MLP Announces Two Trades Ahead of the Vulcan MLP Salt Lake City by Margaritaville
The Columbus Sliders were involved in two confirmed player moves today, ahead of MLP Salt Lake City.
Here are the two trades:
- Columbus Sliders trade Brooke Buckner to the Carolina Pickleball Club for Andrea Koop
- Columbus Sliders trade Connor Garnett to the Utah Black Diamonds for Jay Devilliers
There was no mention of cash considerations in either trade.
In our recap of the MLP Mid-Season Tournament, we did a “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”.
All three teams involved in today’s trade were in the Ugly category and desperately needed a trade to try and change the mojo.
Trade winners and losers
Let’s review who won and lost each trade:
Columbus Sliders trade Brooke Buckner to the Carolina Pickleball Club for Andrea Koop
Winners: Andrea Koop, Carolina Pickleball Club, and Columbus Sliders
Andrea Koop needed to get out of Carolina and fast. She got it.
The Carolina team has not seemed super interested in MLP this year. Koop and Jessie Irvine have gone a combined 0-7 on the season, including the Mid-Season Tournament.
The duo combined for a total score of 127-178, averaging -6.29 points per match. Koop still seems to care about MLP and will probably welcome a change of scenery.
As previously described, Carolina has not been good.
Including the Mid-Season Tournament, Carolina has gone 10-20 in all games played. They have earned five points in the regular season in their five matches.
In terms of points per match, they are in 11th place out of 12 teams.
I think Ben likes playing with Jessie too much to move her, so Koop was the obvious choice. Carolina gets an instant upgrade at Dreambreakers, but Irvine is still the worst singles player in all of the Premier Level.
The Sliders have also been underwhelming, to say the least.
With such big names as Riley Newman, Connor Garnett, Meghan Dizon, and Brooke Buckner, they should be better. Out of the six matches they have played (including the Mid-Season Tournament), the Sliders have won one match in regulation and lost a Dreambreaker.
However, they definitely are not a good Dreambreaker team after this.
Losers: None. This is a win for all parties involved.
Columbus Sliders trade Connor Garnett to the Utah Black Diamonds for Jay Devilliers
Winners: I am not sure anyone really “wins” this one. Utah and Columbus have both had bad records, but I am unsure if either team gets significantly better.
Garnett is still really struggling with his serve - he lobs it in every time.
Riley and Connor couldn’t find success on either side. Connor and Tyler Loong have had some success, winning a silver medal at the PPA Indoor Championships together in March of 2024.
I think Connor and Tyler have a better chance of being good together than Jay and Tyler did. Also, Connor played with Alix Truong, earning a bronze medal at the PPA Red Rock Open.
Jay hasn’t been himself since his injury playing against Dylan Frazier in May. His ankle seems to be improving, but Devilliers is now the only player in 2024 to be traded TWICE.
Erik Tice
A change of scenery could be good for him. He gets to play with Riley Newman and either Meghan Dizon or Andrea Koop.
Losers: Again, I don’t think there are any losers here. Both teams needed a shakeup, but I don’t know how much difference this trade really makes on either side.
Here's a look at each team's new lineup:
- Carolina Pickleball Club - Ben Johns, Brooke Buckner, Jessie Irvine, and Collin Johns
- Columbus Sliders - Riley Newman, Meghan Dizon, Jay Devilliers, and Andrea Koop
- Utah Black Diamonds - Connor Garnett, Callie Jo Smith, Tyler Loong, and Alix Truong
Be on the lookout tomorrow for a full preview of the Vulcan MLP Salt Lake City Tournament Presented by Margaritaville.
|
