Minnesota and Dallas are the first teams to agree to a deal before the trade deadline. Veteran guard DiJonai Carrington is headed to Minnesota in exchange for Diamond Miller, a 2027 second-round pick, and Karlie Samuelson. The Wings are also waiving veteran center Teaira McCowan, who had previously fallen out of the rotation.
The Lynx moving on from Diamond Miller is not entirely surprising after she didn’t get any playing time in a historic blowout win over the struggling Las Vegas Aces.
DiJonai Carrington boosts the Lynx’s guard rotation
Between Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton, and Natisha Hiedeman the Lynx have a solid guard/wing rotation. However, they do not have much depth or injury insurance behind those four. DiJonai Carrington adds just that. She can play on and off the ball, filling whichever role the Lynx need in the guard rotation at any given moment.
Carrington’s ability to attack the rim should allow her to thrive in the Lynx’s well-spaced offense. Almost every player in the Lynx’s rotation is a solid to good 3-point shooter, creating plenty of space for Carrington to drive.
She is also an excellent rebounder at the guard spot, averaging 5.1 boards per game, and one of the best perimeter defenders in the WNBA. The Lynx thrive when they can stifle opponents defensively. Adding Carrington to the rotation means that there will be no defensive drop-off between the starting wings Kayla McBride and Bridget Carleton and Carrington when she comes off the bench.
On top of that, Carrington also has plenty of playoff experience. She has played in 27 playoff games, including a deep run in 2022 with the Connecticut Sun. She most recently went to the playoffs in 2024 with Connecticut, starting all seven games and averaging 33.6 minutes per game. She was one of four Sun players averaging double-digit scoring.
Diamond Miller will get a shot at a bigger role
Diamond Miller may have joined the Lynx as a top pick in the 2023 draft, but that didn’t guarantee her a massive role. She had a starting spot secured as a rookie, but, as the Lynx became more competitive, her role declined.
With the young Wings, a team that is retooling around rookie star Paige Bueckers, she should get a chance to play a bigger role. A chance to play more and be allowed to work through mistakes may be all Miller needs to realize the potential that made her a top-two pick just two years ago.