WNBA Free Agency: Winners, Losers, and the Murky Middle
The biggest free-agent class in WNBA history provided no shortage of headlines after signings officially kicked off Saturday.
Though many of the league's biggest stars elected to re-up with their current organizations, some exciting names joined new squads this weekend, adding even more intrigue to a highly anticipated 2026 season.
The sprint of a highly condensed offseason continues with the WNBA draft Monday, less than two weeks before the preseason tips off on April 25.
As the flurry of signings subsides, it's time to sort out the winners and losers -- and a couple of teams that fall somewhere in between.
Winner: New York Liberty
In: Satou Sabally, Anneli Maley / Out: Isabelle Harrison, Kennedy Burke
The New York Liberty would've had a successful offseason simply by retaining their superstar trio of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones. Then they added one of the biggest stars who was on the move in this free-agent class, inking Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally to a multi-year contract.
New York cooled off from a 17-6 start to 2025, finishing fifth overall at 27-17 and falling in the first round to Sabally's Mercury. After firing coach Sandy Brondello in the offseason, the 2024 WNBA champions will look to return to that stage under new bench boss Chris DeMarco.
Satou Sabally has agreed to a multiyear deal to join the New York Liberty, per @ShamsCharania, @alexaphilippou and @kendra__andrews
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 11, 2026
Liberty are LOADED 😳 pic.twitter.com/YKNPlhxUvr
The 6-foot-4 Sabally -- a three-time All-Star who received MVP votes with the Dallas Wings in 2023 -- adds an elite scoring stroke and powerful frame to a Liberty starting five that already boasts plenty of size in Jones (6-foot-6), Stewart (6-foot-4), and Leonie Fiebich (6-foot-4).
You'll be hard-pressed to find a more dominant top foursome in the league, even compared to the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, headed by four-time MVP A'ja Wilson.
Sabally's addition likely comes at the cost of New York's bench, which already lost her sister, Nyara Sabally, to the Toronto Tempo in expansion last week. Isabelle Harrison signed with Toronto on Sunday, reuniting with Brondello, and Kennedy Burke joined the Connecticut Sun on a one-year deal, marking multiple hits to the Liberty's depth.
Australian forward and former WNBL MVP Anneli Maley signed a training camp contract Sunday, and electrifying backup guard Marine Johannes is expected to return in 2026, but starting point guard Natasha Cloud and midseason addition Emma Meesseman remain unsigned.
New York would need to do some maneuvering to fit both under the $7-million salary cap, though reduced depth may be a worthwhile trade-off for its star power up front.
Winner: Golden State Valkyries
In: Gabby Williams / Out: Monique Billings
Coach Natalie Nakase and the Golden State Valkyries shocked the WNBA world in 2025, qualifying for the postseason in their inaugural season. Now Golden State is well-positioned to improve upon a 23-21 campaign.
Golden State re-signed key players from last season -- Veronica Burton, Janelle Salaün, Cecilia Zandalasini, and Iliana Rupert, to name a few -- and added a game-changing piece in former Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams on a multi-year contract.
Williams was one of the top two-way players in the league last season, earning First Team All-Defensive Team honors and finishing third in Defensive Player of the Year voting while averaging 11.6 points and notching her first career All-Star bid. A capable three-point shooter who led the WNBA with 2.3 steals per game last season, the 29-year-old is a strong fit on a Valkyries team that led the league in scoring defense (76.3 points) and three-point attempts (29.9).
Kayla Thornton is unsigned after pacing Golden State with 14.0 points per game in 22 contests last season, but the Valkyries are still trending upward heading into 2026.
Winners (Honorable Mention): Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever
After squaring off in a thrilling WNBA semifinals series in September, the Aces and Indiana Fever are poised to be title contenders once again.
Neither Las Vegas nor Indiana made a big splash in free agency yet, but both retained key pieces of their core from 2025 -- and that alone keeps them in the mix going into 2026.
Las Vegas retained Chelsea Gray and Jewell Lloyd on three-year deals and signed Jackie Young to a one-year contract. The Aces' centerpiece, Wilson, announced she has no intentions of leaving Las Vegas this offseason, ensuring the return of its championship core for another season.
Indiana, meanwhile, will bank on improved health in 2026 -- namely for star point guard Caitlin Clark. The Fever re-upped with Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham on one-year deals and signed Lexie Hull to a multi-year contract. They also bolstered their depth in free agency, bringing in forward Monique Billings and backup point guard Tyasha Harris.
It might not be the flashiest offseason for either team, but sometimes the best approach is a simple one. That appears to be the case for Las Vegas and Indiana.
