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Evaluating the Offseason Trades
By Brian Martin, WNBA.com

It was an offseason full of player movement in the WNBA - from the Atlanta Dream expansion draft, to free agency, to the talent-rich draft, to a number of trades - that sent many familiar faces to new places.

With the first month of the 2008 season in the books, it is time to examine some of the biggest offseason trades and see how they worked out for each team. We'll discuss how each player has performed in their new (and sometimes old) home, discuss their impact on their new team and offer some statistical analysis.

We want your opinion as well. You will find a poll next to each trade below, which allows you to vote for which team got the best of each deal or if the trade was a win-win for both teams. You can also discuss this topic in our Fan Voice forum.

Katie Douglas (to Indiana) for Tamika Whitmore and 12th pick in 2008 Draft (to Conn); Sun selected Ketia Swanier

YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2007CON343433.30.4280.3380.7794.63.71.90.317.0
2008IND101035.80.3920.3390.8105.23.71.80.218.4

Fever fans have asked General Manager Kelly Krauskopf for years when she was going to bring the Indiana-native back home to play for the Fever. This offseason, Douglas requested a trade from Connecticut and Krauskopf delivered by acquiring Douglas in exchange for Whitmore and a draft pick.

Douglas has not disappointed the hometown fans as she currently leads the Fever in scoring (18.4) and assists (3.7) and has kept Indiana near the top of the Eastern Conference standings while Tamika Catchings was out with her Achilles injury. Now with Catchings back in the fold, Douglas' numbers may take a dip, but her impact - especially on the defensive end - will continue to be felt by Fever opponents.

  • Katie Douglas


  • Tamika Whitmore
  • No. 12 pick in 2008 Draft (Ketia Swanier)

    Vote Now!

  • YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    2007IND342525.90.4150.3000.7635.01.50.60.310.9
    2008CON121228.00.3810.3850.7895.41.50.70.214.3

    While many thought that Indiana was the clear-cut winner of this trade when it went down, nobody told that to Whitmore, who is having one of the best seasons of her 10-year career for Connecticut. Whitmore is averaging 14.3 points (only her 2006 season average of 15.5 was better) and a career-best 5.4 rebounds to help lead the Sun to the best record in the Eastern Conference at 9-3.

    Whitmore - who has participated in 40 playoff games, tied for second most in league history, and has played in the WNBA Finals three times - will be a vital piece of the puzzle if Connecticut is going to make a championship run this season.

    DeLisha Milton-Jones (to LA) for Taj McWilliams-Franklin and First Round Pick in 2009 Draft (to Washington)

    YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    2007WAS343433.60.3490.2350.8456.41.61.51.113.4
    2008LAS101033.40.5600.4120.8826.82.20.80.814.9

    The offseason trade sent Milton-Jones to familiar territory in Los Angeles, where she spent the first six seasons of her WNBA career and helped the Sparks win championships in 2001 and 2002. With the addition of Milton-Jones and rookie phenom Candace Parker and the return of Lisa Leslie from last season's pregnancy hiatus, the Sparks have championship aspirations once again.

    Milton-Jones has established herself as a solid No. 3 for LA, averaging 14.9 points and 6.8 rebounds over the first 10 games of the season. Her points and rebounds are up slightly from last year in Washington, but she is much more efficient this season, as all of her shooting percentages (field goal, 3-point and free throw) have made dramatic jumps.

  • DeLisha Milton-Jones


  • Taj McWilliams-Franklin
  • First round pick in 2009 Draft

    Vote Now!

  • YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    2007LAS292729.30.4900.2310.7735.91.71.21.011.1
    2008WAS111134.30.5470.2500.7147.51.11.61.212.5

    The trade to Washington sent McWilliams-Franklin to her third team in as many years. While she has traveled from East Coast (Connecticut in '06) to West Coast (LA in '07) and back (D.C. in '08), Taj's production has remained steady. A year ago she led the Sparks in both scoring (11.1) and rebounding (5.9) and has increased those numbers in D.C., averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

    The full impact of this trade will not be seen until next year when the Mystics pick up L.A.'s first-round pick. With the Sparks holding onto the league's best record at the moment, that pick could be in the teens, but if this year's draft is any indication, there are gems to be found late in the first round and even the latter rounds of the draft.

    Swin Cash (to Seattle) for No. 4 Pick in 2008 Draft (to Detroit); Shock selected Alexis Hornbuckle

    YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    2007DET313130.90.4100.00.7606.12.50.60.411.1
    2008SEA131232.00.3940.00.7795.51.50.41.212.1

    Last season's feud between Cash and Shock head coach Bill Laimbeer was well documented and made it clear that it would be best for Cash and the Shock to part ways. The trade to Seattle has given new life to Cash, who says she had lost her love for the game of basketball near the end of her time in Detroit.

