Final MLP trades PLUS who's getting dropped

Final Trades

The trade deadline was 10 p.m. last night (Feb 15th), and closed not before a flurry of new trades went through:

Carolina PB Club received cash from LV Night Owls for Brooke Buckner, and received Yana Newell from SoCal Hard Eights.

LV Night Owls, after receiving Brooke, sent Judit Castillo to SoCal Hard Eights for cash.

This one was a bit more complex, with a multi-team deal, but essentially SoCal now has Castillo in place of Yana Newell, and Carolina has Yana in place of Brooke Buckner. SoCal and LV both paid cash considerations, with LV and Carolina both receiving funds for their trades.

But that’s not all…

Vivian Glozman was traded from NY Hustlers to Atlanta Bouncers (now Premier after last year’s promotion) for Susannah Barr and 💵cash💵.

AND…

New Jersey 5s trade Mari Humberg to the Brooklyn Aces (Challenger) for Amanda Hendry and 💵cash💵.

Happy Keeper Day

With the trade window closed, both Premier and Challenger teams had until 7 p.m. tonight to declare their keepers- but this news is not likely to go public for another day or so. While we wait - let’s conjecture, shall we?

Since both Tyler and Jimmy have insider information, we’ve invited a collaboration of guest authors and MLP enthusiasts to share their unbiased and uninfluenced perspective on who might be dropped across both leagues.

Premier

Atlanta Bouncers’ current roster: Vivian Glozman, Emily Cederquist, Todd Fought, Jaume Martinez Vich

Emily is the obvious choice. She didn’t have a great track record with the Black Bears, and now that the Bouncers are in Premier, they have to elevate their roster.

Carolina PBC’s current roster: Ben Johns, Collin Johns, Kaitlyn Christian, Yana Newell

Yana has to be dropped as she wasn’t drafted last year. Which sucks for Carolina, who seems to have zero interest in winning, and a lot of interest in spending as little as possible for anyone not named Ben Johns. Don’t feel too bad for Yana, though. She’ll do great on the open market, having a higher DUPR than Lucy Kovalova and Kate Fahey. Bonus drop: Kaitlyn, to pick up someone cheaper.

Chicago Slice’s current roster: Megan Fudge, Allison Harris, Brendan Long, Jack Munro

Everyone. No one is getting hit by the new No-Unsigned-Players rule harder than Chicago, and it’s not clear if they have the desire to spend money (given they participated in zero trades). Expect this roster to look like a dumpster fire.

Columbus Sliders’ current roster: Andrei Daescu, CJ Klinger, Parris Todd, Callie Jo Smith

Callie Jo’s gotta go. They’d be stupid to drop Parris, who’s getting better every tournament (and will kill in Dreambreakers) while Callie is in decline. Columbus made some strategic moves during the trade window to pick up Andrei and CJ, who ripped up APP for months. Let’s see if they still have the magic to help the Sliders do any better than they did last year (shouldn’t be hard).

DC Pickleball Team’s current roster: Dekel Bar, Rachel Rohrabacher, James Ignatowich, Jackie Kawamoto

James Ignatowich. James costs you a quarter of a million dollars. All indications are that teams aren’t willing to spend nearly that much— and that’s not even touching the fact that he’s been in decline ever since his split with AB. They could buy him back for less, but they could be content with some of the other options that could be on the table (Hayden, QD, Jack or Riley).

Dallas Flash’s current roster: JW Johnson, Jorja Johnson, Hurricane Tyra Black, Augie Ge

Augie, but it’ll pain them to do so. They have to drop somebody, and you can probably get Augie back the cheapest, so open your checkbook, Dallas, and get it done.

LA Mad Drops’ current roster: Hunter Johnson, Thomas Wilson, Jade Kawamoto, Catherine Parenteau

Thomas Wilson. Sadly, until more is known about his health issues, they don’t have a choice. LA has to drop him to get someone who can actually play. But speedy recovery to Thomas— we all hope to see him back on court soon.

Miami PBC’s current roster: Noe Khlif, Bobbi Oshiro, Eric Oncins, Milan Rane

Bobbi & Noe were undrafted and must be dropped. Noe is a rising star, and will probably get snapped up quickly by another team who’s hoping he’s the Quang Duong of 2025.

New Jersey Fives’ current roster: Anna Leigh Waters, Amanda Hendry, Zane Navratil, Will Howells

Amanda Hendry. The Mari-Amanda trade was confusing, because top women are at a premium. To trade a very serviceable woman for someone who has to be dropped, puts you in the position to shell out big bucks to find a top woman to play with ALW. Or, maybe they’re banking on putting literally anyone next to ALW and still winning.

