After The most successful season in the history of the WNBA In terms of impact and audience, fans will see a massive turnover while teams store players and choices trying to dethrone the New York Liberty reigning champion.
The burst of trades and free agency movements has fans that itch May 16 to warn and another WNBA season This could break more audience records and put an even larger projector on the league that was sorely missing before last season.
THE Dallas Wings has the choice n ° 1 in the draft of the WNBABut before they could make a selection on a potential player who changes deductible, the teams rolled up and treated, by making trades, by signing stars, by reworking the order of the draft. But there are a few teams – for the best or for the worst – who have had interesting seasons, and the 29th WNBA season will not disappoint.
Here are the WNBA winners and losers so far during the free period:
NOTICE: No banner large enough to reflect the heritage of Caitlin Clark
Winners
Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles sparks Star Guard acquired and Olympic gold medalist Kelsey Plum Las Vegas aces in a trade that Jewell Loyd, another All-Star and Olympic gold medalist in Vegas, with the overall choice n ° 2 in the 2025 draft heading towards Seattle Storm as part of successful agreement. The storm also received the Los Angeles Li Yueru striker as well as the choice of first round Aces in 2026. In addition to Plum, the Sparks also obtain the overall choice n ° 9 in 2025 and a second round choice in 2026 in The storm, while Las Vegas obtains the choice n ° 13 of 2025 of Los Angeles.
Lynne Roberts, New Coach Sparks coach, has a lot to work and can start being a competitive team. The Sparks, who have missed the playoffs of each of the last four seasons, have a nucleus which can compete for a place in the playoffs in 2025 with Plum, Deare Hamby, Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink, which should be entirely healthy d ‘A knee injury that wiped out its recruited season.
In fact, everything would be an improvement compared to a 2024 season when Los Angeles had the worst League record and finished in the last three in attack and defense.
Phoenix Mercury
The most recent and most intriguing Superteam resides in Phoenix, with All-Star Forwards Satou Sabally And Alyssa Thomas heading towards Mercury After two big trades. Yes, the mercury has lost a long time Brittney Griner, who signed a one -year agreement with Atlanta’s dream. And, yes, the status of Diana Taurasi, the top scorer of all time in the league, is always a little troubled. But the mercury recharging while they are trying to switch to the upper level of the league.
With Kahleah Copper, who collected on average 21 points per game last season, returning, mercury improves at both ends, but unless they can provide aid to the bench, these three will be invited to play heavy minutes. Anyway, a little more size and another threat of reliable shooting could not hurt, and they will have to fill this place through another acquisition, because they do not have a single choice in the draft at three rounds 2025.
Indiana fever
THE Caitlin effect Clark is real, the players flock to the Midwest to play with the league Recruit of the year. A beginning of 1-8 led to a 20-20 finish and a release in the playoffs in the first round, but it was enough for Get two stars veterans, attackers Natasha Howard and Dewanna BonnerTo help with the heart of Clark, recruit of the year 2023, Aliyah Boston, and re-signed All-Star Kelsey Mitchell (19 ppg, 40% 3-PT FG). New additions Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham add depth and tenacity, which sometimes lacked last season.
New stephanie white head coachWho returned to his country of origin after winning the trainer of the year with the honors with the Connecticut Sun, has a five who can now compete for the championships, and nothing less than a seeded in series 2025 will be a major disappointment.
Losers
Connecticut Soleil
The status of the sun as one of the best teams in the League has almost certainly ended – at least temporarily. The first head coach Stephanie White left to take the same work with fever. Connecticut then saw its five departure from leaving via trade or the free agency, notably Thomas, Bonner and Bonna Jones, who joined Griner in Atlanta. The threat of score, Marina Mabrey, also asked for a job.
Connecticut has signed All-Star eight times and former MVP Tina Charles, who is 36 years old, goalkeeper Diamond Deshields and acquired Natasha Cloud custody in a multi-team business with Phoenix, but with only two players who were on the list From last year, there is not it is not a large part of what is going on.
We do not know what this team will look like at the start of the season, while the new head coach Rachid Meziane, who is also the coach of the Belgian national team, has mass for him.
Golden State Valkyries
Most professional sports leagues make unwavering expansion franchises during their first seasons, and the Golden State Valkyries, despite the resources that most teams would like to haveare no exception. The new WNBA team should have a hard time during their initial season. But everything is not lost in the bay, even if Golden State could not land in any of the best players on the market in this free agent cycle.
The Valkyries signed Tiffany Hayes, the sixth player of the year 2024 with Las Vegas, and should hope that they hit their selections in the draft, especially no. 5 overall choice. The owner of Valkyries, Joe Lacob, admitted that there were challenges in the alignment building, comparing the franchise to a “startup”. However, most of the current list will be based on Hayes and international actors in countries like Australia, France and Belgium, therefore 2025 will be work in progress. Addition of Monique Billings and Kate Martin in the WNBA extension project Help, because their roles will change considerably, going from reserves to possible starters.
Washington mystics
There was hardly a glance of the mystics this offseason, which is a surprise because they were one of the worst League teams in 2024. The new managing director Jamila Wideman inherits a team that s ‘is improved as the season has worn and has won eight of their last 12 games to close the season. The team has two first round choices – Global choices n ° 4 and n ° 6 – and could pack these selections to try to make noise in the draft (Wink, Wink, Paige Bueckers) but they drown in a ceiling Employeal Hell and cannot do much beyond what is currently on the list.
It is undoubtedly a reconstruction, even if Elena Delle gives is healthy and decides that she wants to come back to play. The greatest needs would be another shooter to accompany Stefanie Dolson and a reliable leader to make her the ball when she decides to enter inside.
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This article originally appeared on USA Today: The winners of the WNBA Free Agency, the losers include mercury, fever, sparks, the sun
