NaLyssa Smith Gets TRADED! | Phoenix Wins Satou Sabally sweepstakes and more...
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Lets be honest im pretty happy Nalyssa got traded.. she never really fit in with indy and instead tried to fit out. There were times where she look clearly uninterested, wasn't playing as hard, etc. She was also outplayed by Fagbenle later in the season.
I’m bummed we’re getting Sophie ngl. The one bright side is she will play good defense and not let stuff slide. But man, I can hear the narratives already!
Nylissa never got the opportunity. She was averaging double figures at the beginning of the season. Sides made the decision not to play her.
Indiana is putting together a run & gun offense. Sophi fits perfectly. Ms. Smith did not. I love the move.
The number 8 pick was nothing to give up to get rid of a cancer on your team, and, get a player who fit Indiana's fast pace style. This one is more of a win than people think.
@@OvSykes985They also cleared up another near max spot to sign another big free agent or two
Dam Cunningham goes to Fever love it, remember the interaction during all-stars lol
😡
The Fever may have liked Sophie’s skill for, but they really liked her salary! Strengthened their depth and have room for a near max salary. In Kelly we trust! 😉
Howard and Sophie are PERFECT FITS for the Fever. What a fun team they'll be to watch.
Fun fact, Howard was drafted by the Feev in 2014 and spent 2 seasons with them
they will be trash
@@angelas4681 YOU KNOW IT,,,...!!!
Sophie is only 100k no 8th pick clears money for a near max contract, expect one more player.
Yep, from France!
We hope so! 🤞🏾
exactly.. addition by subtraction. why keep the 8th pick to only have to cut them?
@@pimo1974 And we still have Katie Loo, and Wallace, plus Staxon to trade if necessary. The wheeling and dealing has just started.
Will not win anything.
Both Howard and Cunningham have great potential as enforcers. That was really lacking on the 2024 roster.
Lacking, you are being kind.
First, they needed to unload Smith and this was probably the only deal they could make. Second, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Fever doesn’t sign one of those French free agents tomorrow and third, I would be shocked if the Fever doesn’t draft Makayla Timpson from FSU at #19! Stephanie White loves her because she’s a 6’2” dawg who is a rebounding machine who is also athletic and can run, which is what the Fever needs! Having Howard serve as a mentor to Timpson would be perfect!
whoever this TImpson is Dallas can now draft her before 19 comes around
I agree with u on the fever giving up too much, however the only way it makes sense if the fever needed that money to sign a big time player from over seas. Paying a rookie who may not play as much would have not been affordable
first they will be trash
Timpson would be a steal! I'd take her any day over PB😅
the Fever wants to win NOW, they said screw the draft, they want vets
new management said it pretty early on, they need some vet presence
Agreed. Plus we have had the last two no 1's. Now we just need to strengthen the bench.
Will not be winning at all
they will win but not the championship.
If Dallas coach can get bigs to play defense, Dallas could be better than people think.
A lot of "if's". but Dallas was a team i liked last season, but looking really thin at the moment.
Ty Harris WILL be the starting point guard. I'd bet my little on it.
I love Nalyssa Smith but she didn't fit with the new Indie game so this is a big win all around. Smith gets a better situation and the Fever needed someone with experience and a reputation to work as an enforcer and protect C22 as well as play the 3/4. Fever is really working things well!
Smith is a better player than Cunningham. Cunningham is a better player for the Fever.
If she protects CC who's going to protect her
@@EddieBuie-fk6gi They don't gaf
Come on Quita you don’t think trading Nalyssa for Sophie Cunningham. And who would be the eighth pick? Nalyssa devalued herself this last season. You’re not being realist. She would fit better with the Wings.
The Fever be leveling UP! Look OUT for the Fever.
Come On Now,,, Sophie will Earn her Keep, plus a Vet,,Fever do get a pick,,,
said no one
Indy did good. Sophie fits the Fever, they got her cheap and got rid of Nalyssa. They were not gonna get something that good at #8 pick, at least not for the Fever
indy are trash
This season is going to be mental regardless of who you support. Hold on to your hats!
