Around the W: Highs and Lows of Free Agency

Not Free Agency grades but something just as important.

With WNBA Free Agency mostly complete at this point, I wanted to take some time to write about the moves made throughout the league. While grades can be fun to hand out for big off-season moves like the WNBA Draft and Free Agency, I thought I’d take a slightly different approach. Instead of giving out “A’s” to the teams that landed the best players and “D’s” or “F’s” to the teams that missed out on the top targets, I’m going to highlight the moves I liked the most from each team and which ones disappointed.

Atlanta Dream

Favorite Move: Adding Jordin Canada

While it wasn’t an outright signing, the Atlanta Dream agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Sparks to acquire Jordin Canada and the 12th overall pick in the upcoming 2024 WNBA Draft in exchange for Aari McDonald and Atlanta’s 8th overall pick.

I liked this move because Canada had a borderline All-Star season last year, averaging a career-high 13.3 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 2.3 SPG. She also improved her three-point shooting (her biggest weakness) to 33%, up from 14% the year before. Aari is younger and still has the potential to grow and expand her game but right now swapping the two makes the Dream a better team than they were a year ago. Canada’s strong defense and ability to distribute the ball should pay immediate dividends.

I also like that Dream General Manager, Dan Padover, was able to recoup their first-round pick in the deal (moving from 8th to 12th) instead of outright losing their draft pick.

Least Favorite Move: Letting Monique Billings Walk in Free Agency

The Dream in a surprise move signed Tina Charles, but they had to say goodbye to Monique Billings. Billings has been a solid role player and occasional starter for the Dream during her six seasons in the WNBA. Billings is a player who can provide a spark off the bench by scoring or collecting rebounds. If everything works out, Tina Charles should be an upgrade but we’ll have to wait and see how it looks out on the court.

Chicago Sky

Favorite Move: The Total Compensation for Kahleah Copper

After striking out in Free Agency with the top names like Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike, and Jonquel Jones the Sky decided to go into a full rebuild by trading away 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper. Losing your superstar player is never good. But the team did get a pretty attractive haul for her.

The biggest part of the trade to Phoenix was the Mercury’s 2024 first-round draft pick (#3 overall). But they also got a 2024 2nd round draft pick, and the Mercury’s 2026 first-round pick. They were also given 2021 Rookie of the Year, Michaela Onyenwere, and defensive specialist Brianna Turner.

Chicago hopes that they can draft an All-Star level talent with the third overall pick in April’s draft.

Least Favorite Move: That they had to trade Kahleah Copper

Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Kah Copper requested to be traded from the Sky just a few months after signing a brand new two-year contract extension. Copper had become frustrated by the Sky’s inability to recruit other free agents to help her out. The Sky might struggle to reach the playoffs this season after parting with their star player. The bad news doesn’t end there. Their 2025 first-round draft pick is headed to Dallas.

Connecticut Sun

Favorite Move: Re-Signing DeWanna Bonner

During ESPN’s WNBA Free Agency special Alexa Philippou mentioned that Bonner had received interest from both the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm. At the time of the report, DeWanna had not yet signed a new deal. She may have entertained leaving the Connecticut Sun but ultimately she decided to run it back and re-sign with her current team. The Sun have come close to winning a championship in recent years but haven’t quite been able to get over the hump. Retaining Bonner (and Brionna Jones) keeps them up there as one of the top contenders to challenge the Las Vegas Aces.

Least Favorite Move: Trading away Natisha Hiedeman

The Connecticut Sun traded Natisha Hiedeman to the Minnesota Lynx for Tiffany Mitchell and a late 2nd round pick. I’ve always liked Hiedeman’s game, especially her ability to knock down the three-pointer. She’s a career 40% shooter from beyond the arc. Connecticut started running Alyssa Thomas as a Point Forward bringing the ball up but Hiedeman was the team’s starting Point Guard. A spot she earned and took over from Jasmine Thomas a couple of years ago.

Tiffany Mitchell isn’t a point guard and won’t be replacing Hiedeman directly. She’s more likely to step in and try to fill the role that Tiffany Hayes leaves behind. Hayes announced her retirement from the WNBA after the 2023 season. The Sun will likely move Ty Harris into the starting point guard role in Hiedeman’s absence. Harris improved this past season but I’m not certain the Sun are better off without Hiedeman.

Dallas Wings

Favorite Move: Re-Signing Satou Sabally

Satou Sabally had her breakout season in 2023 and was named to the All-Star team. As a restricted free agent, I was curious if any other team would try to sign her away from the Dallas Wings or even work out a sign-and-trade deal. That didn’t happen and instead, the Wings were able to re-sign Satou to a new one-year deal. If I were Dallas, I would have preferred to bring her back for more than just one more season but keeping her for 2024 was the most important item on the team’s agenda.

