One Breakout Star Each WNBA Team Can’t Afford to Lose in 2026
Every team has stars it just cannot afford to lose. The Las Vegas Aces wouldn’t be the same team without A’ja Wilson, the New York Liberty need Breanna Stewart to compete for a championship, and Kelsey Mitchell proved last season how important she is to the Fever’s title hopes.
But those are all established stars. Each team also has young players it cannot afford to lose, even if they are still developing and haven’t had their big breakout yet.
Atlanta Dream: Naz Hillmon
2025 was a career year for Naz Hillmon, as she went from a non-shooter to a serious 3-point threat, a candidate for the Most Improved Player award, and the league’s Sixth Player of the Year. She could get even better this season, and her ability to space the floor will be key to bringing the best out of Angel Reese and Brionna Jones.
Chicago Sky: Kamilla Cardoso
The Sky are still waiting for a true breakout season from Kamilla Cardoso. Now that she has more spacing around her and veterans like Skylar Diggins and Azurá Stevens, she is in a better position to give them that than in her first two seasons. The team also needs Cardoso’s size and inside presence if it truly wants to compete. Stevens is still recovering from injury, and Elizabeth Williams is the only other proven big on the roster.
Connecticut Sun: Leila Lacan
Last season didn’t have many bright spots for the Sun, but Leila Lacan was certainly one. As soon as she joined the team after her stint with the French national team at EuroBasket, she emerged as a defensive standout and an offensive engine. Losing her this season, would steal a little bit of magic from the Sun’s last season in Connecticut and perhaps the team’s most exciting young player.
Dallas Wings: Maddy Siegrist
Between Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, it’s easy to forget that Maddy Siegrist also joined the Wings as a lottery pick just a few years ago. She never actually emerged as a young star, though, because injuries derailed her last two seasons. She never even played 30 games after her rookie season in 2023. A healthy season could make all the difference for Siegrist and the Wings.
Golden State Valkyries: Veronica Burton
Veronica Burton burst onto the scene as the Valkyries’ starting point guard last season, and she will only get better. This year could be her true breakout season, her entryway into All-Star and All-WNBA conversations. The Valkyries signed Gabby Williams in free agency and Kayla Thornton is healthy, but Burton is the team’s heart and soul. It would be a very different team without her.
Indiana Fever: Aliyah Boston
Breakout star may not be the best way to describe Aliyah Boston because she’s been a star ever since she came into the league. But she has more breaking out to do. This could be Boston’s true breakthrough into the top of the league and the MVP and DPOY conversations. Losing her to an injury would ruin the Fever’s title hopes. The frontcourt doesn’t have the strength or depth to survive a lengthy Boston absence.
Las Vegas Aces: Chennedy Carter
Chennedy Carter has been an exciting offensive force whenever she’s been on a WNBA roster. Vegas could be the perfect place for her to eliminate other issues that have interfered with her opportunities. She could finally establish herself as a star for good, and she could also be what helps the Aces complete the challenge of repeating as WNBA champions, adding a new facet to an already strong offense.
Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink
Losing Cameron Brink (again) would be devastating for the Sparks for two reasons. For one, they need her healthy and available so she can develop and get one step closer to the potential that made her the number-two pick in 2024. Secondly, they desperately need her defense. Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby aren’t the biggest frontcourt, and they don’t offer a ton of rim protection.
Minnesota Lynx: Dorka Juhasz
Juhasz just became the youngest EuroLeague MVP winner ever. She is primed for a breakout season in the W, and the Lynx need her after they lost their entire frontcourt rotation from last season in free agency, or, in Napheesa Collier’s case, to an injury that will keep her out until June.
New York Liberty: Han Xu
Much like the Lynx, the Liberty lost a ton of frontcourt depth and size in the offseason. Han Xu may not be the most polished player out there (yet), but she has improved significantly since her last stint with the Liberty and looks ready to take the league by storm. Her size could make a massive difference off the bench.
Phoenix Mercury: Monique Akoa Makani
The Mercury had to round out their roster with mostly unknown talent that had honed its game in Europe before making the leap to the W last season. None of those players impressed more than Monique Akoa Makani, who was the starting point guard for a finals team as a rookie and a tough perimeter defender. With Satou Sabally gone, the Mercury will need her to fill a bigger role, which opens the door for a true breakout season from the 25-year-old.
Portland Fire: Carla Leite
A starting role may be all Carla Leite needs to truly emerge as a young star in the making—and the Fire need her to. The offense will largely run through her, and there’s just not a ton of proven firepower on the roster.
Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga
Malonga entered the WNBA as perhaps the most exciting European talent ever. Her rookie season started off slow, but she eventually played big minutes in the Storm’s playoff series against the Aces. 2026 could be the season she breaks out as a star. With Nneka Ogwumike back in Los Angeles and Ezi Magbegor sidelined with an injury, Malonga will be the focal point of everything Seattle does. Losing her would cast a shadow over a season in which the only thing to look forward to is the development of young talent.
Toronto Tempo: Nyara Sabally
Injuries and a roster filled with stars limited Sabally’s opportunities to shine in New York, but she showed flashes of stardom. She was instrumental in the Liberty’s Game 5 win over the Lynx in the 2024 Finals. A bigger role with a new team may be all Sabally needs to grow into the next Kayla-Thornton-like breakout star on an expansion team. If that’s the case, it would vastly boost the Tempo’s chances of following in the Valkyries’ footsteps. Losing her—breakout or no breakout—could change the Tempo’s trajectory. They don’t have the deepest frontcourt.
Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron
This season’s Mystics roster lacks two things: veteran leadership and 3-point shooting. Citron is the team’s best volume shooter. Losing her would mess with the Mystics’ offense and the development of its young bigs. As a budding star and one of the only six players who aren’t rookies, Citron will also have to step up in the leadership department.
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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.