WNBA Team Releases Former NCAA Champion Minutes After Trade

WNBA Team Releases Former NCAA Champion Minutes After Trade originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

With the WNBA trade deadline on Thursday, teams in contention are making moves to finalize their rosters for the home stretch of the regular season.

One of the league's biggest roster shakeups took place on Tuesday, as the Washington Mystics sent All-Star guard Brittney Sykes to the Seattle Storm, a strategic deal between two franchises jostling for playoff positioning.

In return, Washington acquired veteran forward Alysha Clark, Seattle's 2026 first-round pick and Zia Cooke.

However, immediately after the trade went down, the Mystics opted to waive Cooke, turning the former South Carolina Gamecocks star and 2023 top-10 pick into an unrestricted free agent.

Zia Cooke was also involved in the transaction, but the Mystics have waived her https://t.co/RiDerjQhKA

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) August 5, 2025

Zia Cooke’s Rise: From McDonald’s All-American to NCAA Champion

A Toledo, Ohio native, Cooke was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN and named a McDonald’s All-American in 2019, garnering offers from more than 60 college basketball programs.

Ultimately, she decided to join Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks over other Power 5 programs like Ohio State, Texas, Louisville, Tennessee and Mississippi State.

In her four years with Columbia, Cooke earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2021 and 2023, second team in 2022, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award in 2023 and was a USBWA and AP All-American in 2023.

Cooke won an NCAA title in 2022 and as a senior, averaged 15.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game on 40.5% shooting from the field and 34.6% from 3-point territory.

As one of the more decorated college stars, she was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the 10th overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft.

Unfortunately, after a promising rookie season where she averaged 4.8 points in 14.1 minutes across 39 games (four starts), Cooke saw her role diminish in her second season before signing with Seattle in February.

Why the Mystics Waived Zia Cooke and Potential Landing Spots

The Mystics’ decision to cut Cooke wasn’t a reflection on her talent but rather a numbers game as Washington must maintain a 12-player roster under WNBA rules.

With incoming veteran Clark occupying a guaranteed contract and a depth-chart spot, the Mystics ultimately chose Clark, plus the valuable future pick, over the developmental guard.

As a free agent, Cooke enters a market thin on backcourt depth. Teams that could express interest include:

• Indiana Fever: With Caitlin Clark sidelined by injury, Indiana could use outside shooting and secondary ball-handling.
• Phoenix Mercury: Shooters like Cooke can help space the floor around star forwards Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner.
• New York Liberty: The Liberty could sneak in to bolster their chances of repeating by adding depth behind guards Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud.
• Dallas Wings: With an eye on the future and building around Paige Bueckers, Dallas could add a young, versatile guard like Cooke to boost backcourt depth.

Cooke’s youth, draft capital and championship pedigree at South Carolina give her an edge, but with what will soon be her third (fourth if you include Washington) franchise in three years, she still has a lot to prove.

The next 48 hours will see front offices sizing up available guards ahead of the playoff stretch.

Related: WNBA Team in Line for Punishment After Indiana Fever Game

Related: Lexie Hull Shares Honest Take on Playing Without Caitlin Clark

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.