After finishing fourth a season ago, the Dallas Wings will bring back a nearly identical roster from the previous year and see if they can push the Las Vegas Aces any further this season.

Least Favorite Move: Re-Signing Kalani Brown to a 3-year guaranteed contract

Kalani Brown absolutely earned her contract and this is a great deal for Brown who at one point was out of the league entirely early on in her career. She had a resurgence in Dallas coming off the bench in 2023, averaging a career-high 7.8 PPG on 63% FG shooting.

The 3-year guaranteed deal is a bit surprising to me because the team already has a loaded frontcourt with Natasha Howard, Teaira McCowan, and Satou Sabally. And even though Awak Kuier’s contract has been suspended as she stays overseas this year. The team is also bringing in 6’6” Center, Stephanie Soares, whom they acquired in a draft day trade with the Washington Mystics last year. I think the Wings are just hedging their bets as Howard and Sabally are both Unrestricted Free Agents in 2025 and McCowan will be one in 2026. But guaranteeing three years to a backup who isn’t likely to become the starter this year is a move that is at least worth questioning.

Indiana Fever

Favorite Move: Fever sign Katie Lou Samuelson to a 2-year deal

The Indiana Fever have missed the playoffs for seven consecutive years. However, they are finally starting to build a nice core with the additions of NaLyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston over the past two years. One thing the team lacked in 2023 was outside perimeter shooting. While Katie Lou has struggled to live up to those lofty UConn expectations, she can shoot the basketball. Samuelson will help spread the floor and limit the number of times opposing teams can double-team Boston or Smith down in the post. This is also a good move for Katie Lou as she won’t be expected to be a primary scorer but just supplement the pieces already on the team.

Least Favorite Move: Paying Katie Lou Samuelson $180K/season

Last year the Indiana Fever paid Erica Wheeler a Supermax contract of around $240,000. This year they’re still paying Wheeler over $200,000. In order to sign Katie Lou Samuelson, the Fever paid her $175K in 2024 and will pay her $180K in 2025. It’s a significant raise for Samuelson. I like her addition to the Fever but it does feel like an overpay.

Las Vegas Aces

Favorite Move: Re-Signing Candace Parker

The back-to-back defending champions are the best team in the WNBA. They beat the New York Liberty Super Team and all of their playoff opponents without Candace Parker. Add in a healthy Candace Parker and it’s difficult to envision any WNBA team being able to defeat them in a five-game playoff series. Las Vegas looks to become the first team to three-peat since the Houston Comets opened WNBA play winning four straight championships. This move also just makes me happy that Candace Parker is returning to the WNBA for at least one more year. Parker is one of the greatest players in WNBA history and even though she won a championship last year, she missed most of the season with an injury and I don’t think she wanted to go out that way. I’m happy that she can close the chapter of her book on her own terms.

Least Favorite Move: N/A

Las Vegas is bringing back its entire core of A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Candace Parker, Kiah Stokes, and Alysha Clark. They’re even bringing back rarely used reserves Sydney Colson and Kierstan Bell. The only players not returning from last season are Cayla George and Riquna Williams. Williams didn’t end up playing a single game for the team last year due to being suspended from the team for more domestic violence issues. The team is replacing George with Megan Gustafson. That move might be a slight upgrade on the offensive side of the ball.

Los Angeles Sparks

Favorite Move: Acquiring multiple first-round draft picks in trades

After realizing that Nneka Ogwumike would be signing with another team, the Sparks took the approach of building towards the future and they’ve done a great job of that. The front office was aware that they wouldn’t be re-signing Jordin Canada after she put up the best numbers of her career. Instead of letting Canada walk as a restricted free agent, they placed the Core Tag on her and arranged a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Dream. By doing so, they upgraded one of their first-round picks from 12th overall to 8th and they received Aari McDonald back in return.

The Sparks also worked out a deal with Seattle, taking on Kia Nurse’s contract of $140,000 but in return, they received Seattle’s 4th overall selection in the upcoming 2024 WNBA Draft. They did have to part with their own 2026 first-round selection, however, they were able to secure a 2nd lottery selection this year meaning they have plenty of assets to jump-start their rebuild right away!