Looks like the fever want to land running and wanted now , not waiting for the development of a rookie.
I hate the loss of the number 8 pick at Indiana. I also disagree with any team who thinks rookies need too much time to 'figure it out'. They don't seem to need any more time than vets thrown into a new situation. Team USA vs All-Stars is a prime example of rookies figuring it out on the fly better than the Olympic vets and out-playing them with younger legs.
I agree with most of what you said but I think you’re too high on Nalyssa. Watching all the teams this year, I didn’t really see any situation that would be good for her outside of putting up stats on a bad team like the Mystics or Valkyrie. Her shot selection isn’t great and she does too many double pumps trying to attack the rim. She’s not a dominant enough scorer to warrant a starting spot in the deepest position in the W.
That’s without mentioning her bad defense and lack of effort when she’s not getting the ball enough. The Fever have been trying to shop Nalyssa for 2 years and no teams wanted her. There was no way they could get anything in return for her unless they attached a draft pick.
I honestly feel like Dallas got robbed in this trade. If the 8 pick works out, then I think the trade will be okay. I also like Ty Harris but that’s not nearly enough for Satou.
The Mercury pulled a heist on both the Fever and Wings. It doesn’t make any sense to me why they were able to give up so little to get a player of Satou’s caliber.
Totally agree with your take. And in regard to Smith you summed up her qualities, or lack of them perfectly.
Howard is going to be a Beast, Boston, New Best Friend,,, Sophie is just going to compliment both the Court and Dressing room,,,, "Unique"❤
I am a huge Fever fan but i love your content especially the Fever ones because you're impartial and say things the way it is. You're better than many others wnba journalists❤
As a Phoenix Mercury fan, I say Indiana got a good player in Sophie Cunningham in the trade. She's an energy player with toughness and grit. She would carry the Mercury for stretches in games, providing the energy on defense and knocking down key 3s. She's also known for getting under other players' skin. She'll work out just fine for them. In Phoenix, she'll be missed
Fever win this Free Agency. Nalyssa smith out. Howard and Sophie in. Lets run Fever
Quita is wrong. Phoenix 1st, Fever 2nd, and Dallas 3rd. A lot is riding on those picks, but time will tell.
during the live i said i didn't know who Sophie Cunningham was, and later looked and found the footage, and where was my mind at the time. i know her, love her grit, but when i watch her play i never remember her name, she doesn't look like a Sophie, to me, lol.
trash
Sophie Cunningham is scrappy.. This has as much to do with skill set as it has to do with personality and branding.
Not a difficult decision for me.
I’ve always loved Sophie’s fight and talent but people are saying she’s a MAGA nut? That won’t gel well at all
😂😂😂😂😂
You really think Fever got the worst of this. Your nuts. 😂😂😂
She's so bias and really a low key hater of fever and Caitlin Clark
If you really think the fever won this trade, you’re just an idiot 😂😂😂 traded a first rounder for a glorified bench player who only averages seven points and is only on a one year guaranteed contract
@@dapopebfrank2265
Come on be an adult. Not sharing your opinion doesn't mean someone is biased.
I'm sure they shopped Smith around. Maybe that was the best they could get. Who do you think Fever could have gotten straight up for Smith?
Not much.
I mean...they only 12/13 teams in the league and most teams only fill 10 spots. Plus the hard salary cap.... Options are limited until new CBA agreement reached
I honestly think they were just looking to move her for anything or nothing at this point. They traded the 8 pick for Sophie and a 19th. Tossed Smith in for fun.
Sophie Cunningham is no slouch!
Exactly. This trade was more about getting rid of NS than anything else.😊
Fever got fleeced. I can’t believe they traded #8 and NS.😢😢😢😢😢😢
It's truly great that Lyssa is out of that Clark crap. She's going home to Texas!
