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The Washington Mystics still have 17 regular-season games left, but they're clearly better with Aaliyah Edwards (wrist) getting extended run. Washington is 2-0 when Edwards plays 20-plus minutes, and it won both of those contests by multiple possessions.
Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson explained the 23-year-old's importance to the squad after its 93-86 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on July 22, the last game she played in.
Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson comments on Aaliyah Edwards, who tallied seven points and four boards in just 10 mins off the bench in the loss tonight. She also had 13 points and three boards in last week’s loss to the Sparks. pic.twitter.com/EssKUyC3Np
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) July 23, 2025
“Second-chance opportunities, defensive rebounding. You can see that she's really confident in her midrange game, which we love,” he said. “It helps with spacing, how we're moving the ball. I don't think her role has changed. In fact, she's starting to stack a number of games in a row where she's able to kind of flourish in what she does, and what she does is very important. Just kind of bloom where you're planted, and she's doing that right now.”
Washington is 2-2 in its last four games, which have all been without the injured Edwards. The team was out-rebounded in three of those contests, including a minus-eight differential in Thursday's 68-67 loss to the Golden State Valkyries, and minus-nine defensively.
Meanwhile, Edwards was coming into her own before her latest ailment, as Johnson mentioned. The 2024 No. 6 overall draft pick averaged 9.7 points on 64.7 percent shooting with 4.2 rebounds across 14.5 minutes in July, all improvements on her season averages of 6.4 points on 48.9 percent shooting with 3.6 boards in 14.2 minutes.
The Mystics were 3-3 in those games, but she didn't reach that aforementioned 20-minute threshold in any of them. The former UConn Huskie tallied 15 points (6-7 FG) with six rebounds across 18 minutes in a 92-75 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on July 3, along with 13 points and three rebounds across just 14 minutes in a 99-80 loss to the Sparks on July 15. Washington still might have lost those games if she played more, but she deserves extended run based on her efficiency.
However, the emergences of fellow forwards Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin make it hard to justify starting Edwards. Iriafen, who's averaging 11.9 points on 46.5 percent shooting with 8.4 rebounds in 26.5 minutes, made the All-Star team and is a Rookie of the Year candidate. Additionally, Austin is averaging a career-high 12.4 points on 46.9 percent shooting with 6.9 rebounds in 22.6 minutes, and has three 20-plus point games this season.
Is Edwards the odd woman out as Thursday's WNBA Trade Deadline approaches?
Mystics should keep Aaliyah Edwards this season and beyond
Johnson is “optimistic” about Edwards' chances of playing on Sunday against the Atlanta Dream, via The Washington Post's Kareem Copeland. If she does return, it'll give her two more games to show off her skills before Thursday, as the Mystics will also play the Chicago Sky on Tuesday.
ESPN reported on July 1 that Washington was “working to try to trade” Edwards, but that was before her recent hot streak. The outlet also named the Mystics moving her to the Connecticut Sun as a potential “trade to watch for” on Monday.
On one hand, it makes sense to get something for Edwards now instead of risking her getting picked in the upcoming expansion draft. On the other hand, the Mystics could list her as a “protected player,” which would make her unavailable to 2026 expansion teams Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. WNBA squads were allowed to protect six players in December's expansion draft, which was held for the Valkyries.
Instead of cutting bait with Edwards, Washington should give her half of Stef Dolson's 15.6 minutes per game. The 33-year-old is averaging just 3.1 points on 35.9 percent shooting (25.5 percent 3 PT) with 2.3 rebounds, a far cry from her career field goal percentage of 49.5 (39.6 percent 3 PT). The numbers show that Edwards is more effective at this point, and it's worth giving her the 21.8 minutes per game she played as a rookie last season.
Additionally, the two-time All-American will be on her rookie contract through 2026, with a club option in 2027. That adds to her value as a young and ascending player, since most veterans will hit free agency this offseason in anticipation of a new collective bargaining agreement.
If the Mystics do keep Edwards and give her more playing time, she'll have the chance to prove why she should be in their future plans. A young core of Iriafen, Austin, Edwards, No. 3 overall pick Sonia Citron, No. 6 overall pick Georgia Amoore, and whoever they draft in 2026 could easily form a perennial contender, considering that the current team is a half-game out of a playoff spot without Amoore (ACL).
The potential is there for Edwards to post Iriafen/Austin-type numbers, but she needs the opportunity. Luckily, there are enough minutes available to make that happen.
