Connecticut Sun's Marina Mabrey trade hopes hinge on 2 problems

The Connecticut Sun are one of the most obvious sellers as the WNBA trade deadline approaches.

It's also clear that their best trade candidate is Marina Mabrey.

There are a couple problems with getting a deal done, though.

Her Hoops Stats writer Richard Cohen broke down the dilemmas in a new piece ahead of the deadline later this week.

"The problem is that $210,000 protected contract, and the fact that she asked for a trade in preseason and the Sun didn't get any offers they liked," Cohen writes. "Is that situation any different now? Maybe the Sun's price is lower, or someone else might be more desperate, but we'll see. Most contenders would have to do something complicated to fit in that contract, and combined with the Sun's price they might not see the value."

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Mabrey, the former Notre Dame star, is a proven microwave scorer.

Sometimes that works against her, because she'll gladly keep shooting even when the shot isn't falling.

But she can also put up monster stat lines in impressive wins, like she did with a near-triple-double in an upset of the Liberty last week.

In a vacuum, Mabrey would be a great acquisition for a contender. She can knock down lots of 3s while serving as a secondary ball handler.

Trades aren't made in a vacuum, though. They're made in a setting where contracts have to be considered and where asking prices can make things complicated.

Mabrey's name will be in the rumors right up until the trade deadline. But there are definitely things working against a deal actually getting done.

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