Dallas Wings become three-time WNBA champion, former 2020 Rookie of the Year in Blockbuster Trade

DALLAS — The Dallas Wings remain true to their goal of building a championship-caliber team this coming season with a big move on Monday.

In a three-team trade involving the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun, Dallas acquired two-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA champion Natasha Howard, as well as the playing rights to 2020 WNBA Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield.

In return, the Wings sent forward Kayla Thornton to New York and guard Ty Harris to Connecticut.

Howard joins the Wings after an All-Star season with the New York Liberty, where she started in 35 games and averaged 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. She is not only a three-time champion and two-time All-Star, but also a two-time WNBA All-Defensive Team selection, 2019 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and 2018 Most Improved Player of the Year.

In 2019, while playing for the Seattle Storm, Howard posted a career year on both ends of the court. She averaged 18.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game en route to All-WNBA First Team honors. On defense that season, she led the WNBA in steals (74), setting a single-season franchise record for the Storm.

Howard’s career has had stops in Indiana (where she was selected fifth overall in 2014), Minnesota, Seattle and New York.

“On the court, we’re adding an All-Star player who is one of the best defensive players in the game,” said Wings President and CEO Greg Bibb. “Off the court, we are adding a veteran who has won on the biggest stage at the most important moments. It is unlikely that you will be able to satisfy as many needs in one transaction as we do with the addition of Natasha. We are delighted that she has joined our organization.”

Dangerfield, who is entering her fourth season in the WNBA, was named the 2020 WNBA Rookie of the Year after a breakout season in which she averaged 16.2 points and nearly four assists per game for the Lynx. She played in 85 games throughout her three-year career, averaging nine points and three assists.

Dangerfield was selected in the second round of the 2020 Draft by the University of Connecticut at Minnesota. In her final year as a Husky under Geno Auriemma, Dangerfield earned American Athletic Conference first team honors with almost 15 points per game.

“We are delighted to have exclusive rights to negotiate with Crystal Dangerfield and the prospect of adding her to the Wings roster,” said Bibb. “We look forward to signing an agreement with her and inviting her to the team. She is a player who adds depth and experience to our backcourt and gives us the ability to score and distribute at an elite level.”

As part of a three-team trade deal, Thornton, who spent six seasons with the Wings, will travel to the New York Liberty alongside Connecticut Sun forward and 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones.

Harris, who was drafted by the Wings in 2020, will join the Connecticut Sun along with New York Liberty defenseman Rebecca Allen.

Sun will also receive the sixth overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft from New York.

“I’d like to thank Kayla and Ty for their contributions both on and off the court,” Bibb said. “Both are outstanding basketball players and good people. We wish them all the best both personally and professionally.”

The Dallas Wings will begin their season against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, May 20 under new head coach Latricia Trammell.

During a press conference following her introduction in November 2022, Trammell expressed her excitement about the job and vowed to make an immediate impact on Wings, emphasizing that the team needed to increase their level of protection.

Monday’s blockbuster is indicative of that attitude as Howard and Dangerfield bring a modernized defensive streak to the team.

The Wings have made numerous playoff appearances, but the team just didn’t seem to be able to overcome the difficulties in terms of post-season wins.

For her part, Trammell appears poised to take on the Wings this season, bringing her passion, resilience and championship mentality to the team.

“They are capable,” Trammell said of the Wings’ roster in November, when asked about the team’s prospects for improving their past record. “Everyone will have the opportunity to eat.”

Click here for more information about the Wings’ upcoming season and tickets to their home games at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.