Few teams are in a better position than the Washington Mystics at the moment. They have two second-year All-Stars, Shakira Austin is playing like one of the best two-way bigs in the league, and everyone else, particularly Cotie McMahon, Lauren Betts, and Cassandre Prosper, will only continue to get better. They have one of the best—if not the best—young cores in the WNBA.
Despite all the youth on the roster, Washington is a legitimate playoff team. The Mystics sit in sixth place, ahead of the Dallas Wings and New York Liberty with a 18-12 record. They are currently on a six-game win streak after taking down the Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, Wings, and Atlanta Dream.
Now, they were able to add a championship veteran without having to give up any assets at the trade deadline. The Mystics picked up Betnijah Laney-Hamilton after the Liberty waived her. Yes, they had to cut Rori Harmon to make room on the roster for Laney-Hamilton, but ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported that the Mystics would like to bring Harmon back on a development contract. Claiming a player like her off waivers is an absolute steal.
With Laney-Hamilton in the mix for the rest of the season, other teams need to watch out for the Mystics—even more so than before.
How can Betnijah Laney-Hamilton help the Mystics?
The biggest thing Laney-Hamilton brings to the Mystics is experience. She is in her tenth regular season, has played 26 playoff games so far, and helped lead the Liberty to a championship in 2024. Shakira Austin and Michaela Onyenwere are the only other Mystics players who are not in their first or second WNBA season. Austin played two playoff games in 2022 as a rookie, and Onyenwere appeared in four playoff games with the Liberty in 2021 and 2022, but only averaged 7.8 minutes.
Laney-Hamilton’s biggest issue has always been her health. At 32 and after missing the 2025 season with a knee injury, that concern only continues to grow. But Washington has a good thing going. Coach Sydney Johnson doesn’t need her to jump into the starting lineup and play 30 minutes per game. She can come off the bench as a steady veteran presence and provide perimeter defense and ideally a scoring punch with some nice 3-point shooting.
Laney-Hamilton shot just 24.3% from three over 17 games with New York, but she shot better than 37% in three consecutive seasons prior to this year. A steady role should allow her to find her touch again. If she does, it would go a long, long way for the Mystics. Onyenwere and Austin are the only players who shoot over 34% from deep. Sonia Citron ha struggled all season long, sinking just 27.5% of her 3-point attempts, and the Mystics rank dead last in 3-point percentage across the league. They defend very well and dominate the paint, but it’s difficult to win in the playoffs if 3-pointers aren’t falling.
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