Phoenix Mercury Acquire Skylar Diggins-Smith in Sign-and-Trade Deal

Four-time All Star Skylar Diggins-Smith will join Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner in Phoenix.

The Phoenix Mercury have acquired Skylar Diggins-Smith from the Dallas Wings in a sign and trade deal, the team announced Wednesday. The Wings are receiving the No. 5 and 7 picks in the 2020 WNBA draft and a future first-round pick.

A four-time All-Star, Diggins-Smith is likely to sign a four-year supermax deal with Phoenix, according to The Winsidr's Rachel Galligan. 

Diggins-Smith joins nine-time all Star Diana Taurasi and six-time All-Star Brittney Griner with the Mercury. Both Diggins-Smith and Griner were selected in the top three picks of the 2013 WNBA Draft.  

In January, Diggins-Smith expressed her wishes to leave the Wings. She missed last season after giving birth to her son.

“I don’t plan on playing in Dallas next year,” Diggins-Smith told The Associated Press. “I’m happy to be playing in this league and I want to play.”

In her six years in the WNBA, Diggins-Smith has averaged 15.9 points, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals on 40.1% shooting. In 2018, she became the third player in WNBA history to average at least 17 points and six assists per game. 

Dallas reached the WNBA playoffs in 2017 and 2018 with Diggins-Smith. The point guard was selected to the WNBA Second Team following the 2018 season and has spent time on the U.S. National Team.

The Wings plan to use Phoenix's future first-round pick in the deal to acquire Astou Ndour from the Chicago Sky, according to The Athletic's Dorothy Gentry. 

The Phoenix Mercury are coming off a 15-19 season and a playoff berth in 2019.