The Connecticut Sun on Thursday traded guard Jacy Sheldon to the Washington Mystics in exchange for Aaliyah Edwards. <\/p>\n
Washington also receives the right to swap its 2026 first-round pick for Connecticut\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Edwards, 23, was the sixth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft and averaged 7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1 assist in 18.5 minutes per game during her time in Washington. She\u2019s averaging 6 points and 3.3 rebounds this season.<\/p>\n
During her junior year at UConn, Edwards averaged a double-double (18.3 points, 11 rebounds). In her senior year with the Huskies, she was named a WBCA All-American after UConn made the Final Four.<\/p>\n
Edwards represented her home country of Canada at the Olympics in 2020 and 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cBringing Aaliyah to the Connecticut Sun is more than just a roster move; it\u2019s a statement about where we\u2019re headed as a franchise,\u201d Sun general manager Morgan Tuck said in a statement. \u201cAaliyah is a transformational talent with the mind-set and drive that aligns with our vision of building a championship culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheldon, selected fifth overall by Dallas in 2024, joined the Sun as part of a four-team trade in February. The Ohio State product averaged 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2 assists in 28 games (17 starts) with Connecticut this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are incredibly grateful for everything Jacy has given to the Connecticut Sun,\u201d Tuck said in the statement. \u201cShe brought passion, professionalism, and heart to this organization every time she stepped on the court, and her impact was felt far beyond the box score.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sun\u2019s future is up in the air, as the Mohegan Tribe, which owns the team, is exploring \u201call options to strategically invest in the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
That exploration includes a bid from Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, who offered $325 million to the tribe to purchase the team, with plans to move it to Boston<\/a>. If his bid is accepted, he also intends to build a $100 million practice facility in Boston.<\/p>\n But it seems the WNBA may not want to approve the bid because of Pagliuca\u2019s plans to relocate the team.<\/p>\n After the Globe broke the news of Pagliuca\u2019s bid, the WNBA issued a statement saying \u201crelocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition, Marc Lasry, a former Milwaukee Bucks owner, stepped in with a competing bid. Lasry is a Connecticut native and has eyes on keeping the Sun in the state by moving the team to Hartford, where it would play at the PeoplesBank Arena (capacity 15,684 for basketball).<\/p>\n Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com<\/a> or on X @ByEmmaHealy<\/a>.<\/p>\n