Thank you for covering the Wnba evenly unlike other channels on both sides of the coin. I'm honestly surprised with Reese being the face of the league the sky haven't made many moves.
You mean Aja don't you?
Howard is going to be a Beast, Boston, New Best Friend,,, Sophie is just going to compliment both the Court and Dressing room
And the tunnel fits !!
Great recap. Lots of movement in the league
I disagree, Indiana is in win now mode competing for the ship. Sophie brings experience and grit and defense. 36% from three which can become 40% spot up with the attention Caitlin brings.She can also play the two or three sub in for Lexie or Kelsey.
Sophie will start before Hull.
@@RustyLou18 I can see that happening
Aside from your player analysis, it appears that this trade is a bet on the 2025 draft class. Dallas going long this draft class while Phoenix and Indiana are shorting it.
Indiana already had a lot of young players, they needed vets more than they needed another draft pick.
The choices make sense to me.
Maybe someone should ask Geno?
@@tonyedwards3938F Geno😅
PHOENIX AIN'T PLAYING AROUND!!!
I know. Locked n loaded
If Sabally doesn't "breakdown" then they have done very well.
What’s going on with DT?
Phoenix going to be pretty good this year love Sauto game
Go Bears! Love your content. Love how you talk and promote the whole WNBA. Im new to the W followed CC over. There is some great players in the W im turning into a fan. Go Fever!
Sophie Cunningham is a black belt in Karate! She's tough 💪 and a skilled 3pt shotmaker! Great 👍 pick up for Indiana!
Missed it by this >< much. I had Smith to Sun, Bonner to Phx, and Cunningham to Fever.
Phoenix big winners, Indiana winners, Dallas OK, given the trade request by Soutou. If they hit on #8 pick and re-sign Ty Harris, then they would do fine. Ty is UFA after next year. If she does not re-sign and miss on draft, then not good. Remember, Seattle got #2 for a player who wanted out, so Dallas not as good as Seattle.
Indy did what they had to, to trade NaLyssa. She just didn't fit. I think her partner got to her.
Man, are the Mystics going to do anything this off season?😣😣😣
Probably gonna play their hand late along with the Sky.
you conceded that nalyssa smith was not a fit on the fever roster and that sophie cunningham is a better fit, but you think they "lost" the trade because they had to package the #8 pick? the hard truth is that there wasn't a market for nalyssa. they had to include that pick to trade her somewhere. hopefully nalyssa can flourish with her new team, but her skill set was not congruent with what the fever want to do on offense and her defense was bad.
I feel like the Fever did not get the best value overall but man did they drastically improve their defense in the last 2 days.
I get it but it was a fioregone conclusion that the 8 pick was going to help get rid of NS - imho. Agree - big D improvement
Phoenix- no depth
Fever- will your stars play defense?
Dallas- good luck
Nalyssa is out for Sophie sooo awesome. Nalyssa seems a good person. But as a player, her abilities did not match the Fever playstyle. Now with Natasha Howard too! Oh man...
Fever basically dumped Nalyssa Smith and they traded Cunningham for the 8th pick. Sounds good to me.
Fever lost in this trade. How come the Mercury get so much?
Yup!
My Wings came out just fine in this trade 😎👍🏽
Yes we did. I hated to lose Sa but she didn't want to be here anymore. I'm kind of glad she didn't get her full way and get sent to NY.
The draft is weak past the first two picks
For real
lol I still hope Paige drops down to 2nd or 3rd seed so Dallas doesn’t get her. Or stays a 6th year at UConn. Or goes straight to unrivaled. Anything but Dallas 😭
Ain’t gonna happened cause she’s gonna get pick by wings
When Ajsa Sivka Slovena young player 19 years old 6'4" SF 3 point shooter playing in Italian League did not enter the 2025 draft lottery, Fever decided to pick Sophie Cunningham a good 3 point shooter ave above 40% and trade N Smith and give up No 8;draft pick and get No 19 draft pick.
