Two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne, one of the best free agents left available, is stepping away from basketball, according to Ramona Shelburne. It's unclear when or if Delle Donne, who has dealt with serious and repeated injury problems in recent years, will return to the game.
Delle Donne has been with the Washington Mystics since 2017, but told the team early in the offseason that she was unsure about her future. Even so, the Mystics used the core designation on Delle Donne, which gave them exclusive negotiating rights with the superstar forward.
The core designation also comes with an automatic one-year supermax offer, though the team and player can work on a longer deal or a sign-and-trade. If Delle Donne wants to come back at some point, she'll have to sign with the Mystics or ask the team to trade her. Either way, Washington won't be left empty-handed. Should Delle Donne sit out the entire 2024 season, the Mystics could place the core designation on her again.
Delle Donne led the Mystics to the first title in franchise history in 2019 while playing through multiple herniated discs in her back. That was the beginning of an arduous, multi-year journey that resulted in severe nerve pain and numerous back surgeries. Delle Donne sat out of the 2020 season and was limited to three games in 2021. Upon her return in 2022, the Mystics kept her on a strict minutes and games limit -- she played 25 times -- that allowed her to get through the season intact.
She entered 2023 pain free and ready to return to her MVP ways, but once again saw her season cut short. This time, by a series of ankle injuries. Though she returned in time for the playoffs, she did not look like herself as the New York Liberty swept the Mystics in the first round.
Delle Donne's absence is a huge loss for the league and the Mystics. Even if she had forced a trade, they could have demanded a steep return to jumpstart a rebuild. Now, they're stuck in no man's land. Natasha Cloud departed in free agency, and it's unclear if Shakira Austin will be ready for the start of the season after she underwent hip surgery earlier this winter.
The Mystics have been a perennial playoff team since Delle Donne's arrival, but it appears it's time for them to start over.
