(Photo credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images)

The Washington Mystics traded All-Star guard Brittney Sykes, their leading scorer, to the Seattle Storm on Tuesday in exchange for forward Alysha Clark, guard Zia Cooke and the Storm's 2026 first-round draft pick.

Sykes averaged 15.4 points and a career-high 4.4 assists in 25 games (all starts) for Washington in her third season with the franchise.

The Mystics (13-15) are in ninth place in the WNBA, one game out of the eighth and final playoff spot, but their general manager said the move allowed the 31-year-old Sykes to pursue a championship in the near term.

'We're grateful for Slim's (Sykes') contributions this season as she played a key role in our growth,' Mystics GM Jamila Wideman said in a statement. 'We're proud of the individual success she achieved during her time with us, including earning her first All-Star selection. This allows Slim the opportunity to join a team that is expected to contend for a championship this season.'

In nine WNBA seasons with the Atlanta Dream (2017-19), Los Angeles Sparks (2020-22) and Mystics (2023-25), the 31-year-old Sykes has played in 265 games (198 starts) and averaged 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.

The Mystics will focus on their young core of Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin while adding Clark, who's in her 13th season in the league.

The 2023 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year returned to Seattle in the offseason to begin her second stint with a franchise where she won league championships in 2018 and 2020. She was averaging just 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds through 27 games (seven starts).

Clark, 38, played for the Mystics in 2022 and started 29 games. In 408 career games (255 starts) with Seattle (2012-20, 2025), Washington (2022) and the Las Vegas Aces (2023-24), she has posted 6.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range.

Cooke, 24, averaged 3.3 points per game off the bench for the Storm. Shortly after acquiring Cooke, The Mystics waived the third-year pro.

--Field Level Media