DiJonai Carrington's name has been whispered in trade rumors, and it's the most baffling development to come out of Dallas this season. Carrington is the best perimeter defender on the Wings roster. They've struggled with consistency on that end all year, so trading a player like this makes zero sense for that reason and the other obvious one; everyone loves her.
DC is a leader in the locker room, and there was a noticeable elevation of energy when she returned to the lineup after her injury. As a matter of fact, every time she checks into the ball game, the crowd goes crazy, too, so the fans also adore Carrington despite this being her first year playing for the Wings.
Coach Chris Koclanes is a first-year head coach with a background in defense. Unfortunately for him, players have been in and out of the lineup all season due to injuries. He's just now getting the majority of his players healthy, and now you're telling me that his best defender may be shipped out? That feels like sabotage.
The Wings are walking a fine line with player treatment
In the offseason, Dallas brought NaLyssa Smith to the team, and the talk around the WNBA indicated that the move was to entice Carrington to join the squad. Well, it worked, only for them to turn around and trade Smith during the season. Organizations have to do what's best for them, but they also have to be careful with how they treat players.
Whether their intentions were to mislead DC or now, it comes off that way, and perception can be reality. Hearing rumors about trading her not long after she returned from an injury she sustained while battling for your team is disheartening. It doesn't really encourage players to join your team, and with so many free agents on the horizon, you're playing a dangerous game.
When you look at the landscape of contracts around the WNBA, most players are free agents after the season concludes. That's intentional. CBA negotiations are upon us, and the women deserve a bigger piece of the pie. They made sure to prepare for this. That doesn't mean you should just ship them all over the place and mislead them.
There's still a chance that some of the players will want to resign with their teams if they feel they're in the right spot organizationally. But you have to make them feel wanted and valued. These rumors undermine that goal. You have a young star ready to help elevate the team to the next level, but Paige Bueckers won't be able to do it alone. Don't make things harder than they need to be by playing dirty.