Banham. She set a WNBA record for most 3-pointers off the bench just days ago, and now she’s been traded. OUCH.)
Adding Mabrey to the roster is a huge boost for Connecticut. They get a proven threat off the bench who can help players like DeWanna Bonner, Ty Harris and DiJonai Carrington continue their reign of terror from beyond the arc.
They’ll need that if they plan on beating teams like the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces throughout the season and eventually making the playoffs. I’ve spent a good bit of my weekly WNBA power rankings calling the Sun frauds because they can’t keep up with the league’s best, and this move might help them actually be legitimate. Well done, Sun.
Trade grade: B
