Multiple sources have confirmed to The Kitchen a blockbuster Major League Pickleball trade that sends Tyra Black from the Dallas Flash to the Columbus Sliders in exchange for rising women’s player Danni-Elle Townsend.

Dallas will also get an undisclosed amount of cash as part of the deal — the max per trade is $200,000.

The deal had not been made official by the league as of Sunday night, but is expected to go through.

The Kitchen Pickleball Discounts.

UPDATED ROSTERS

Columbus Sliders: Andrei Daescu, CJ Klinger, Alexander Crum, Parris Todd, Tyra Black, Judit Castillo.

Dallas Flash: JW Johnson, Augie Ge, Ivan Jakovljevic, Danni-Elle Townsend, Brooke Buckner, Albie Huang.

Read next: 11SIX24 Ultre Power 2 is the brand’s best paddle yet

Instant reaction

Columbus is having a strong season so far (12-4), and this trade makes them a serious threat to repeat as Major League Pickleball champions.

Black has previously had success with both Todd and Daescu on the PPA Tour, earning a silver in women’s doubles with Todd at this year’s Indoor National Championships in January and a bronze with Daescu in mixed doubles at the Mesa Cup in February.

It’s unclear which lineup the Sliders will go with in mixed doubles — Daescu has had success with both Todd and Black. It’s worth noting that Black has played almost all of her MLP matches with a lefty (Augie Ge) the past three seasons, so she would presumably be a good fit with CJ Klinger.

Read next: The Kitchen’s top 13 pickleball paddles on the market right now + in-depth reviews for each one

The trade also makes sense for the Dallas Flash, who are having a down year by their standards (4-6). Black was only eligible to be kept through the remainder of 2026, while Townsend can be kept through 2028. So this move allows them to build for the future with Townsend, who has been having a great rookie season in MLP. She is 10-6 in women’s doubles this season and 9-6 in mixed doubles.