Loser: Seattle Storm
In: Natasha Hiedeman, Stefanie Dolson / Out: Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes, Erica Wheeler
Safe to say, the Storm will look a bit different in 2026. Seattle fired head coach Noelle Quinn after a disappointing 2025 season that ended in a first-round playoff exit -- but the changes won't stop there.
No team lost more star power across the league than the Storm, whose top five scorers from last season -- Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes, Gabby Williams, and Erica Wheeler -- all elected to go elsewhere in free agency. Seattle brought in a couple of solid role players in Natasha Hiedeman and Stefanie Dolson, but it does little to make up for a mass exodus of talent.
Can confirm free agent center Stefanie Dolson is signing with the Seattle Storm. The two-time All-Star and 2021 WNBA champion arrives as one of Seattle's new acquisitions after the departure of its top five scorers from 2025. @Khristina first
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) April 11, 2026
The Storm re-signed 6-foot-4 forward Ezi Magbegor, while 6-foot-6 Dominique Malonga returns for her second WNBA season after earning All-Rookie honors, but it doesn't seem like they'll have much help around them. First-year head coach Sonia Raman has her work cut out for her.
Loser: Phoenix Mercury
Out: Satou Sabally
Unlike the Aces, the Mercury weren't able to keep last season's WNBA Finals core intact. Phoenix reached the title round in 2025, but Las Vegas quickly disposed of them in a four-game sweep.
Alyssa Thomas is set to return, ensuring that the Mercury will be headed by a perennial MVP candidate, but the departure of Sabally is a big loss for a Phoenix team that finished middle of the pack in scoring offense.
Bringing back Kahleah Copper on a two-year deal helps maintain the Mercury's status as a playoff contender, but Phoenix is still trending in the wrong direction.
Still Murky: Los Angeles Sparks
In: Nneka Ogwumike, Ariel Atkins, Erica Wheeler / Out: Rickea Jackson, Azura Stevens
The Los Angeles Sparks have been busy this weekend -- and it should make them more competitive after missing the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season in 2025.
Ogwumike headlines the additions for Los Angeles after earning her 10th career All-Star bid with the Storm in 2025. The Sparks legend won MVP with L.A. in 2016 and is still an MVP-level talent entering her age-35 season. Wheeler, meanwhile, proved a more than capable offensive spark plug in Seattle last season. Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby are set to return as well after fronting the offense last season with 19.5 points and 18.4 points, respectively.
Sparks sign franchise legend Nneka Ogwumike.
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) April 12, 2026
📝 https://t.co/L91zwaN5bk pic.twitter.com/ggbe2UE8mQ
Offense wasn't an issue for a Sparks squad that finished second in the league with 85.7 points per game in 2025, and they could be even more dangerous this season.
But Los Angeles made a somewhat questionable win-now move, trading 24-year-old forward Rickea Jackson to the Chicago Sky for 29-year-old guard Ariel Atkins. Atkins is a talented addition to the Sparks backcourt, but Jackson was a rising star who finished ninth in MVP voting in 2025.
The Sparks are talented enough to qualify for the postseason in 2026, and Ogwumike and Atkins should help shore up a defense that struggled mightily last season. Still, they might come to regret moving on from a young talent in Jackson, especially if they can't capitalize on this current window with Plum, Hamby, and Ogwumike.
Still Murky: Minnesota Lynx
In: Natasha Howard, Nia Coffey / Out: Alanna Smith, DiJonai Carrington, Natasha Hiedeman, Jessica Shepard
The Minnesota Lynx also fall into the murky middle, but while Los Angeles is trending up, the Lynx appear to be heading in the opposite direction.
Minnesota's roster already suffered a major blow leading into free agency, when the Portland Fire selected starting forward Bridget Carleton as their lone unrestricted free agent (UFA) selection in the 2026 Expansion Draft.
The frontcourt was further depleted in free agency, with Jessica Shepard and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith joining the Wings, the latter of whom on a three-year max deal. The Lynx also lost two of their top guards off the bench, with Hiedeman and DiJonai Carrington landing in new spots.
Minnesota still has plenty of talent to speak of. Starters Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams will return in 2026, and star forward Napheesa Collier could be back as well after the Lynx extended a core qualifying offer to her on April 7.
They've got the makings of a playoff contender, but Minnesota will have a tough time replicating a 34-10 campaign in 2025 after parting ways with so many vital pieces.
Lou Orlando is a Fordham University alum, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. At Rose Hill, he covered women's basketball for the university newspaper, the Fordham Ram. In addition to calling games on 90.7 FM. The Brooklyn native enjoys bagels and thinking about random early-2010s athletes, that is when he isn't penning stories for Women's Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI.
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