TL;DR
- The WNBA kicks off its 30th season with fresh talent and high stakes.
- Angel Reese’s trade to Atlanta Dream shakes up the league.
- Chicago Sky aims for redemption after last season’s struggles.
- Connecticut Sun rebrands as Houston Comets amid controversy.
- New York Liberty faces uncertainty with a new head coach.
Congratulations, y’all, we finally made it: we’re officially on the eve of the 30th season of the WNBA. For a while there, I wasn’t sure this day would come, at least not this soon. The negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement stretched on for months and months. Progress seemed stymied by a war of the words between the league and the players’ union. Both sides seemed so far apart on the most foundational issues (revenue share, housing, etc.) that I began to worry that the WNBA might not see its 30th season. But thanks to several all-nighters in a New York hotel conference room, the league and the players were able to come to an agreement. Now, we get to witness the fruits of all that labor: young talent taking advantage of newly conceived roster development slots and franchises being compelled to invest in facilities and personnel to provide for the health and wellness of players. The salaries — which now max out at $1.4M — aren’t sufficient but it’s a meaningful step towards a true partnership between the league and its players. It’s a new day in the WNBA and I, for one, am grateful.
The weeks that followed the finalizing of a new CBA have been hectic: there were two expansion teams’ rosters to fill, a college draft to host, and an abbreviated free agency period that would include nearly all of the league’s veteran players. In short, a lot has happened in a very short amount of time. To help you prepare for the new season, I’ve done all the homework on the league’s 15 (!!) teams (no wild predictions this time, though…I learned my lesson). Today, we start with a look at the teams contending in the Eastern conference.
2025 Season: 30-14; Lost in the first round of the playoffs
Who All’s Gay Here: Jordin Canada
Once the Players’ Association secured support for the new CBA, things within the WNBA shifted quickly: the league’s newest franchises needed to set their preliminary rosters through the expansion draft, then free agency opened and nearly 80% of the league’s veterans competed for million dollar paydays, and, finally, the best collegiate and international players were drafted into the best women’s league in the world. And yet, despite the sheer number of transactions that took place during the abbreviated free agency period, perhaps none was bigger than the trade that sent Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream. Last season, it seemed like the Atlanta Dream skated under the radar. The team had talent, of course — led by Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray — but they didn’t have the star power to compete with Las Vegas, Indiana, or New York for the headlines. Even as Gray put up numbers that had her in early MVP conversations, the WNBA fanbase wasn’t really checking for Atlanta like that. Now, though? Every team has circled their game against Atlanta on their calendar and front offices are pondering whether to move those games to bigger venues. There’s no more sneaking in under the radar for the Atlanta Dream; every team in the league is going to see them coming. I love this move for Reese and for Atlanta. Reese had already built relationships with Gray and Howard (thank you Tamper Bay!) so she comes to Atlanta with a support system and sisterhood that never really existed for her in Chicago (Teresa Weatherspoon notwithstanding). Head Coach Karl Smesko has already shown more excitement and interest in Reese’s development than we saw in Chicago last season…and I know Reese is going to soak those lessons up like a sponge. Obviously, she gives Atlanta a tenacious scorer and rebounder, capable of putting up a double-double every night. That said, I do wonder what the Dream’s post rotation looks like with Reese in the mix, particularly after the team saw so much success with Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon last season. With Jones on the shelf for the start of the season due to injury, there’s more of an opportunity to slot Reese in, but what happens when she returns? Also, I loved what I saw from Madina Okot in the pre-season and hope that she’ll get an opportunity to be part of Atlanta’s post rotation. From my perspective, though, Atlanta’s success this season will hinge on Jordin Canada. If she’s ready to make that jump to an elite play-making point guard, capable of making those pivotal last second decisions, I think she transforms the Dream into a championship contender.
2025 Season: 10-34
Who All’s Gay Here: DiJonai Carrington, Natasha Cloud, Courtney Vandersloot
Last season, Angel Reese insisted that the Chicago Sky needed to change. She said, “I’m not settling for the same s−−− we did this year…it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.” For that — for the sin of telling the truth about the organization that she played for — Angel Reese was rebuked by her team’s leadership and suspended for “statements detrimental to the team.” And yet, during the WNBA’s abbreviated free agency period, all the Chicago Sky has done is prove that Angel Reese was right. Reese was worried about the Sky relying on a 37 year old point guard coming off an ACL injury and pushed the team to get more help at the PG slot. The Sky did that: they now have Skylar Diggins and Natasha Cloud to helm their offense. Finally, the Sky have guards that can actually throw a post-entry pass. Reese said that the Sky needed to recruit “the best of the best” and the Sky have done that, bring in former Sparks teammates Azurá Stevens and Rickea Jackson. Stevens’ development as a stretch big in Los Angeles and Unrivaled made her — to me, at least — one of the most coveted players in free agency. Getting Jackson for an underperforming Ariel Atkins was a coup. She is one of the best young players in the league and was widely underutilized in Los Angeles. I also love the addition of Gabriela Jaquez to this roster, I think she has the potential to be Sonia Citron-esque. So, let’s recap: first, Angel Reese was right and, second, the Chicago Sky are without question a better team coming into the 2026 season than they were last year. BUT — you had to see that coming — this is the Chicago Sky and until the franchise gives me reason to have faith in this team, this coaching staff, and this organization, I remain agnostic with respect to the Sky. That’s not a reflection on these players, it’s decades of the Chicago Sky being the most mismanaged team in the league — the team owner is being sued for this very thing right now! — that leave me gun-shy about believing in this franchise. The improvements to the Sky’s roster haven’t restored my faith in Tyler Marsh. I still wonder if he can be the coach that this team needs. I haven’t liked anything I’ve heard from Courtney Vandersloot in this offseason and I worry about how her relationship with Sky General Manager Jeff Pagliocca might hamstring Marsh. Chicago has foregone rebuild and gone all-in on winning now, mortgaging their future in the process, and I’m just not convinced that they have to leadership in place to lead this team to playoff contention.
