New York Liberty finalizing deal for 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones
Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones (35) battles for the ball over Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) during the first half in Game 1 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/L.E. Baskow) Credit: AP/L.E. Baskow
The New York Liberty are finalizing a trade for 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones as part of a three-team deal with the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday night on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.
Connecticut would receive the No. 6 pick in the draft as well as Rebecca Allen from New York and Tyasha Harris from Dallas. The Wings would get Natasha Howard and Crystal Dangerfield from the Liberty. Kayla Thornton will head to New York.
Jones had one year left on her contract with the Sun. She averaged 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks last season to help Connecticut reach the WNBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
The 29-year-old Jones, who is from the Bahamas, would bolster a young New York squad that has lost in the opening round of the playoffs the last two years. She was the No. 6 pick in the 2016 draft and was the league's Most Improved Player in 2017. The next season she earned the Sixth Woman of the Year award before garnering the MVP three years later.
Allen had played her entire seven-year career in New York. The 30-year-old Australian made her WNBA debut in 2015. She was the longest tenured player on the Liberty roster. Howard played two seasons in New York after the Liberty traded for her in 2021. She averaged 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds last season.
Dangerfield, who was the Rookie of the Year in 2020 for Minnesota, will be playing on her fifth different team. She averaged 5.4 points and 2.5 assists for New York last season, starting 27 of the 30 games she played in.
Thornton averaged 8.0 points and 5.9 rebounds for Dallas last season while starting 35 of the 36 games.
Harris has averaged 5.2 points for Dallas during her three-year career. She started 11 games since being drafted seventh in 2020.
