The Dallas Wings have made a strategic move by landing third-year center Li Yueru from the Seattle Storm in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick (with a condition to swap with the Connecticut Sun) and a 2027 third-round pick (swap rights with the Indiana Fever). This trade was announced on Saturday.

Earlier this month, Yueru made headlines by publicly requesting to be traded due to dissatisfaction with her playing time in Seattle after being dealt from the Los Angeles Sparks to the Storm during the offseason.

“I don’t feel I have enough time on the court,” Yueru expressed last week. “I came here only to play the game… playing is one of the important things for me.”

Now that her wishes have been fulfilled, here’s an assessment of the trade:

Wings Receive

• Li Yueru

The Wings’ start to the season has been rocky at best. Arike Ogunbowale has struggled to find her rhythm, Paige Bueckers missed critical games due to a concussion, and Ty Harris is out for the season after knee surgery. With a current record of 1-11, the Wings find themselves in last place, thus the urgency for reinforcements.

Yueru’s arrival is a timely boon while some players are overseas participating in EuroBasket Women. Her previous performance in the preseason showed her potential when she scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Connecticut Sun.

Storm Receive

• 2026 second-round pick (swap rights with Connecticut Sun)
• 2027 third-round pick (swap rights with Indiana Fever)

Initially, Yueru appeared to fit well into the Storm’s strategy along with Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. However, with the unexpected acquisition of Dominique Malonga, the Storm were forced to make the difficult decision to trade Yueru after she requested the move.

“There was no reason to keep an unhappy player in the locker room, especially one who wasn’t contributing to the team.”

The Storm could gain a valuable asset with the second-round pick, but as it stands, they probably won’t see immediate returns from this trade. The newly created roster spot does offer them some cap flexibility to explore other avenues.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the Wings benefit more from this trade as they obtain a promising talent without giving up too much. Yueru has a lot to prove, and this trade gives her the opportunity to solidify her place in the league.

Trade Grades:

• Wings: B+
• Storm: B