Karlie Samuelson Traded to Lynx as Mystics Land 1st-Round Pick in 2026 WNBA Draft

The Minnesota Lynx acquired veteran Karlie Samuelson from the Washington Mystics on Monday.

Washington is getting back Minnesota's 2026 first-round pick, with the Lynx having added the Chicago Sky's first-rounder in a separate swap Sunday.

Samuelson struggled to gain a foothold early into her WNBA career. Between spells with the Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings, she logged 27 combined appearances through her first two years and then went unsigned after getting waived by Dallas in 2020.

It wasn't until 2023 that the 29-year-old, having sharpened her game overseas, finally got a regular role on a WNBA team. Upon reuniting with the Sparks, she averaged 7.7 points while hitting 42.6 percent of her three-pointers.

Samuelson signed with the Mystics last offseason and remained a dependable three-point threat. She knocked down 39.8 percent of her long-range opportunities.

Washington is in the midst of a rebuild after trading away two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins and shaking up both the front office and coaching staff. Samuelson didn't have a ton of value on a team that projects to finish in the lottery.

The Lynx, on the other hand, are coming off a WNBA Finals appearance and pretty much running it back with the same squad.

Minnesota ranked third in average three-point makes (9.5) and led the WNBA in three-point percentage (38.0). The team didn't necessarily need to strengthen in that area.

Much like in the NBA, though, teams in the W can't have enough floor-spacing with an eye toward the postseason.