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The Dallas Wings have acquired third-year center Li Yueru from the Seattle Storm in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick (includes rights to swap with the Connecticut Sun) and a 2027 third-round pick (includes rights to swap with Indiana Fever), the teams announced Saturday.

Earlier this month, Yueru, who was traded from the Los Angeles Sparks to the Storm during the offseason as part of the Jewell Loyd-Kelsey Plum blockbuster, made the rare move to publicly request a trade because she was unhappy with her playing time in Seattle. 

ESPN also reported the Chinese federation wanted Yueru, who led the Chinese national team with 17.7 points and 11 rebounds per game at the Paris Olympics last summer, to play more if she was to remain in the WNBA. 

"I don't feel I have enough time on the court," Yueru said last week. "I came here only to play the game. I'm really happy and appreciative because I know many teammates, I've made many new friends and know many different staff, coach. These really let me feel happy, and I'm so glad for that, but playing is one of the important things for me."

Now that Yueru's wish has been granted, let's grade the trade. 

Wings receive

  • Li Yueru

The first month of the season has been a disaster for the Wings. Arike Ogunbowale has looked nothing like her usual self, No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers missed four games with a concussion and illness, Ty Harris was ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery, major questions have been raised about first-year coach Chris Koclanes and the team is stuck in last place at 1-11. 

After winning just nine games last season and missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2020, the Wings had hoped to regroup and be much more competitive this season after a busy winter. Instead, they're on pace for the worst season in franchise history and are already well out of the playoff picture. 

Due to injuries and lineup tinkering from Koclanes, eight different players have started a game for the Wings this season. The situation is only going to get more complicated over the next few weeks, with Teaira McCowan (Turkey) and Luisa Geiselsöder (Germany) taking in part in EuroBasket Women, which runs from June 18-29. 

Geiselsöder was recently inserted into the starting lineup, and has given the Wings some nice minutes. In their most recent outing, a loss to the Las Vegas Aces, she put up 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks without missing a shot. While McCowan's playing time has been somewhat sporadic this season, she is the only other true center the team has, and can be effective against certain matchups. 

The Wings desperately needed some frontcourt help while Geiselsöder and McCowan were set to be overseas, and Yueru's arrival helps solve that issue in the short term. It's possible Yueru jumps right into the starting lineup on Tuesday when the Wings are in action next against the Golden State Valkyries. 

Yueru was off to a disappointing start this season, averaging just 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds on 30% shooting in nine games with the Storm. However, it's clear she was unhappy with the situation and that may have been affecting her performance. 

The 26-year-old has impressed overseas and shown some flashes in the WNBA, including in the preseason last month when she had 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Connecticut Sun. However, she's yet to put together any extended periods of strong production -- though, in her defense, she hasn't had too many chances. 

Yueru will certainly be a helpful addition while the Wings await the return of Geiselsöder and McCowan, but it will be interesting to see if she remains in the rotation once they return. It's possible Yueru will soon find herself in the same situation she was in with Seattle. 

All the Wings had to give up was a second-round pick and a third-round pick, so there's no downside to the deal for them. At the very least, they get a chance to take a look at Yueru and see if she could be a long-term answer for them in the frontcourt as they continue their rebuild. 

Grade: B+

Storm receive

  • 2026 second-round pick (includes right to swap with Sun)
  • 2027 third-round pick (includes right to swap with Fever)

When the Storm first acquired Yueru back in February, she seemed like a perfect fit as a third big behind Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. Then, a number of prospects decided to forego the 2025 WNBA Draft, including Olivia Miles, whom the Storm were expected to take with the No. 2 overall pick. Instead, the Storm went with French phenom Dominique Malonga, a 6-foot-6 center. 

While the Storm's roster wasn't crying out for another big, there was no way the franchise could pass on a player with Malonga's potential. They had to just take her and figure everything else out later. Part of that process ended up being trading Yueru. 

The Storm probably weren't desperate to trade Yueru, but once she went public with her trade request, they had little choice but to move her on. There was no reason to keep an unhappy player in the locker room, especially one who wasn't contributing to the team. 

The Storm were never going to get much for a back-up big who's set to be out of contract after the season. The 2026 second-round pick could be decent due to the swap rights with the Sun, but even so that's probably going to be in the 17-20 range overall due to the addition of two more expansion franchises -- the Toronto Tempo and a still-unnamed Portland team -- next season. As for the 2027 third-round pick, that's essentially meaningless. 

Perhaps the biggest benefit of the trade for the Storm is that they now have an open roster spot and the cap space to sign someone who could be more useful to the team this season. They are off to a 6-4 start and hope to make some noise in the playoffs. 

Grade: B