The August 7 WNBA trade deadline might not be on everyone's radar, but there's reason to believe it could shake up a few teams — including the Fever. In fact, on Monday ESPN posited the team could trade Damiris Dantas and a 2026 second-round draft pick for Myisha Hines-Allen... a move that is interesting, but doesn't necessarily play out in a way that benefits both teams.
Hines-Allen hasn't been starting for the Wings since June, and the team has made it clear that they plan for Maddy Sigrist to return from injury before the season's end, so there's no real indication that there's a lot of room for movement for Hines-Allen.
While she wouldn't start for the Fever, adding Hines-Allen to the team would provide back-up for Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard (but they already have back-up).
However... whether or not the trade would actually be beneficial for the Fever is up for debate. While Hines-Allen won a championship with the Mystics in 2019, she wouldn't add size to the team (and is three inches shorter than Dantas). She also hasn't played particularly well this season, and certainly has not out-performed Dantas, who adds a lot to the Fever's overall chemistry.
Trading away a second-round pick in the 2026 draft would also be an unwise move, especially since next year's draft class is exceedingly stacked and the Fever have seen great success with their own 2025 second-round pick Mikayla Timpson. In that regard, there's no reason to assume lightning won't strike twice for the team.
Other WNBA teams could make surprising moves in August
ESPN proposed several other potential trades as well: notably that the Sun send Marina Mabrey, who has been open about her desire to leave the team, to the Storm in exchange for Alysha Clark and Katie Lou Samuelson (as well as a 2026 first-round pick), but that proposal is another head-scratcher.
While the trade could work out for the Sun — the team would get half a season with Mabrey and half a season with Clark and a first-round pick to boot — it makes less sense for the Storm, who would walk into the arrangement knowing Mabrey, who is a free agent next year along with most of the league, could end up leaving only months later.
The Storm also have at least two first-round picks next year (No. 9 and No. 11) and could end up with three depending on how the season concludes. It would serve Seattle to build a strong roster for the team's future instead of chasing one player who could potentially improve their already strong playoff chances.