Satou S was not part of Fever Trade scenario since the start of. Trade period .The Fever org did not talk with Dallas about Satou S ..Reason why N Howard was signed by Fever instead of Satou S..
They got rid of Smith who would have been very unhappy on the bench and does not fit the teams playstyle. They are trying to win now so whoever they would have gotten at the 8th pick wouldn't be as useful now as Cunningham. now they can spend some money on another decent free agent and pay whatever rookie they take at 19 less. It was a chess move.. I bet they make another move in free agency. Cunningham gives them a versatile player that's not great but can play 3 positions. She can be their 6th player or maybe start at the 3? I think this is addition by subtraction.
The fever will be alright. They needed to unload smith. Defense is key. One piece from making a championship attempt. They will get farther than last year. They need to master defense to be champions. I think they will do it in year three.
Sophie is perfect fit! 38% from 3, 86% FT. NaLyssa had to go. Cut the tumor out. This Fever team can win. Kelsey, Sophie, Lexie, at least the Fever are the prettiest team in the W. With the new coaches all players will improve on Defense.
Look at the cap space the fever has now
L
Phoenix is building a stacked team this year
I agree
My guess - DT is not retiring and they are trying to win one more ring for her.
They'll Need One in order to Beat the Fever,,, haha,,, It's going to be Entertaining as Hell,,2025❤
@@analogee6858 Her legs are shot, i expect her minutes to drop. But i agree she is not retiring.
Over reaction to the Fever trade. Sophie is a decent wing defender who spreads floor. They signed Howard and Smith didn’t fit! Smith value is nothing around league as she offers nothing but scoring which was down last year. Fever needed more shooting, what shooter can you get at 8 in draft? This is a deep draft, a smart 19th pick May not be that big of a difference from 8
If there is no one good at the 8 pick and we can get who we need at the 18 what's the difference. Doesn't matter. Stephanie White is hella smart l, also I bet Cunningham has her best season of her career this year. People who play with Caitlin end up having their best seasons.
I'm SO happy for Lyssa❤
The Fever had to give up someone in Expansion draft If they would have put Berger on List she would have been taken (26) plus she was playing lights out overseas. Indie fans would not have liked that move. Plus she’s on a Rookie contract. Now Wheeler contract is up and here comes Howard, Sophie plus 1 more spot open. Ps Smith will b a beast in Dallas 🤔She’s in a Contract year👍
Hopefully Hannah Stulkey will be the #19 pick for Fever
Hannah is a junior.
Not in the draft
Dallas won 3 young players and 2 first round picks #1 & now #8 and they have their pG with Harris drafting morrow at 8 would be perfect for them ❤
@@BBstillclockstea2 i agree
I think the Fever will make another move after this. At first I thought they might be using this trade to clear some salary cap space but Sophie will make slightly more ($100k) than NaLyssa ($91,981) this year.
Smith is good, not on this Fever though. No point on keeping a player that underperforms in their system around Clark. The trade was good for the Fever and for Smith.
Fever won, cause they didn't give up nothing.
Dallas letting Natasha go makes me want to post up.
Mercury shouldve kept Ty as well.
. Quita you missed the point. Kelly K is one smart woman. Sophie C is an enforcer = protect Caitlin. Diamond,Carter, Mustard or Reece will pay the price for beating on the Star . Sophie is on duty!
Lol they throw her too.
And who is the 8th pick?
Lol that’s not why Sophie was brought over to Indiana stop it. She’s a 38% 3pt shooter wing defender and over 50% in playoffs, and her salary is affordable.
Sophie is an enforcer for Ls
@@hoopersgonnahoop
Wait you will see Sophie enforce in 2025. Then you can come back and admit it.
Wow, why did Indiana have to give up the #8 pick? Cunningham and Smith could not be an exchange.
Need to pencil in the new teams to get an idea of
Sophie is better than the #8 pick. The #8 pick is a rookie, Sophie has more experience than any pick for the Fever. Nalyssa has to go.
