The Minnesota Lynx have acquired guard DiJonai Carrington from the Dallas Wings in exchange for Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 2nd round pick.
Carrington had been averaging 10.4pts/5.1reb/1.8ast/1.1stl across 20 games with Dallas this season. The league’s 2024 most improved player made 13 starts for the Wings, while coming off the bench an additional 7 times in her 24.9 minutes per contest.
In order to complete the trade, Dallas will also be waiving Teaira McCowan who had been playing on a protected veteran contract with the club.
A 2024 all-defensive first team selection, Carrington further elevates a Lynx squad that was already the leagues most stout defensive club. Heading into Sunday, Minnesota led all WNBA franchises in defensive rating at 95.1, and now get a valuable rotational guard who can more than handle herself on the defensive side of the floor.
For Dallas, a team that’s lost 8 of their last 10 and currently sport the Western Conference’s worst record at 8-21, it’s about acquiring young talent they can further build around in 2026 and beyond. Miller was Minnesota’s top pick (2nd overall) in the 2023 WNBA Draft out of Maryland.
Dallas clearly feels as though Miller still has some untapped potential after the 6’3″ forward averaged 12.1pts per contest as a rookie, but then saw her playing time cut back drastically over the subsequent 2 seasons. On the year, she’s currently averaging 4.1pts per game in 9.7 minutes per night. A far cry from the 26+ minutes she saw back in 2023.
Meanwhile Samuelson was acquired by Minnesota from the Mystics in exchange for a 1st round pick. However the veteran guard’s first season with the Lynx hasn’t gone according to plan, with her minutes being cut back, and a foot injury hampering her effectiveness.
Dallas is next in action vs. the New York Liberty on Tuesday, while the Lynx will travel across the country to take on the Storm later that night.
Photo: John Mac. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.