It was no surprise that the Mystics would be sellers come Tuesday’s trade deadline. Washington is in last place– a spot they’ve occupied for most of the season. The bigger question was: who would be leaving D.C.?
A 7:00 P.M. game with Seattle was looming, but attention sloped inwards. Five hours before tip-off, the Mystics PR department broke the silence:
“Washington Mystics acquire 2026 second round pick and Sika Koné. In exchange, Minnesota Lynx receive Myisha Hines-Allen… In a related move, the team has waived guard-forward DiDi Richards.”
Hard goodbyes
After seven years and a championship in the nation’s capital, Myisha Hines-Allen was on her way out. Although no longer a cornerstone of the Mystics core, fans loved Hines-Allen. Her hard-nosed play style embodied the determination that kept fans selling out Entertainment & Sports Arena despite constant disappointment.
Sika Koné, a 22-year-old forward from Mali, will join Jade Melbourne and Aaliyah Edwards as Washington’s youthful projects. Koné, Melbourne, and Edwards are the three youngest players in the league. The Mystics are continuing to embrace the future at the cost of the present.
Pregame, Mystics head coach Eric Thibault spoke on the timing of the trade:
“It’s hard to separate the personal and the business sometimes, and it’s not ideal having it be on a gameday. We haven’t even had a chance as a full team to convene yet since the trades went down. It’s weird. We’re all kind of working through it in real time, but that’s why we’re all professionals. We’ll turn around and get ready to play tonight.”
Hines-Allen had been in attendance at the shoot-around that morning. Now she was packing for Minnesota.
Ariel Atkins, whom the Mystics drafted alongside Hines-Allen in 2018, reminisced on their seven-year relationship after the trade:
“More than anything, [Myisha] is my friend. It’s hard for me personally to be super genuine and find somebody who you can let your walls down with, and actually create a friendship– more-so a family. Obviously it’s tough for me, we’ve been together since literally day one… But I’m more than happy for her. She’s in a place that she’s going to be able to flourish.”
Back to business
Sentiments aside, the Mystics had a game to play. Koné will be joining the team soon, but Hines-Allen and Richard’s spots on the bench will remain empty for the time being. Nine players it was.
Veteran forward Stefanie Dolson has grounded the Mystics all season long and quickly took the crowd’s mind off of the trade. Dolson debuted with an early triple after tying the WNBA record for most three-point makes without a miss (six) in the previous game against Minnesota. In the face of Ezi Magbegor and Nneka Ogwumike‘s interior dominance, ‘Big Mama’s’ spacing was going to be needed.
Atkins and Dolson have been a one-two punch all season long, and Atkins knew it was her turn to attack the now-vacant paint. Seattle seemed inspired by Washington’s offensive scheme and turned to a hot-shooting big of their own to cut an early Mystics run.
Ogwumike sank two first-quarter three-pointers on her way to 14 points in the period, nearly matching Washington’s total of 17.
The second quarter saw Shakira Austin, in only her third game back from injury, begin to find her footing. On the first possession after the break, Seattle’s Victoria Vivians rejected Austin and taunted the crowd. Next time down the floor, Austin lowered her shoulder into Vivians and finished for the and-one.
Brittney Sykes had something for Vivians as well. She met her at the rim for a highlight-reel block of her own, and the Mystics held their ground as the Storm lead reduced to four.
Washington’s energy fluctuated at the end of the half, and Seattle was able to balloon their lead to 14 before returning to the locker room.
Staying afloat
Laying down and dying in the third quarters has been something of a calling card for the 2024 Mystics, but the team was as energetic as ever coming out of the half.
Atkins hit four three-pointers early in the third quarter, and Austin followed up with another and-1 in an uncharacteristic explosion. A Seattle lead that was once 44-30 was now 55-53. Atkins was up to 20 points.
Both teams traded blows as the Mystics stayed afloat throughout the third. The Storm lead plateaued at two as the fourth quarter began, but every time Washington got a stop, they were unable to capitalize. They couldn’t afford to keep coming up short.
The Mystics wanted it bad. Emily Engstler threw her body out of bounds to save a loose ball, and Austin dove on the floor to recover it from the outstretched arms of Magbegor. She may no longer be on the team, but the spirit of Hines-Allen was alive in her former teammates.
Chaos continued. Seattle’s Skylar Diggins-Smith dribbled the ball off her foot, but the refs claimed that it touched a Mystic before rolling out of bounds. The crowd berated the call and insisted that Thibault use his challenge. He obliged. Mystics ball.
Another Austin drive was rewarded with a trip to the free-throw line, and she connected on her 14th and 15th free throws to bring Washington within one point. She was up to 24 points in the game, a new career high.
The Mystics willed themselves to another stop, but ambition got the best of them. Sykes tried to play fast without advantage and threw the ball right into the hands of Diggins-Smith after missing Atkins on the trail. With 10.4 seconds left, the Mystics had forfeited the game to the will of the free-throw gods.
Up three, Jordan Horston stepped up to the line with a chance to ice the game for Seattle. As her first shot ricocheted off the back rim, fans who had started to file out began to look on from the exits. Horston sank the second. Back to the parking lot.
Where to go from here?
Tuesday was bitter-sweet for the Mystics. Hines-Allen and Richards will be missed. Another loss, no matter how expected, is never fun. However, it’s abundantly clear that Washington isn’t worried about their record.
They’re building a foundation that will hopefully bring them back to contention sooner rather than later. In the meantime, they have to learn to love the process. Washington owns both their pick in the draft and the pick of the Atlanta Dream (9-17), which are both projected to land in the top four.
The Mystics next game is against their biggest competitor in the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes: the Los Angeles Sparks (6-22). The two will play in D.C. on Friday, August 23rd.
Follow Beyond Women’s Sports for more from the world of sports. And follow me on X, @becketto0.
