Grading Every Major WNBA Free Agency Addition After the First Half of the Season
Most big-time free agents, like A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier, stayed put this offseason. Nevertheless, there were some exciting free agency moves and big-time departures. Five 2025 All-Stars changed teams, as well as several All-Stars from previous seasons and key contributors on 2024 contenders.
Some of those moves have already paid off big-time for teams and players alike. Others, meanwhile, have been underwhelming throughout the first half of the season.
Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries: A+
Gabby Williams’s Bay Area homecoming was a home run for both sides. The Valkyries found a star who embodies their defensive identity with every fiber of her being and went from being a low playoff seed to a top-three team. Williams, meanwhile, is in the middle of her best all-around season yet, averaging career highs in points per game and 3-point percentage. She was named an All-Star starter for the first time in her career.
Satou Sabally, New York Liberty: C-
Satou Sabally’s decision to leave the Phoenix Mercury and sign with the New York Liberty promised to change the power dynamic among contenders. Phoenix lost its leading scorer from its finals run, and New York landed a fourth star to add to its super team.
The Mercury never recovered from losing Sabally, but the Liberty haven’t been able to benefit much from her addition. Sabally has only played 13 games. She’s put together some great performances, like a 19-point game in a win over Atlanta, but the fact that she’s been in and out of the lineup is incredibly disappointing. Hopefully, she’ll be more available in the second half of the season and can live up to the hype around her addition by helping the Liberty look more like the title contender they should be.
Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks: B
Nneka Ogwumike could have been a difference-maker for several teams. She opted to return to the LA Sparks. She’s having a good individual season, averaging 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals. She was named an All-Star once again, is climbing up the Sparks’ all-time lists, and hit a massive game-winning shot on the anniversary of the first-ever WNBA game.
At the same time, however, the Sparks haven’t found as much team success as you’d expect from a team built around Ogwumike and Kelsey Plum, who has missed several games with an injury. Ogwumike led the Sparks to back-to-back wins with two 20-point games, which can hopefully ignite a second-half playoff push.
Skylar Diggins, Chicago Sky: D
Skylar Diggins left the Seattle Storm to sign with the Chicago Sky. Diggins and the Sky made for a fascinating combination. The 35-year-old has a reputation for calling out organizations’ shortcomings and setting high standards for everyone around her. The Sky, meanwhile, is one of the most dysfunctional organizations in the W.
It didn’t take long for things to get interesting. After a rough losing streak, Diggins called out the team and staff over a “frustrating experience”. More recently, she voiced her frustrations with being expected to come off the bench on Instagram and blasted the Sky’s lack of resources—their practice facility still isn’t done yet— in a media availability afterwards. The chances that the two sides will work things out seem slim.
Diggins and the Sky also haven’t been a great pairing on the court. Diggins is averaging her lowest point average and field goal percentage since the 2016 season.
Brittney Sykes, Toronto Tempo: B+
Brittney Sykes made her All-Star debut as an injury replacement last year. The Washington Mystics then traded her to the Storm, where she was a part of a veteran- and star-heavy team. Like Ogwumike, Williams, and Diggins, she decided to leave in free agency. Sykes signed with the Toronto Tempo, becoming one of the team’s first big stars.
It’s worked out pretty well for both sides. Skyes was playing like an All-Star before an injury took her out almost a month ago. If not for that injury, the grade would be even better. Betting on Sykes as a franchise star was a good choice by the Tempo.
Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx: A
Natasha Howard helped the Indiana Fever make it all the way to Game 5 of the semifinals despite several season-ending injuries to key players. While it was a successful year for the team, it was a down season for Howard herself. Signing with the Lynx has revitalized her. Howard is averaging 16.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game and is clearly one of the best players on the number-one team in the league. After three years of missing out on All-Star nods, she was named a starter.
The reunion has also been big for the Lynx. Howard has allowed them to overcome all of the frontcourt departures and injuries they had to endure.
Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo: A
The Tempo used their one unrestricted free agent pick in the expansion draft on Marina Mabrey. She signed a max contract with the franchise and is earning every dollar. Mabrey is a first-time All-Star and has emerged as one of the deadliest scorers in the W. She has already recorded five 30-point games, including a historic 53-point performance in a 125-97 win against the Sparks. Even if Toronto doesn’t make the playoffs in the midst of its injury woes, Mabrey and Sykes form a solid foundation for a better 2027 season.
Alanna Smith, Dallas Wings: D+
The reigning co-DPOY was a big get for a Dallas Wings team hoping to establish a winning culture and build a playoff team around Paige Bueckers. Smith hasn’t looked much like herself due to a broken nose and a concussion. She’s averaging just 3.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.4 blocks per game. The Wings have been able to make up for her struggles, but it’s still extremely disappointing that one of the highest-paid players on the team is barely playing and producing. However, there is still hope for a second-half turnaround.
Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings: A
While Smith is struggling, Jessica Shepard is thriving as an offensive engine in Dallas. She’s one of just two players who currently average a double-double, and she has recorded the only three triple-doubles of the season. Shepard will make her All-Star debut as a starter this year and is a big reason for the Wings’ success this season.
Natasha Cloud, Chicago Sky: C+
Natasha Cloud’s free agency made waves when she was left without a new contract at the start of training camp. Cloud eventually signed with the Sky, joining an already guard-heavy roster. She’s filling a reduced role compared to recent years and is averaging fewer than 10 points for the first time since 2021 and her lowest assist numbers since 2018. It’s not a perfect fit by any means, but it could also be worse. With how this season is going, the Sky need a veteran like Cloud in the locker room, and she was recently moved into the starting lineup instead of coming off the bench, so her production could go back up quickly.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.