2025 Season: 11-33
Who All’s Gay Here: Brittney Griner, Saniya Rivers
It’s the Sunset Season for the Connecticut Sun. After 23 years in Uncasville, the team will move South and rebrand as one of the most storied franchises in women’s basketball: the Houston Comets. While I welcome the return of the WNBA’s original dynasty, nothing about this move sits right with me, most notably that the Mohegan Tribe was forced to pass up a more lucrative offer to buy the team — and keep it in Connecticut — due to the machinations of the MNBA owners. It is such a blatant example of tortious interference as one could possibly imagine but, of course, no one wants to fight the MNBA because they want to do business with the MNBA in the future. Connecticut’s senators have spoken out against the move and are pushing for an antitrust investigation but given who’s running the DOJ right now, I am not optimistic about its chances. Barring litigation from the state’s Attorney General, it looks like the sun has truly set on this franchise. As I start to resign myself to the future, I do begin to wonder how much of what we saw last year and what we’ll see this season in Connecticut will make that move to Houston. Though their record might not show it, the Sun were building something last year: thanks to the work of Jennifer Rizzotti and Morgan Tuck, Sun head coach Rachid Meziane had a young team of dawgs who really bought into the system. Were the Sun going to win? Probably not, but they were going to make their opponents earn that victory. I saw the vision and hoped that the Sun would continue to build upon it. But last week, news (rumors?) circulated that Meziane would take over as head coach of Euroleague powerhouse, Galatasaray S.K.. If Meziane’s gone, is the writing on the wall for Rizzotti and Tuck? Will Houston look to clean house entirely…and if so, what’s that mean for this current roster? If this is it for this franchise and for this team, I hope that the new roster is as young, scrappy, and hungry as last year’s club. Leïla Lacan was a standout on last year’s squad and I’m anxious to see what she can do with a year of experience under her belt. Lacan will be an asset in helping Nell Angloma, the latest talented French prospect to join the WNBA, adjust to the league. With Marina Mabrey gone, I’m interested to see who they partner Lacan with in the backcourt. Saniya Rivers feels like the most obvious answer but I haven’t been impressed by her offensive efficiency in the Sun’s two pre-season games (her defense, though…always top tier). I’ve always been high on Diamond Miller‘s potential — she can slot in at the 2 or 3 — and I hope she’s found a space in Connecticut where she can truly show what she’s capable of. I loved the development we saw last season from Aneesa Morrow, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Aaliyah Edwards and look forward to seeing them grow this season. Pairing that young front court rotation with a savvy veteran like Tina Charles last season paid dividends and hopefully that’ll happen again with Brittney Griner on the roster. In the Sun’s pre-season game vs. the Liberty, Griner reminded me a bit of Marta of the NWSL’s Orlando Pride in 2024: a seasoned veteran reinvigorated by the youth around them. BG looks great and, if TikToks are to be believed, she’s having the time of her life in that Sun locker room…no one deserves it more.
2025 Season: 24-20, Lost in the First Round
Who All’s Gay Here: Marine Johannès, Jonquel Jones, Leonie Fiebich and Breanna Stewart
Just a year removed from winning a WNBA championship, the New York Liberty parted ways with head coach Sandy Brondello at the end of last season. It’s hard to know who to fault for the Liberty’s disappointing 2025 season — a season began with so much promise — but, despite full-throated support from Breanna Stewart following the Liberty’s playoff exit, Brondello took the fall for a disappointing season. The move, the Liberty Front Office contended, was a proactive step. ‘These decisions mark fork-in-the-road moments for organizations,” Liberty General Manager Kolb said. “You can stand still or you can embrace change and move forward, and my commitment is to keep pushing the New York Liberty to new heights.” Kolb replaced the Liberty’s Hall of Fame Coach with Chris DeMarco, a longtime assistant coach with the MNBA’s Golden State Warriors. His only head coaching experience is a short-stint with the Bahamas men’s national basketball team and he’s never coached women before. It was a challenge to get a sense of what DeMarco’s coaching philosophy might be, based on the Liberty’s pre-season games, but I worry about this burgeoning trend. It feels like the experience of longtime MNBA assistants is valued more than the experience of longtime WNBA assistants…and that’s troubling, particularly when you consider the gender dynamics of those roles. That said, there might be enough talent on this Liberty squad to paper over whatever deficiencies DeMarco has. New York retained their big names and added some fresh faces, but will it be enough to reclaim their title? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: the 2026 season is shaping up to be a wild ride in the WNBA.
https://x.com/GsBasketGunlugu/status/2049427518030021029
https://x.com/ConnecticutSun/status/2051678951550890225