Who was going to trade them for Nalyssa Smith? 😅
They did what they had to in order to get out from under her. Sophie can also shoot the 3 vs clogging up the paint...
Yep. What no-one is saying is Smith is not a team player. She goes rogue at times in games (hero-ball) and if the move doesn't pay off Dallas will pay.
I was looking forward to seeing Lexie starting. I hope Cunningham doesn't effect that. Brown to the Mercury great acquisition. I think Brown was the best center on Dallas last season.
Cunningham will start. I love Hull but Cunningham is a better version of Hull. They probably split minutes pretty evenly.
I’m worried about this too. I feel Lexie has a lot of room to grow as she builds confidence. Would hate to stunt that.
I hope Howard and Cunningham are ready to receive those CC passes. If they have brittle hands and can't handle it, this coming season will be a learning curve for all the new additions to the Fever.
Fever should have hold on to their 8th pick
They'll need some practices to get used to her. Those passes are unique!
Yall must be confused about Natasha Howard.
@@ashleynmoore12 could you please clarify why you mentioned that we seem confused?"
Great we got rid of Nalyssa Smith, and like Sophie Cunningham, but should have been a straight up Smith for Cunningham. Why give up #8 th pick for # 19 ?
Exactly! Lots of good players available at #8.
No, Quita. You know it wasn't the Indiana fan base that was going after her. Lets keep it 100, you know who's fan base it was...
i really don't think Sophie was worth the #8 pick. I think Lyss will be happier in Dallas though.
Sophie Cunningham 100 times better than Kristy Wallace. And Lexi Hull has a problem getting into foul trouble. So it's a great move by the Fever.
INDIANA SHOULDN'T HAVE GAVE UP THE EIGHT PICK FOR ANYBODY,,,
TAKE IT BACK,,,....REUSE IT BEFORE EVERYONE SIGN😆😉😅
Yes!! There are some good guards and bigs available at #8.
And before anyone gets carried away with draft picks. What happens if Paige stays at UConn for another year? Because that is looking more and more likely.
Draft picks are sometimes over valued. Look at the Chicago Sky drafting Cardoza and Reese at #1 and #6. It is apparent that they can’t play together because they can’t shoot outside 10 feet so they clog up the driving lanes and you don’t have to guard one outside of the key. So a lot depends how well they draft and what’s available. In the NBA, OKC did it well but Utah has been stuck at the bottom for a long time.
The Sky are gifted to have Kamilla, the #3 draft pick. She's better than Reese, I don't care what anyone else thinks.
I like that Bears shirt! 🐻🧸👕
How exactly does the Mercury have any money left? The have to pay Sabally & AT the max because they were cored & Copper's salary is only $8K under max, so half of their salary cap is going to only 3 players. And Kalani Brown's contract is for $125K. 625K vets 78K rookies 66K
The avg salary for all of the remaining 7-8 players on the team will only be $78K-$89K. So yes, Mercury could be a great team this year, but only if their starters can all play the entire game every game & none of them get hurt the entire season, because they have no money left to pay enough for decent bench players.
I don't think Indy really shopped around. CC wanted Sophie and was willing to pay a king's ransom to get her. But, Sophie is a better fit for the Indy culture.
it must be dallas who are the only takers for nalyssa. 8th pick is heavy price, that could be janiah, citron or shy sellers.
PHX won trade, 19th pick and a vet for satou. possibly 3rd best team in the league rn
Dallas, like the storm, got great value for a player who WANTED OUT. pick 8 and rotation big
hard to gauge what the value of these 2025 picks when they are in 3-team deals, let us see if Sky moves the 10th
Love this! You jumped on it fast
Exceent moves in every way. Type of players and salary amazing CC and Fever!
Fever got the worst of this trade. In no world is Sophie worth an 8th pick alone.
