Fever Tabbed a Trade Suitor for Longtime Caitlin Clark Rival

Fever Tabbed a Trade Suitor for Longtime Caitlin Clark Rival originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

There were stretches during her rookie year in Washington when it looked like Aaliyah Edwards might, indeed, blossom into the WNBA star it looked like she could be. Still, her numbers in Year 1, after she had been the No. 6 overall pick out of Connecticut, chosen one spot ahead of Chicago's Angel Reese, were disappointing: 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 34 games played. 

Washington finished just 14-26 on the season, replaced hits coach and front office, and looked to reset things in 2025.  

That project has gone surprisingly well. The Mystics have, it seems, hit on a pair of rookies in guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen, and with Shakira Austin putting together her best season, there's a strong base of young talent. 

Except it has not gone so well for Edwards, who appears to be the odd woman out in the Mystics' sudden logjam of talent. Edwards is averaging just 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds, and has seen her minutes slashed from 21.8 to 14.1. Oddly, her efficiency has cratered, too, as her shooting has dropped from 49.0% in 2024 to 39.3% in 2025. 

All of this has led to a report from ESPN this week that the Mystics are fielding trade offers for Edwards. 

What a turn of events it would be if Washington wound up shipping Edwards to the Fever to join up with Caitlin Clark, the player whose Iowa team ended Edwards NCAA career--prematurely, according to some. 

USA Today's Meghan Hall examined potential trade partners for Edwards, and named the Fever the No. 2 landing spot. 

She wrote that Edwards could be a better fit than DeWanna Bonner, who was waived last month: "Edwards might not start in Indiana's rotation, but she would get quality minutes playing the three or four behind (Lexie) Hull and forward Natasha Howard.

"The Fever desperately need big depth who can come in to relieve the starters and immediately make an impact. Adding Edwards may not majorly move the needle now for Indiana, but she's still on a rookie-scale contract and with time and development could become a key piece for the franchise in the future."

Edwards and Clark faced each other three times in their collegiate careers, beginning in the 2021 NCAA tournament, when Edwards scored 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting to help the Huskies to a win over Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes. Edwards had 20 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in their second college meeting, a November win back in 2023. 

But Clark exacted her revenge in the 2024 Final Four, when Iowa won, 71-69, thanks in large part to a bad call against the Huskies--when Edwards was wrongly whistled for an offensive foul with less than four seconds left.  

Related: Caitlin Clark's Behavior Toward Stephanie White Draws Attention in Fever Blowout

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.