Major League Pickleball Trade Deadline: Recap and Grades

The conclusion of the Miami Pickleball Club vs. California Black Bears match on Sunday, September 29, marked the trade deadline for Major League Pickleball in 2024.

Let’s dive into the details of all the trades:

Trade #1:

• Columbus Sliders acquire Callie Smith
• Utah Black Diamonds acquire Andrea Koop and cash considerations

Trade #2:

• Brooklyn Aces acquire Andrea Koop
• Utah Black Diamonds acquire Lina Padegimaite and cash considerations

Trade #3:

• California Black Bears acquire Lina Padegimaite
• Utah Black Diamonds acquire Genie Erokhina and cash considerations

Trade #4:

• Arizona Drive acquire Jessie Irvine
• Carolina Pickleball Club acquire Kaitlyn Christian

Trade #5:

• Columbus Sliders acquire Parris Todd
• Orlando Squeeze acquire Meghan Dizon and cash considerations

Phew—those are a lot of moves! Rather than assigning a grade to each trade, I’ll give each team an overall grade based on their deadline decisions.

Premier Level Teams

AZ Drive: C

• Acquired: Jessie Irvine in exchange for Kaitlyn Christian
• Current Roster: Andrei Daescu, Dylan Frazier, Lacy Schneemann, Jessie Irvine

The Drive have 11 matches remaining and needed a big swing to stay in playoff contention. They currently sit at 0.92 points per match, while the 6th-place NY Hustlers are at 1.67 points per match—there’s a lot of ground to make up.

Irvine might be a slight upgrade over Christian in mixed doubles, but she’s notably weaker in Dreambreakers. This trade drops the Drive from being one of the top Dreambreaker teams to possibly 9th or 10th.

The bigger issue, however, lies with the men’s doubles team. Andrei and Dylan were the first two men drafted together (5th and 13th overall), yet they’re the second-worst men’s doubles team in Premier Level, with a win percentage of only 38% (5-8). With both players costing AZ over $440,000 next year, trading one of them might have been more impactful than swapping Christian for Irvine.

Carolina Pickleball Club: B-

• Acquired: Kaitlyn Christian in exchange for Jessie Irvine
• Current Roster: Ben Johns, Brooke Buckner, Collin Johns, Kaitlyn Christian

Carolina is built similarly to the New Jersey 5s, relying on their star player (Ben Johns) to carry them through Dreambreakers. However, unlike the 5s, Carolina has underperformed, currently sitting in 7th place.

I like the trade for Dreambreakers, as Christian should improve the team in that format. Still, I’m not sure this deal boosts their 2024 playoff hopes enough, given that they need to average 2.4 points per match in their final seven games.

A bolder move might have been trading Collin Johns for an up-and-coming Challenger player or a lefty like Loong, Tellez, or Klinger. Such a trade could have significantly impacted this season and positioned Carolina better for 2025.

Columbus Sliders: B+

• Acquired: Callie Smith in exchange for Andrea Koop and cash
• Acquired: Parris Todd in exchange for Meghan Dizon and cash
• Current Roster: Riley Newman, Jay Devilliers (IR), Callie Smith, Parris Todd

Though Columbus is out of playoff contention for 2024, they’ve set themselves up well for 2025. While Koop and Dizon would have cost the Sliders $155,000 next year, Parris and Callie will cost $167,000 combined, and Parris is currently playing exceptionally well.

I like this trade for the future. No matter who they drop for 2025, Columbus has a very solid combo of Riley and Parris Todd moving forward. As long as Columbus didn’t send a ton of cash to Orlando, I like this trade for them.

Orlando Squeeze: C

• Acquired: Meghan Dizon and cash in exchange for Parris Todd
• Current Roster: Federico Staksrud, Tyson McGuffin, Vivienne David, Meghan Dizon

I liked the Squeeze’s roster before the trade, and this move doesn’t do much to change that. The women’s team still lacks a true left-side player, and while Dizon could benefit from a change of scenery, she hasn’t been in top form this year.

Lastly, this team is now significantly worse in Dreambreakers. The guys are good, but the women will lose a lot of points, and Orlando can’t lose too many more matches in 2024 if they want a shot at the playoffs.

Utah Black Diamonds: A

• Acquired: Andrea Koop and cash considerations for Callie Smith
• Acquired: Lina Padegimaite and cash considerations for Andrea Koop
• Acquired: Genie Erokhina and cash considerations for Lina Padegimaite
• Current Roster: Connor Garnett, Tyler Loong, Alix Truong, Genie Erokhina (to be waived)

Utah was busy at the deadline, making several moves. Since they weren’t going to keep Callie Smith for 2025, they turned her into cash, Andrea Koop, and Lina Padegimaite. This leaves their 2025 payroll under $100,000 if they retain Connor, Tyler, and Alix.

Connor Pardoe did tweet that the Black Diamonds will waive Erokhina and pick up a waiver wire player on Wednesday. This is a good move for Erokhina, as she is eligible to be picked up the following day by a Challenger team.

UBD will miss Callie Smith. Good luck in Columbus. Utah will pick up a player off the waiver wire for our last event in 2024 and will look to add a new female to the roster next season.

Challenger Teams

Brooklyn Aces: B

• Acquired: Andrea Koop in exchange for Lina Padegimaite and cash
• Current Roster: Pablo Tellez, Daniel De La Rosa, Layne Sleeth, Andrea Koop

The Aces have underperformed since acquiring Pablo Tellez and needed a deadline move. Koop adds stability to their doubles lineup, though they may lose a bit of Dreambreaker edge.

It will be interesting to see the mixed pairings moving forward for the Aces, who only have four more matches in the regular season.

The Aces lose a little edge in Dreambreakers, so it will be interesting to see how many Dreambreakers they play in their last four matches and playoffs if they make it. I believe Koop will help the Aces make the playoffs and get promoted to the Premier Level in 2025.

California Black Bears: B+

• Acquired: Lina Padegimaite in exchange for Genie Erokhina and cash
• Current Roster: Amanda Hendry, Chris Haworth, Brandon French, Lina Padegimaite

The Black Bears have been eliminated from the playoffs, so all their recent moves are for 2025. I can’t imagine they paid a ton of money for Lina, but Lina is a true left-side player to match well with Hendry, the only Black Bear to stay with the team throughout the 2024 season.

It will be very interesting to see who the Black Bears keep going into 2025, but a women’s team of Lina and Amanda looks like it has the beginnings of a good partnership.

The third and final waiver wire period is Wednesday and Thursday, October 2 and 3. Premier Level teams will have their waiver period on Wednesday, with Challenger teams following on Thursday.