Analysis: Delle Donne traded to Mystics for Dolson, Copper, 2nd overall pick

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On Friday, the Elena Delle Donne-Stefanie Dolson trade has been made official, sending shockwaves to the women's basketball world.

In the deal, the Washington Mystics received Delle Donne, the WNBA MVP back in 2015, from the Chicago Sky. In return, the Sky got Dolson, guard Kahleah Copper, and the second overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft.

It is widely-known that Delle Donne forced this trade, so instead of the Sky letting their star to sit out the 2017 season (which Angel McCoughtry did), the franchise let Delle Donne go while getting assets in return.

Now, let's break down this blockbuster deal.

Why the Sky made this deal


Well, outside of the obvious that Delle Donne demanded this trade, the Sky wanted to get something instead of just letting a huge asset go without anything in return. And they just got three building blocks from this deal.

With Erika De Souza signing with the San Antonio Stars, the addition of Stefanie Dolson will be a good boost for Chicago's frontcourt. Dolson is a natural center unlike Delle Donne, and although the numbers (rebounding splits, block rate) are similar, Dolson will obviously be able to provide more presence and rim-protecting on the defensive end than Delle Donne.

She may not have the same offensive skills Delle Donne has, but she can do damage inside the post -- something the Sky lacked when Sylvia Fowles left. That's also with all due respect to De Souza.

Dolson's also just 25 years old so she can still improve a few aspects of her game.

Of course, the Sky will need to scatter their offense, and they still a bunch of veterans to contribute on the offensive end like Cappie Pondexter, Courtney Vandersloot, Jessica Breland, Tamera Young, and even Allie Quigley.

In the 2016 season, Delle Donne led the team in scoring with 21.5 PPG although seven others averaged at least 6 PPG. The production will likely be more balanced with the superstar gone.

Dolson's post presence and rim protection should change how teams approach the Sky as well, and that could be a difference for them in the next couple of years.

The Sky will also get the second overall pick in this year's draft, and that should let them add another talented youngster. It may seem that the Sky took a few steps back here, but give it time and they should be able to move forward again.

Here's a quick look at the Sky's potential depth chart after this deal:

C - Stefanie Dolson/Imank Boyette
F - Jessica Breland/Clarissa Dos Santos/Cheyenne Parker
F - Tamera Young/Allie Quigley/Betnijah Laney
G - Cappie Pondexter/Kahleah Copper
G - Courtney Vandersloot/Jamierra Faulkner

Why the Mystics made this deal


The Mystics have been in the WNBA for 19 years, and yet they haven't made the finals. Having Delle Donne doesn't only mean the Mystics have a superstar and a face-of-the-franchise, it makes them a legitimate playoff threat just looking at what Delle Donne can do on the floor.

On paper, landing Delle Donne just makes me excited for the Mystics offense-wise, as she will be pairing up with Emma Meesseman. The two are up there in the best stretch fours conversation in the league today along with Candace Parker. Having two on the same side makes you think of crazy stuff right away.

Like Pondexter and Vandersloot, Tayler Hill and Ivory Latta can get to the rim and shoot threes. The biggest difference with the line-up surrounding Delle Donne now is really Meesseman, as she has never joined forces with someone like the Belgian forward. They could perhaps be able to do more things on offense.

In her four years with the Sky, Delle Donne provided the franchise with a star and a leader. True enough, the squad made the playoffs with the best record in the East right during her rookie season. A season after, the Sky won the Eastern Conference title.

Delle Donne averaged 20.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, and 1.7 BPG in her four seasons with the Sky. The Sky had one of the top offenses in the league in the last two years mainly because of Delle Donne. She should be able to do the same for the Mystics given the supporting cast she has.

However, landing a superstar comes with a huge cost for Washington. Earlier, the Mystics dealt Kia Vaughn and Bria Hartleyto the New York Liberty for Carolyn Swords, which they later sent to the Seattle Storm for a couple of picks.

Here's how the Mystics' depth chart looks after pulling off those deals:

C - Elena Delle Donne
F - Emma Meesseman/LaToya Sanders
F - Tierra Ruffin-Pratt/Natasha Cloud
G - Tayler Hill/Ally Malott
G - Ivory Latta/Leilani Mitchell

The Mystics have already lost four players after two deals, including their two best centers. Obviously, that frontcourt rotation suddenly looks thin for them, although they do have a bunch of picks in the upcoming draft to fill those roster spots.

Now Delle Donne has played center for certain stretches for the Sky particularly in the 2015 season when Fowles sat out the first half of that year and also in 2016 when De Souza was injured, but being a five full-time may not be the best option for the Mystics.

Nevertheless, the Mystics have a handful of capable offensive threats surrounding Delle Donne. But making up for it on the defensive end should be the real challenge for them.

Acquiring a future WNBA great is one thing, but actually seeing the move pay dividends will be a test for head coach Mike Thibault and company. Will overwhelming opponents with your offense be enough? Will the Mystics have a bench deep enough to compete with the rest of the league? Overall, is sacrificing a few roster spots to finally get starpower worth it in the long run? The team has many questions to respond to this year.

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