The reigning WNBA champion Washington Mystics have acquired seven-time All-Star Tina Charles in a blockbuster trade with the New York Liberty. The Dallas Wings are also involved in the transaction.
The portion of the move that was formally announced in a Washington press release has New York receiving Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Washington’s 2020 first-round pick, as well as a first, second and third-rounder in 2021.
A press release from the Dallas Wings indicates that the 2021 first that New York received from Washington was subsequently flipped, along with a 2021 New York second and Tayler Hill for the No. 9 and No. 15 picks in Friday’s 2020 WNBA Draft.
The move was initially reported by High Post Hoops and the Associated Press.
The biggest piece changing hands in the massive pre-draft trade is Charles, a Hall of Fame caliber talent that will now set up shop in the paint for a Mystics team fresh off a 2019 WNBA title. Charles averaged 16.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season.
The move gives New York a veritable war chest of draft picks to work with on Friday, including three first-round picks and five of the first 15 selections.
The Liberty will also kick the tires on Tayler Hill, who played sparingly in Dallas the past two seasons but averaged 15.4 points per game for the Mystics back in 2016.
The Wings benefit in the trade by freeing up cap flexibility in exchange for converting their 2020 draft assets into 2021 ones.