    Cash stepped into the new-look Storm's lineup and looked like the player from Detroit's championship year of 2003 - averaging 16.1 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field in Seattle's first six games. However, the month of June has not been as kind as she has been mired in a shooting slump over the past seven games. During that span, she is shooting just under 27 percent and has only reached double figures in scoring twice.

  • Swin Cash


  • No. 4 pick in 2008 Draft (Alexis Hornbuckle)

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  • YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    2007No Statistics Available. Hornbuckle is a rookie in 2008.
    2008DET11021.90.3620.3530.8154.71.73.00.27.1

    The Cash trade was one of a number of moves Laimbeer and the Shock made during the offseason. The result is a revamped supporting cast around the core group of Katie Smith, Deanna Nolan, Cheryl Ford and Plenette Pierson. The Shock went with big players in the 2008 Draft, making five picks, three of which made the Detroit roster. One of those rookies is Hornbuckle, who has become a solid player in Laimbeer's rotation, averaging just under 22 minutes per game.

    Hornbuckle currently leads the league in steals per game at 3.0, to go along with her 7.1 points (fifth on Shock) and 4.7 rebounds (third on Shock). While her numbers may not match those of Cash, Detroit was in a situation where it needed to get the most it could for a player that needed to leave. In Hornbuckle, they have a young guard that has fit in well with the Shock and looks to be a part of their long-term future.

    Ivory Latta (to Atlanta) for LaToya Thomas and No. 18 Pick in 2008 Draft (to Detroit); Shock selected Olayinka Sanni

    YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    2007DET3117.10.3910.4490.4290.60.60.30.13.0
    2008ATL11829.60.3250.2780.8441.64.21.2010.5

    On the day of the expansion draft, the Atlanta Dream made the trade for Latta to take the role as the starting point guard and the face of the WNBA's newest franchise. Latta was drafted by the Shock in 2007, but received few minutes off of the bench for the veteran Detroit squad that won the Eastern Conference. Her minutes have quadrupled in Atlanta as she has had the opportunity to run a team the way she did for four years at the University of North Carolina.

    Latta struggled through a shooting slump for the first five games of the season, but has rebounded to score in double figures in each of the Dream's last six games, averaging 14.6 points during that span. She scored a career-high 21 points against the Houston Comets on June 16.

  • Ivory Latta


  • LaToya Thomas
  • No. 18 pick in 2008 Draft (Olayinka Sanni)

    Vote Now!

  • PlayerGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    Olayinka Sanni1177.50.5790.00.6362.00.30.090.092.6
    LaToya Thomas705.70.2670.00.00.70.10.140.141.1

    The Latta trade was another step in the rebuilding of the Shock supporting cast. Sanni, a rookie center from West Virginia, has been productive for the Shock in limited minutes. She has started seven games for Detroit, but is averaging just 7.5 minutes per game. However, in that time she is averaging 2.6 points on 58 percent shooting and 2.0 rebounds.

    Thomas, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 Draft, has yet to make much of an impact for the Shock, averaging just 1.1 points and 0.7 rebounds in 5.7 minutes, far below her career averages of 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game.

    Barbara Turner (to Connecticut) for Megan Mahoney (to Houston)

    YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    2007HOU22212.00.4030.2330.6591.90.90.40.24.2
    2008CON12020.80.4380.4290.8063.71.60.40.410.6

    In what appeared on the surface to be a swap of seldom-used bench players has turned into the most lopsided trade of the offseason. During Turner's sophomore year in Houston, she saw just 12 minutes per game and averaged 4.6 points on 40 percent shooting (23 percent from 3-point range). Turner chose not to play overseas during the offseason and instead dedicated her winter to working on her game with former NBA player and coach John Lucas.

    She transitioned from power forward to small forward and has become a vital player off the Sun bench as her minutes have nearly doubled from a year ago. The UConn grad has responded to increased court time by raising her scoring by over six points per game and becoming one of the top long-range shooters in the league. Turner is second in the WNBA in 3-pointers made and ranks eighth in 3-point shooting percentage.

  • Barbara Turner


  • Megan Mahoney

    No Vote
    With Mahoney out of the league, there will be no vote for this trade.

  • YearTeamGGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
    2007CON1806.70.250.1670.7270.80.40.20.11.7
    2008No Statistics Available. Mahoney was waived by Comets prior to 2008 season.

    While Turner has thrived with her new team, it was a different story for Mahoney, who was waived by the Comets less than two months after the trade and before the 2008 season began. The Comets added a pair of free agents during the offseason - Shannon Johnson and Mwadi Mabika - as well as a trio of rookies - Matee Ajavon, Erica White and Sequoia Holmes - which did not leave space on the roster for Mahoney.

    Friday
    Aug. 29
    Liberty at Shock, 7:30 p.m. ET
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    Saturday
    Aug. 30
    Silver Stars at Sparks, 10:30 p.m. ET
    NBA TV
    Sunday
    Aug. 31
    Storm at Sun, 1 p.m. ET
    ABC
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