Brittney Sykes trade grades: Storm lean into defense-first approach, Mystics continue building for future

The Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics are the latest teams to jump into the mix ahead of the 2025 WNBA trade deadline (3 p.m. ET on Thursday). The two clubs agreed to a deal Tuesday that will send All-Star guard Brittney Sykes to Seattle in exchange for Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke and the Storm's 2026 first-round pick. 

To complete the trade, the Mystics will waive Cooke and reserve forward Sika Koné, the team announced. 

Sykes was averaging 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals with the Mystics this season, and was named to the All-Star Game as an injury replacement for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. In addition to being on pace for career-highs in scoring and assists, Sykes is second in the league in free throw attempts at 6.3 per game. 

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Jack Maloney

Trading for Sykes is a major sign of intent from the Storm, who have dropped to sixth place in the standings, but still hope to compete for a title this season. While the Mystics will be sad to see Sykes go, her departure has not only netted them an extra first-round pick for their rebuild, but made it more likely they'll fall into the lottery. 

Now that the deal is complete, let's grade the trade. To review:

• Storm acquire: Brittney Sykes
• Mystics acquire: Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke, Seattle's 2026 first-round pick

Storm grade: A-

The Storm were clearly buyers heading into the trade deadline, and the assumption was they'd target a shooter who could help space the floor for their beleaguered offense. After a strong start to the season, the Storm are 7-8 in their last 15 games. During that span they have the 10th-ranked offense (98.9 offensive rating) and are shooting a league-worst 29.7% from behind the arc. 

Sykes is a career 30.4% 3-point shooter and made 31.8% of her attempts with the Mystics this season. In 25 games this season, she's made multiple 3s just three times and has 10 appearances without a make from behind the arc. If anything, the spacing in the Storm's starting lineup could be even worse assuming Sykes replaces Erica Wheeler (36.4% on 4.4 3-point attempts per game this season). 

Only the last-place Connecticut Sun and Mystics have fewer games with 10-plus 3s than the Storm (five), and in addition to their outside shooting woes, the Storm are last in free throw rate (.229) and ninth in shots within five feet per game (20.6). Sykes, who is second in the league in free throw attempts per game (6.3), will give them some juice as a downhill driver, but will she have enough space to operate? And how much will she actually have the ball in her hands on a team with Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams and Wheeler? 

There are real concerns about the Storm's offense heading into the final month of the regular season. While adding Sykes is a major talent upgrade over Alysha Clark, it's fair to wonder about her fit in Seattle on that side of the ball. 

There are no questions about Sykes' ability to make an impact on the other side of the ball. A four-time All-Defensive honoree and two-time steals leader, Sykes is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and has twice finished in the top-three in Defensive Player of the Year voting. 

Though Sykes stands just five-foot-nine, she has a six-foot-five wingspan and is an incredible athlete, both vertically and laterally. She has also a high motor and is willing to mix it up against bigger players, which will give coach Noelle Quinn plenty of lineup flexibility. 

While the Storm have been a disaster on offense during their mid-season slump, they've been incredible on defense. Over the last 15 games, they are second in the league in defensive rating (97.7), first in opponent turnover rate (19.8%) and third in field goal defense (43.2%). 

Adding Sykes to the mix will only make the Storm more difficult to play and score against. Good luck against a starting lineup of Diggins, Sykes, Williams, Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. That group could switch everything with ease and opponents would have no one to hunt. 

Instead of addressing their weaknesses, the Storm leaned into their strengths and may now have the best defense in the league. Whether that's enough to vault them back into the title race remains to be seen given their offensive limitations, but it's a worthwhile gamble, especially considering the price. 

Clark was viewed as a smart signing in the offseason, but she has been borderline unplayable and seems to be nearing the end of her career. Cooke, meanwhile, played sparingly and was not going to be part of the playoff rotation. The Storm also had three first-round picks in the 2026 draft via previous deals, and their own first is likely going to be in the 10-15 range. 

Mystics grade: A+

During the offseason, the Mystics slow-played their search for a new general manager and coach, and didn't make a hire on either front until just before Christmas. Their diligence paid off. Jamila Wideman and Sydney Johnson have been excellent in their first season working together as GM and coach, respectively. 

Wideman's first major move was to send Ariel Atkins to the Chicago Sky for the No. 3 pick, giving the team two lottery selections and three of the top-six picks. She used them to select Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron (with the Sky pick) and Georgia Amoore. While Amoore was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury, Iriafen and Citron have been terrific. Together with Shakira Austin, the Mystics suddenly have one of the brightest young cores in the league. 

Ahead of the trade deadline, Wideman has made another smart move. 

While the Mystics got off to a surprisingly strong start this season, they've lost five of their last seven to fall out of the playoff picture (one game behind the eighth-place Golden State Valkyries). Sneaking into the postseason and getting crushed in the first round by the Minnesota Lynx or New York Liberty makes no sense for this team. 

Trading Sykes not only makes it more likely that the Mystics will wind up in the lottery, but garners an extra first-round pick. The Mystics already owned the Lynx's 2026 first as well, and now have three firsts in next year's draft: their own, Seattle's and Minnesota's. 

With an exciting group of young talent, a host of draft picks and plenty of cap space, the Mystics are extremely well-positioned for the future.