It may not been a situation where Indy wanted to get rid of the 8th pick but had no choice but to so they could move Smith in the trade. With them signing Howard, getting Cunnigham with the 19th pick n only lose Smith n 8th pick is more then acceptable. Smith was a season long drama with the Fever locker room last season was mostly together but questionable social media posts n actions by Smith, Currington, n her family made Smith a team n franchise problem. Cunningham is a Clark friend n will fight for her with no questions asked, that's going to make it more stress free on the team over all THAT'S HUGE...
Hope this works for Ty Harris
Dallas is about to be my 2nd team. Liking the roster.
I think Alysha Clark would be a great pickup for sky she not six feet but her defense & mentoring young players are b invaluable to sky.
I am so excited for it.
Lol,Quita is overvaluing Smith.Fever is glad she's gone
Even if Chennedy does not make a team this year I see Portland and Toronto being desperate enough next year after seeing the valkyries free agency and draft pick order
Nalyssa was dead weight. They got Howard knowing that Nalyssa. Cunningham is better then any 8th round pick. They are both 1yr deals. They have all the skill they need. They need chemistry. They need Vets with playoff experience. Howard played for White before at the Fever. White is building a TEAM around CC that is fast paced unselfish play. Will not be shocked to see Fever games with 2 or 3 players with double doubles in a game. CC doesn't care about points. She wants everyone to eat. A Win is a Win. Fever has guns everywhere.
Smith played awful last year and that was not just because Indiana has a different style, she literally didn’t try on defense. The Fever had to give up something to get her off the roster
A sure thing for Indiana fever is better than two maybes, Smith was a maybe and who knows what the 8th pick is going to be
Just don't understand??
HOW HARD IT IS TO HIT A 👍 LIKE BUTTON??
WHEN SOMEONE WENT OUT THERE BUSY DAY to MAKE A VIDEO 📹 WITH GREAT INFORMATION!!! YOU received it for FREE!!! CAN'T HIT the LIKE BUTTON for Showing A Thank You????
I believe Smith’s attitude was a big part of the problem and it was towards Sides, not so much the players themselves. That’s why she was on the bench a lot late in the game. That attitude carried over when the season ended when she apparently removed the Fever logo from her social media. So a fresh start somewhere else might just be what she needs.
So far I like what the Fever have done and I’m almost positive they’re not done. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.
Sides seems undecided on her rotations. If Nylssa was that big of an issue, she would still be the Fever coach!
Attitude plus her performance. It wasn’t a good fit. She needed more touches to stay engaged and it didn’t and wasn’t going to happen.
@ That’s because Sides stopped utilizing her! The beginning of the season , her and Catlin were actually clicking because Nylisa was running the floor and getting easy layups . As soon as Catlin began to struggle, she sent Nylissa to the bench! If you couldn’t see that Sides was the problem then you need glasses ! Sides over complicated things! Playing Samuelson over Smith and Hull, definitely shows she had no idea what to do with this team!
@ I wear glasses but I agree with you that Sides was part of the problem. I say part because you’re supposed to be professional and having an attitude like Smith did was not professional. Also playing Samuelson ahead of Smith was wrong. The other problem was Smith’s free throw shooting. I don’t have stats in front of me but I’m pretty sure she had the worst shooting percentage on the team.
@ Pull up stats. We can’t go off of what you think.
Outside of Catlin, she drew the most fouls.
Also, what matter is how her teammates feel. As I said earlier, her representatives went to the Fever and asked them to trade her! They decided to put out a statement that she was part of their long term plans. This was after firing Sides. 2. She was professional. She engaged with her teammates, showed up to practice and did everything she was asked off the floor ! That’s being professional. You don’t have to like the decision that your boss makes but you do have to show up for your co workers. Which she did.
Sophie personality fits Indiana fan base band a good player. If they pickup maddy wesbeld at 19 they did good cause they have N Howard.
I guess there wasn't much interest in Nalyssa.
Looking at comments on threads and X fever fans aren’t liking it either.
I believe the Fever were trying to clear cap space
They need to hire you as a recruiter or a strategist
Sofie is a beast yall crazy