NY Hustlers’ current roster: Jack Sock, Riley Newman, Lea Jansen, Susannah Barr

Susannah Barr must be dropped, as she was undrafted. This is a wild card team. You’ve got Jack and Riley, who both cost a LOT of money to keep ($275k apiece). It’s unknown if they want to front that kind of cash. Lea is a plug & play team member (plays left, right, and Dreambreaker incredibly well) who isn’t terribly expensive, and seems like a must-keep. During trades, the Hustlers amassed some cash along with their personnel changes, which could signal they’re ready to pay up.

Orlando Squeeze’s current roster: Dylan Frazier, Federico Staksrud, Vivienne David, Lacy Schneemann

Vivienne David. They made a strategic move with their men and seem highly unlikely to drop Dylan or Fed. Vivienne plays fine, but she’s pricey: $140k to Lacy’s $20.5k

Phoenix Flames’ current roster: Tyson McGuffin, Jay Devilliers, Jessie Irvine, Meghan Dizon

Meghan. Women are a scarce commodity, but Meghan costs $150k to keep (more than Tyson). Jessie and Meghan have both been playing great— only downside is neither are strong on the left, so they might not be successful together. They’re rolling the dice dropping Meghan, but Phoenix doesn’t seem like they’re 100% driven by court performance, and more about brand growth. (Still scratching my head over the Proton-owned Flames getting rid of their top Proton-signed player.) Maybe they’re making a move to sign Tyson to a paddle deal when his Joola contract is up, and they could do the same with Jay when his Vulcan deal ends this year.

SoCal Hard Eights’ current roster: Erik Lange, Max “Purple Jesus” Manthou, Judit Castillo, Irina Tereschenko

Purple Jesus can’t be kept (undrafted).

St. Louis Shock’s current roster: Gabe Tardio, Hayden Patriquin, Anna Bright, Kate Fahey

You thought I was going to say Kate, didn’t you? If the Shock drop her hoping to get her back, they’re walking into a bidding war with two of the other biggest spenders in the league (Fives & Squeeze) who are also looking for a top woman. So their best bet is to drop Hayden ($102k). Gabe plays the right, is overall better (not including singles), and you can probably find a left-side guy from the market that’s just as good as Big H. Jack? Thomas Wilson, if he comes back? James Ignatowich…. (well??) Quang Duong?

Texas Ranchers’ current roster: Christian Alshon, Quang Duong, Tina Pisnik, Etta (Wright) Tuionetoa

Quang Duong. They don’t want to, but they gotta (undrafted).

Utah Black Diamonds’ current roster: Connor Garnett, Tyler Loong, Alix Truong, Genie Bouchard

Genie, but only because they have to (undrafted). It’s a shame, but probably a decent chance at getting her back if they really want her.

Challenger

Bay Area Breakers’ current roster: Jill Braverman, Allyce Jones, Collin Shick, Martin Emmrich

Jill is a must-drop, as she’s unsigned. Given her track record going up against Pardoe, that’s not likely to change anytime soon. Collin’s gone back to med school to get a real career, instead of losing in R32s over and over.

California Black Bears’ current roster: Rafa Hewett, Brandon French, Lina Padegimaite, Layne Sleeth

Brandon French was undrafted, so he’s out.

Brooklyn Aces’ current roster: Daniel De La Rosa, Blaine Hovenier, Mari Humberg, Andrea Koop

Blaine Hovenier was undrafted and must be dropped. Losing Pablo hurts, but there should be a decent pool of men to choose from. The Aces used their Pablo money to pay for Mari from the Fives. Their angle must be building a strong female team; Mari and Koop could be the strongest two women in Challenger, or second to Brooke & Zoey in Vegas.

Las Vegas Night Owls’ current roster: Chris Haworth, Pablo Tellez, Brooke Buckner, Zoey Wang

Chris Haworth was undrafted and remains unsigned. Otherwise, Vegas is a really strong team—maybe even stronger than the Slice after that team gets decimated.

Florida Smash’s current roster: Travis Rettenmeier, Donald Young, Christa Gecheva, Martina Frantova

They have to drop Christa because she was undrafted, but Travis should really drop himself, knowing that no one else will pick him up. Then he can pay $10k to put himself back on his own team, and have more to complain about on his podcast.

Nashville (nee Frisco) Pandas’ current roster: Stefan Auvergne, Michael Loyd, Ewa Radzikowzka, Tammy Emmrich

Michael Loyd was undrafted. Based on his performance at Nationals, he can expect to be picked up, though probably not Premier-level yet.

Upcoming Key Dates

• March 3rd: Premier Draft

• March 4th: Challenger Draft

• March 4th: Trade window opens post-draft

• April 24th: Season kick-off in Orlando

KOTC’s exclusive flavor is OUT NOW!

Introducing… 

Episode 126: Tucson recap