Just over a month before the WNBA's trade deadline , the Chicago Sky have shaken up their roster, with an eye to the future while also pairing star rookie Angel Reese with two veterans .
On Wednesday, it was announced the Sky traded star guard Marina Mabrey and a second-round pick to the Connecticut Sun for Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, a 2025 first-round pick and the rights to swap their first-round picks in 2026. With the trade, the Sun, who currently boast the second-best record in the WNBA, gets a proven star in Mabrey.
In 23 games this season with Chicago, the 27-year-old averaged 14.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 33 minutes of action. Though her shooting splits are down from a season ago, she is averaging career-highs in rebounds and assists to compensate for her shooting woes.
READ MORE: WNBA stars Marina Mabrey and DiJonai Carrington become teammates after bitter history of trash talk
READ MORE: Chicago Sky complete blockbuster Marina Mabrey trade that dramatically changes WNBA roster
Who is Rachel Banham?
Among the players heading back to Chicago in the trade is Rachel Banham. Before being traded, Banham was in the midst of her second stint with the Sun, having been drafted fourth overall by Connecticut in the 2016 WNBA Draft and playing for the team from 2016-2019.
In 2020, the point guard was acquired by the Minnesota Lynx, where she spent the next four seasons, primarily coming off the bench as a spark. It was with the Lynx that Banham established herself as a 3-point threat, shooting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc on 3.2 attempts per game.
Banham then signed a two-year deal to return to the Sun, again primarily as an off-the-bench option for head coach Stephanie White. Just days before she was traded, Banham hit eight 3-pointers off the bench, which is a WNBA record, in the Sun's 96-69 win over the Phoenix Mercury.
Who is Moriah Jefferson?
Along with Banham, Moriah Jefferson is the other player headed to Chicago in the trade. Drafted No. 2 overall by the then-San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces), Jefferson quickly established herself as a solid starter, averaging a career-high 13.9 points to go along with 4.2 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
Although Jefferson has been a reliable source of all-around production when she's on the floor, the problem throughout her career has been injury trouble. In 2018 and 2020, Jefferson played in 16 and nine games, respectively, and missed the entirety of the 2019 season to rehab from another injury.
After two relatively healthy seasons in 2022 and 2023, Jefferson has only played in nine games this season, recently undergoing ankle surgery in late June to address an ankle injury after being inactive since June 12. Overall, the eight-year veteran has played for six teams in her career, with the Sky set to be the seventh.
With the addition of Banham and Jefferson, the Sky are embarking on a journey to surround Reese with veteran players. Additionally, the trade gives Chicago a handful of trade capital, if it wants to pursue more trades to add impact players to surround its young star.
Of note, Chicago doesn't fully control its 2025 draft pick, giving the Dallas Wings the right to swap positions in the draft in the deal that originally brought Mabrey to the Windy City. Interestingly, Mabrey and the Sun already have history.
A handful of months ago , Mabrey got into a verbal spat with Connecticut star DiJonia Carrington, with the former telling the latter to "shut the ---- up." That is not the first time the two have gotten into it and now that they're teammates, it will be interesting to see how that partnership pans out.
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