The Chicago Sky have traded guard Marina Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for guards Moriah Jefferson and Rachel Banham, as well as a 2025 first-round pick and swap rights for a 2026 first-round pick, the two teams announced on Wednesday.
“Today is very bittersweet. We traded two really great people who are not only good basketball players but have helped add to the winning culture we have here in Connecticut,” Sun General Manager Darius Taylor said in a statement. “We want to thank both Rachel and Moriah for their professionalism and contributions on and off the court. They will truly be missed by our fans, our team and our organization. We wish them well and much success with their new organization.”
Mabrey was drafted No.19 overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft to the Los Angeles Sparks out of the Univeristy of Notre Dame. At Notre Dame, Mabrey averaged 13.1 points per game, 3.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 27.9 minutes. In her junior and senior years, she helped Notre dame reach back to back NCAA Championships.
As a WNBA rookie, Mabrey appeared in 31 games, averaging 4.0 points, 1.0 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game.
After just one season with the Sparks, Mabrey was traded to the Dallas Wings before the start of the 2020 season where she played for three years. In her final year in Dallas during the 2022 season, she started in 32 of 34 games and averaged 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists. After being traded to the Sky for the start of the 2023 season, Mabrey has started in all 62 of the Sky’s games.
This season, Mabrey is averaging 14.0 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun. She is a player that we feel will give us the extra edge to compete for a championship this year,” Taylor said. “She brings a competitive spirit and scorer’s mentality along with an ability to make big plays. I believe Stephanie and her staff will be able to utilize Marina in many ways as we start the second half of our season and continue our quest for our first title”.
Banham, the eight-year veteran out of the Univerisaty of Minnesota, was drafted No.4 overall in the 2016 draft by the Sun. At Minnesota, Banham was named the 2016 Big Ten Player of the Year. By the end of her collegiate career, Banham was one of the few players to score 3,000 points, made 354 three-pointers and won the John R. Wooden Award.
In her rookie campaign with the Sun, Banham averaged 3.7 points per game, 0.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 15 appearances. Her rookie season was cut short after she underwent a microfracture surgery on her right knee July 8 and was sidelined for the final 16 games.
Banhum stayed with Connectcuuit for four seasons before being traded to the Minnesota Lynx where she played for two seasons. In her 2022 season with the Lynx, Banham made a career-high five starts and appeared in 36 games where she averaged 7.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
This year with the Sun, Banham is averaging 4.9 points per game, 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists.
Jefferson, a four-time NCAA Champion, was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2016 draft out of the University of Connecticuit to the San Antonio Stars. In her rookie season, Jefferson started in all 34 games for the Stars, averaging 13.9 points per game, 2.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
That same year, Jefferson led the team in assists, scoring, and three-point field goal percentage. This early dominance on the court led to her being named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Breanna Stewart.
Due to an injury, Jefferson missed parts of the 2017, 2018 and 2020 as well as the entire 2019 season. In her first full season since her rookie campaign in 2021, Jefferson started in 28 games and appeared in 29. In those games, she averaged 5.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 17.2 minutes with the Dallas Wings.
This season with the Sun, Jefferson is averaging 2.1 points, 0.2 rebounds, 0.7 nasists and 0.7 steals.
“We are very excited to welcome Rachel and Moriah to the Sky and we know that both will bring a ton of value to this roster this season,” Pagliocca said. “Adding another essential first round draft pick in 2025 will strengthen our draft capital next year.”
At 18-6, the Sun sit at No. 2 in the standings behind the New York Liberty while the 10-14 Sky sit behind the Indiana Fever at No.8 as the league heads nto its All-Star and Olympic Breaks.
Amara Bullard is a Marketing + Media student at Loyola University in Chicago aspiring to work in basketball operations.
