WNBA Draft: Lynx Trade 2nd Round Pick for Veteran Jia Perkins

With the 14th overall pick in the WNBA draft, the Lynx selected Jazmon Gwathmey from James Madison University. The Lynx traded the rights to Gwathmey to the San Antonio Stars for veteran Jia Perkins. Perkins is a 12 year veteran who has been with the Stars for the last five seasons. She had a tough shooting season in 2015, but still averaged over 13 points a game. She will be competing for back up minutes in the back court, and will need to show her three point shooting stroke, which has been strong throughout most of her career but poor last season is back in form in order to wrest away minutes from Renee Montgomery and Anna Cruz.

Bashara Graves from the University of Tennessee was the Lynx 2nd pick in the second round. She's a 6'2" power forward and a rebounder. Her nickname at Tennessee was Beast because of her relentless work on the boards.  Graves shot over 50% all four years at Tennessee, though does not feature much of a perimeter game. Her game is in the paint and around the basket, and will look to make the team as a backup to Rebekkah Brunson.  The Lynx traded Dev Peters during the off-season, so there might be an opportunity for Graves to make the club.

With their final pick, the Lynx selected Temi Fagbenle, a native of Nigeria who played for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic Games and attended Harvard before transferring to USC for a final year of eligibility and graduate school. She's a 6'4" rebounder who will be competing with Graves for a roster spot.

In a final local note, University of Minnesota scoring machine Rachel Banham was selected 4th overall by the Connecticut Sun.