WASHINGTON — Mystics general manager Mike Thibault was soaring.
A few weeks into the new year in 2017, he was getting ready to tie up the loose ends of a trade that would bring him Elena Delle Donne, the 2015 WNBA MVP and a three-time All-Star at that point. In exchange, he would have to give up multiple draft picks, including the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, and center Stefanie Dolson.
In the final hour, the Sky made a call that brought him back down to earth.
‘‘We thought we had agreed to the whole trade,’’ Thibault told the Sun-Times on Sunday. ‘‘We got a call a day or two before we officially did it, and they said, ‘We’d rather substitute the other draft pick that was involved and put Kahleah [Copper] in.’ We were going, ‘Please, don’t do that.’ ’’
Thibault knew Copper’s potential. Two-way wing players with speed and size aren’t easy to come by, and Thibault knew she could be a key to the Mystics’ future success. He also knew he had to do whatever it took to bring Delle Donne to the Mystics.
As reports about the deal to move Delle Donne — who had requested a trade before the 2017 season — circulated, Copper’s name had been absent. There was no reason for her to think she would be dealt, making Thibault’s call to her all the more difficult.
He explained the circumstances, telling Copper — who had been the seventh overall pick in the 2016 draft — that the trade had been all but finalized before the Sky made their last-minute request for her.
The deal was completed in February 2017, and the Mystics won their first WNBA title two years later. Two years after that, it was the Sky’s turn. Without Copper, who was named Finals MVP, it wouldn’t have happened.
Copper has talked a lot about how the early stages of her career shaped the player she would become. Something she has mentioned is that despite the blow it was to be traded, it signaled her value that she was included in a deal for a player of Delle Donne’s stature.
On Sunday in Washington, as Copper ran onto the court to join her team for warmups, she was greeted by her former coach and general manager. As she sprinted past her former bench, Thibault took hold of her arm and pulled her into a hug.
In the seven seasons since Thibault drafted her, Copper has turned herself into exactly the player he knew she would be.
‘‘It’s one of those trades that worked out for both teams,’’ Thibault said. ‘‘Kah has become a focal part of their team, but she still would have looked good in our uniform.’’
Second-half struggles
The Mystics are an entirely different team since the Sky lost to them 80-59 in June.
Without Delle Donne (ankle), Shakira Austin (hip) and Ariel Atkins (ankle), they had gone 2-8 since the All-Star break and were riding a three-game losing streak before their 83-76 victory Sunday against the Sky.
Austin was available after missing more than a month and was welcomed to the court by a huge ovation from fans when she checked in at the six-minute mark of the first quarter.
