Wild Trade Scenarios for the WNBA’s Untouchable Stars

The WNBA playoffs have begun and a champion will be crowned by Halloween, but teams already need to think about next summer, especially after the 2026 collective bargaining agreement changes. The league’s strict cap on player salaries and rules for maximum and supermax contracts make the transfer market more unpredictable. In April, the Chicago Sky surprised everyone by trading Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream for two first-round picks; Chicago finished the season early, while the Dream reached 30 wins and are hoping for a long playoff run.

As Bleacher Report reports, their article discusses unrestrained but fun scenarios: a straight swap between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers where the Dallas Wings get Clark and the Indiana Fever get Bueckers; the idea imagines Dallas offering Clark a maximum contract before 2028 and building the team around her, while the Fever agree to move through 2028 with Bueckers on her rookie contract. In this scenario, Indiana would revive the debate over Clark’s ability to repeat playoff success, as Bueckers is perceived as a stronger defensive player and the combination with Aliyah Boston and, if she returns, Kelsey Mitchell, would be very dangerous.

Another mentioned fantasy brings a trade between A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, which would send Wilson to the New York Liberty and Stewart to the Las Vegas Aces. Both are among the most prominent players with hefty contracts — Wilson is often considered the league’s marquee player and has a supermax extending to 2028, while Stewart is on a standard maximum contract for several coming seasons — but the WNBA’s rules limiting the sending of future draft picks would make any deal difficult; two first-round picks would not easily suffice to convince both clubs.

Another imagined proposal describes a big move for Olivia Miles: the Houston Comets (the new club taking over from the Connecticut Sun under a new name) get Miles, while the Minnesota Lynx get a draft package consisting of the 2027 first pick, the 2027 second pick, the 2028 first pick and the 2029 first pick. Such ideas rely on expectations that Miles could be a Rookie of the Year candidate and an MVP name, while Houston would pursue a fresh start with a possible starting lineup including Leila Lacan, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Aaliyah Edwards and Miles. Minnesota’s reasoning would stand on the hope that the lottery will give them the chance to pick JuJu Watkins from USC or another of those listed at the top of the draft.

Another imagined option foresees the Toronto Tempo getting center Dominique Malonga, while the Seattle Storm get the first-round picks for 2027 and 2028. This scenario depends heavily on the lottery — if Toronto lands similarly at the top of the draft, the desire to bring in a prospective talent like Watkins would change every negotiation — but for a developing team like Tempo, building a real-size block alongside existing players would make strategic sense.

These proposals are essentially speculative and mostly serve to spark discussion about how the market could develop under the league’s restrictions; although most of them are practically impossible, through analysis and hypothetical scenarios Bleacher Report highlights the possible impacts on team balance and the flow of competition.