There hasn’t been a Washington, D.C. professional basketball team with real title contender status for a long time.
The Mystics mediocrity isn’t as long-running as the Wizards (they were first place in their conference in 2010). But in some ways, their fans suffered more than Wizards fans.
Over the course of their 19-year history, the Mystics missed the playoffs more years then they made it. Furthermore, they haven’t had a true superstar on the team since they traded Chamique Holdsclaw to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2005.
That mediocrity is likely over. In what will probably be the WNBA’s biggest blockbuster deal of the year, the Mystics now have former rookie of the year, MVP, and Olympian Elena Delle Donne.