Li Yueru reportedly asked for a trade seeking more playing time.
The Dallas Wings have had their share of problems defending in the lane this year, and shooting the 3-pointer has also been an issue. The team believes its latest move may help in both spots.
The Wings traded a second and a third-round draft pick to the Seattle Storm on Saturday for center Yi Lueru (6’7”). Dallas sent back the team’s 2026 second-round pick, which includes the right to swap with the Connecticut Sun, and its 2027 third-round pick, which includes the right to swap with the Indiana Fever, in the deal.
To make room on the roster for Yueru, the Wings also waived backup guard Kaila Charles. Charles averaged 4.9 points in 14 minutes per game through the first 11 games of the season for the Wings, earning one start along the way.
Over nine games in Seattle this season, Lueru is shooting 50% from 3-point range (2-of-4 on the year) and 91.7% from the free throw line. In two games against the Wings this year, Yueru scored six points in six minutes in Dallas’ 83-77 loss on June 3 and went scoreless in 13 minutes in Dallas’ 79-71 loss on May 19. Yueru reportedly asked Seattle to trade her in search of more playing time.
Yueru fills a need at the center position for the Wings, after Teaira McCowan has already left the team for Eurobasket competition, where she will compete with Turkey and will be followed shortly by Luisa Geiselsoder, who will compete for Germany. Geiselsoder, a rookie in the WNBA ranks, started the last three games for the Wings at the five. She is scheduled to report to the German National Team on Saturday, according to the team.
The Wings started the season with Myisha Hines-Allen and NaLyssa Smith in the frontcourt but learned quickly that the starting tandem left the defense exposed against teams with a bigger inside presence.
Yueru’s professional career began in China, playing for the Guangdong Dolphins of the Women’s Chinese Basketball League in 2015. The 26-year-old was selected 35th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2019 WNBA Draft, but made her debut in the 2022 season with the Chicago Sky following a pair of trades. Yueru averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds over 16 games with the Sky in 2022. She missed the 2023 season due to injury and was traded to Los Angeles before the 2024 season.
Yueru has served as an anchor for the Chinese national team, representing her home country since 2017. She has earned two gold medals (Asian Games), two silver medals (FIBA Asia Cup, World Cup) and a bronze medal (FIBA Asia Cup) on the international stage. She most recently led China with team highs of 17.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She recorded the most points by a woman in Chinese Olympic basketball history since 1998 with 31 points against Spain on July 28, 2024.