Each year Major League Pickleball has a ton of trades, waiver moves, and rosters change quite a bit. To keep fans as updated as possible, this article will track all the 2026 trades made throughout the year.
After each announced trade, this article will be updated, so check back often.
2026 MLP Season Important Dates
Trade Window #1
Dates: January 28 - February 15 (10pm)
January 30 - Trade #1
- LA Mad Drops receive Max Freeman
- Chicago Slice receive Hunter Johnson and cash considerations
New Rosters:
- LA Mad Drops: Ben Johns, Catherine Parenteau, Jade Kawamoto, Max Freeman, Mehvish Safdar, and Wes Burrows
- Chicago Slice:
James Ignatowich, Hunter Johnson,Vivian Glozman, Callie Smith, Carlos Di Laura, Pierina Imparato
*Glozman and Ignatowich had their UPA contracts terminated in late 2025, so they are not really eligible to be on an MLP roster
Analysis: There was always only going to be a handful of guys that Ben would be willing to play with, and apparently Max is one of them. Ben is known to love the right/lefty combo, and had a ton of success with it on the 2023 Seattle Pioneers with Tyler Loong. The only downside for the Mad Drops is it forces one of the ladies to play the left in mixed with Max. I would say this is a win for both teams - LA gets the guy Ben wants as a partner, and Chicago gets some cash for the draft, which they desperately need after the departure of Ignatowich and Glozman.
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