The trade deadline is on August 7, and the first big domino has already fallen. DiJonai Carrington was traded from the Dallas Wings to the Minnesota Lynx for Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson, and a future second-round pick. The move makes Minnesota an even bigger threat than it already is and signals full buy-in into a rebuild by Dallas.
Now, the question is if any other teams will make a big splash before the trade deadline. Considering how close the teams are in the standings behind Minnesota, several of them could benefit from some new energy and improved depth. The Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm are probably at the top of that list.
The Fever, on the other hand, don’t even have to make a trade to get a boost late in the season. After all, there is still hope that Caitlin Clark will be ready to get back on the court towards the end of the season.
Getting Clark back would be a significant boost
The Fever have finally found their groove without Caitlin Clark. At first, playing without their star guard was a major challenge, but Aari McDonald is doing a stellar job filling in as the starting point guard and Kelsey Mitchell is playing like a true star. Mitchell has been on a scoring tear, scoring over twenty points in four of her last six games, including a 35-point performance against Chicago.
The Fever have won five consecutive games, including wins over other playoff teams in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Seattle. With those wins, the Fever moved into fifth place. They also hold the tiebreaker over the Storm and Aces.
Despite the Fever’s success without Clark, getting her back for the playoffs would be a significant boost. Clark makes the game easier for her teammates whenever she steps onto the court. Even when she isn’t shooting it well, she has a major draw on the defense, taking the attention off everyone else. Clark also excels at getting Aliyah Boston involved in the offense.
There is still no timeline for Clark’s return
Clark has not played a game since mid-July when she played 28 minutes in an 85-77 win over the Connecticut Sun. There is still no official timeline for her return. However, later this month, Holly Rowe said Clark may not return to the court until the third week of August. That would allow her to play at least a few regular-season games before the playoffs start. Knowing Clark and her competitiveness, she will not want to miss any playoff action. Now that the Fever are winning without her, there is also no rush for her to return before she is completely ready.