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The WNBA trade deadline is swiftly approaching – but if you’ve been following the league for a while, you’ve probably learned not to expect fireworks.
In the NBA, the midseason cutoff is a date fans circle on their calendars in preparation for a flurry of moves that could shape the postseason.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to remember a recent WNBA trade that took place near the deadline and moved the needle.
Addressing reporters following a practice, Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller spoke about that reality.
“The deadline's right around the corner now. (There’s) lots of dialogue between GMs constantly around the league,” he said Monday. “It's much more difficult to trade than people realize.”
But what factors make it so hard for teams to retool their rosters at the buzzer, and could this year be different?
Here’s everything you need to know:
The 2026 WNBA trade deadline is Sunday, August 2, at 3 p.m. ET. Once that time passes, teams will be unable to make trades for the rest of the season.
The league’s hard salary cap is the most obvious factor complicating trades during this time of year.
The NBA uses a soft salary cap with plenty of exceptions and wrinkles. There are traded player exceptions and allowances for teams to exceed the cap by certain amounts, which creates a wealth of possibilites for teams to agree on terms. The WNBA doesn’t have any of that.
Teams are bound by a $7 million salary cap this season that they can’t exceed unless they’re granted a hardship exception. There’s a bit of wiggle room with pregnancy and childbirth exceptions, which don’t count toward the cap for trade purposes.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY that a soft salary cap was discussed during negotiations for the league’s new collective bargaining agreement but ultimately didn’t make it into the document.
“When you have a hard salary cap that has zero fexiblity, trades are tough,” the person said. “You can’t go over it even by 1 dollar. The league won’t approve it.”
This is why we often see trades that feature an exchange of two equal salaries. There’s no rule that requires this, but it ensures that both teams remain cap compliant.
In the offseason, teams are working with more cap space, which allows for the bigger trades like the Chicago Sky sending Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream this offseason, or the three-team deal in 2024 that moved Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks and brought former Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces.
Both aforementioned transactions included draft picks, but not to the extent that many blockbuster NBA trades do. When the Miami Heat traded with the Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo last month, they gave up three first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and a second-round pick. Those picks will be due as far out as 2033, which isn’t possible in the WNBA, where teams can’t trade picks that far in the future. Teams were required to own at least one first-round pick in the next three drafts as of last season, and there’s nothing in the new CBA to indicate that has changed.
In addition to the salary cap, Miller cited regular-season scheduling as he outlined the nuances that front offices are forced to navigate during this point of the year.
“We play six games in the first 12 days out of the All-Star break. So practice is very very limited,” Miller said. “So you're always thinking as a GM - like all the GMs around the league - how do you incorporate new pieces? Especially in a very hard cadence around the league in August? There's long-term vision, there's short-term vision. But that's what's fun about being a GM, all these conversations that go on leading up to the trade deadline.”
When the Aces acquired NaLyssa Smith from the Wings in exchange for a first-round pick last June, they had enough time to acclimate her for their championship turnaround, but that move didn’t take place at the deadline.
Last season was unique due to the fee agent status of most of the league in anticipation for the new CBA. There was some speculation regarding how the wealth of free agents would impact movement at the deadline, and while it was busier than some in the past deadlines, there was no last-minute race in the final minutes. In the week before the deadline, the Lynx acquired guard DiJonai Carrington from the Wings in exchange for forward Diamond Miller, guard Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round draft pick. The Washington Mystics traded All-Star guard Brittney Sykes to the Storm in exchange for Alysha Clark, guard Zia Cooke and a 2026 first-round pick. The Mystics also traded Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun for Jacy Sheldon and the rights to a potential 2026 first-round pick swap.
We already seem poised for a less active trade deadline than last season, but anything is possible.
Initial reports that described Sparks guard Kelsey Plum as certain to be moved have recently been amended to reflect that her team’s asking price might be too high. Trade talks surrounding Sun forward Aneesah Morrow and the New York Liberty have also reportedly cooled down.
One factor that could be promising for movement is the league’s expansion. Where 16 of the 30 NBA teams make the playoffs, there’s a more obvious distinction between postseason contenders and teams that should be acting as sellers in preparation for their futures. Although the WNBA’s recent expansion to 15 teams still means that over half of the league will earn a playoff berth, it’s possible that the larger numbers will create more possibilities before the deadline.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Why aren't there more moves? 2026 WNBA trade deadline explained
Continue reading...
In the NBA, the midseason cutoff is a date fans circle on their calendars in preparation for a flurry of moves that could shape the postseason.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to remember a recent WNBA trade that took place near the deadline and moved the needle.
Addressing reporters following a practice, Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller spoke about that reality.
“The deadline's right around the corner now. (There’s) lots of dialogue between GMs constantly around the league,” he said Monday. “It's much more difficult to trade than people realize.”
But what factors make it so hard for teams to retool their rosters at the buzzer, and could this year be different?
Here’s everything you need to know:
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When is the WNBA trade deadline?
The 2026 WNBA trade deadline is Sunday, August 2, at 3 p.m. ET. Once that time passes, teams will be unable to make trades for the rest of the season.
How does the salary cap impact potential trades?
The league’s hard salary cap is the most obvious factor complicating trades during this time of year.
The NBA uses a soft salary cap with plenty of exceptions and wrinkles. There are traded player exceptions and allowances for teams to exceed the cap by certain amounts, which creates a wealth of possibilites for teams to agree on terms. The WNBA doesn’t have any of that.
Teams are bound by a $7 million salary cap this season that they can’t exceed unless they’re granted a hardship exception. There’s a bit of wiggle room with pregnancy and childbirth exceptions, which don’t count toward the cap for trade purposes.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY that a soft salary cap was discussed during negotiations for the league’s new collective bargaining agreement but ultimately didn’t make it into the document.
“When you have a hard salary cap that has zero fexiblity, trades are tough,” the person said. “You can’t go over it even by 1 dollar. The league won’t approve it.”
This is why we often see trades that feature an exchange of two equal salaries. There’s no rule that requires this, but it ensures that both teams remain cap compliant.
In the offseason, teams are working with more cap space, which allows for the bigger trades like the Chicago Sky sending Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream this offseason, or the three-team deal in 2024 that moved Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks and brought former Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces.
Both aforementioned transactions included draft picks, but not to the extent that many blockbuster NBA trades do. When the Miami Heat traded with the Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo last month, they gave up three first-round picks, a first-round pick swap and a second-round pick. Those picks will be due as far out as 2033, which isn’t possible in the WNBA, where teams can’t trade picks that far in the future. Teams were required to own at least one first-round pick in the next three drafts as of last season, and there’s nothing in the new CBA to indicate that has changed.
How can scheduling impact moves at the deadline?
In addition to the salary cap, Miller cited regular-season scheduling as he outlined the nuances that front offices are forced to navigate during this point of the year.
“We play six games in the first 12 days out of the All-Star break. So practice is very very limited,” Miller said. “So you're always thinking as a GM - like all the GMs around the league - how do you incorporate new pieces? Especially in a very hard cadence around the league in August? There's long-term vision, there's short-term vision. But that's what's fun about being a GM, all these conversations that go on leading up to the trade deadline.”
When the Aces acquired NaLyssa Smith from the Wings in exchange for a first-round pick last June, they had enough time to acclimate her for their championship turnaround, but that move didn’t take place at the deadline.
What happened at the WNBA trade deadline last season?
Last season was unique due to the fee agent status of most of the league in anticipation for the new CBA. There was some speculation regarding how the wealth of free agents would impact movement at the deadline, and while it was busier than some in the past deadlines, there was no last-minute race in the final minutes. In the week before the deadline, the Lynx acquired guard DiJonai Carrington from the Wings in exchange for forward Diamond Miller, guard Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round draft pick. The Washington Mystics traded All-Star guard Brittney Sykes to the Storm in exchange for Alysha Clark, guard Zia Cooke and a 2026 first-round pick. The Mystics also traded Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun for Jacy Sheldon and the rights to a potential 2026 first-round pick swap.
Could this year be different?
We already seem poised for a less active trade deadline than last season, but anything is possible.
Initial reports that described Sparks guard Kelsey Plum as certain to be moved have recently been amended to reflect that her team’s asking price might be too high. Trade talks surrounding Sun forward Aneesah Morrow and the New York Liberty have also reportedly cooled down.
One factor that could be promising for movement is the league’s expansion. Where 16 of the 30 NBA teams make the playoffs, there’s a more obvious distinction between postseason contenders and teams that should be acting as sellers in preparation for their futures. Although the WNBA’s recent expansion to 15 teams still means that over half of the league will earn a playoff berth, it’s possible that the larger numbers will create more possibilities before the deadline.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Why aren't there more moves? 2026 WNBA trade deadline explained
Continue reading...