Least Favorite Move: Losing Nneka Ogwumike

After losing both Chelsea Gray and Candace Parker in Free Agency in 2021 the Sparks have now lost their final member of the 2016 Championship team in Nneka Ogwumike. At the beginning of Free Agency, Nneka announced that she would be moving on to a new team and not re-signing with the LA Sparks. She ultimately chose to sign with the Seattle Storm. Nneka leaving the Sparks ushers in a new era for the franchise where they will be forced to rebuild.

Minnesota Lynx

Favorite Move: Signing Chicago’s productive players

One of the first reported signings of free agency was that Alanna Smith would be joining the Minnesota Lynx. Smith had a breakout season averaging a career-high 9.2 PPG on 50% FG shooting. Her rebounding total (6.6 RPG) was also the best of her career. She will pair up with Napheesa Collier and Dorka Juhász as the Lynx’s primary frontcourt players.

The Lynx didn’t just add one former Chicago Sky player but two! They also signed Courtney Williams. Williams will give Minnesota one more option to score whenever she’s on the court. Williams is one of the best rebounding guards in the WNBA (career average 5.4 RPG). In 2023, she had a career-high dishing out 6.3 APG.

Napheesa Collier is on the verge of becoming an MVP in the WNBA. Adding Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams are two pieces that should contribute right away for the Lynx. Collier should have more one-on-one opportunities as the Lynx will be able to put out stronger lineups than they did in 2023.

Least Favorite Move: Did they do enough?

I liked what Minnesota has done this off-season. Between signing Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams and trading for Natisha Hiedeman, they’ve added some quality pieces to their roster. I just don’t know if it’ll be enough to compete with the upper echelon of teams in Las Vegas and New York.

New York Liberty

Favorite Move: Cored Breanna Stewart and reportedly have agreed to re-sign Jonquel Jones

The Liberty have been relatively quiet this off-season especially compared to what they did in 2023 where they added multiple MVPs and All-Stars to their roster. The good news for them is that they should be bringing back most of the same team that finished 32-8 and reached the WNBA Finals. The team hasn’t announced the signings of Breanna Stewart or Jonquel Jones but both are expected to return. Courtney Vandersloot, Sabrina Ionescu, and Betnijah Laney are all signed through this next season.

Least Favorite Move: No Marine Johannès or Stefanie Dolson…?

I’ve read conflicting reports on whether or not Marine Johannès will be able to play in the WNBA this season. Similar to Gabby Williams, Johannès is playing for the French National team and will prioritize that this season. However, she might still be eligible to play in the WNBA this season even with the prioritization rules. Johannès could join the Liberty at some point during the season.

We know the Liberty were trying to court Nneka Ogwumike. That didn’t work out for them. We hadn’t heard anything about Stefanie Dolson until Valentine’s Day when Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post reported that the Mystics would be signing Dolson to a two-year contract.

The fact that New York still hasn’t announced the signing of Jonquel Jones or Breanna Stewart is interesting with almost every other team nearly finalizing their training camp rosters. I have to wonder if the Liberty are still looking to make a surprise trade or addition.

New York is likely the second-best team in the WNBA but I’m not sure if they’ve gotten better this year. Their squad has enough talent to win a championship and they might just be banking on the fact that their team will have better chemistry in Year 2 than they did last season. They clearly got better as the season went on last year.

Phoenix Mercury

Favorite Move: Going all out for Kahleah Copper

The Mercury were in a tough position this off-season because they’re still paying Diana Taurasi Supermax money and because they traded away their rights to the 2025 first-round draft pick to acquire Michaela Onyenwere from the New York Liberty before last season. Because this is likely Taurasi’s final season and the team had zero incentive to be bad because even if they ended up with the #1 overall pick in 2025, they would have to hand it over to the Liberty. Instead, Phoenix went all out and made a ton of moves and I respect that.

I feel their general manager was between a rock and a hard place but this is the smartest path to take. And they’ve made several moves to improve their team that was dead last in 2023. They signed Natasha Cloud to be the team’s new point guard. They made a sign-and-trade deal for Rebecca Allen. And lastly, they made the big blockbuster move and traded for Kahleah Copper from the Chicago Sky.

Phoenix’s starting five are likely going to be Natasha Cloud, Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper, Sophie Cunningham or Rebecca Allen, and Brittney Griner. On paper, that could be one of the best starting five in the WNBA.

Least Favorite Move: Mortgaging the future

To acquire Kahleah Copper they had to trade away a lot. The biggest asset was the #3 overall pick in the upcoming 2024 WNBA Draft. But they also traded away their 2026 first-round pick. And as mentioned above, New York will likely take their 2025 first-round pick.

I do believe the Mercury will be significantly better than they were last season. But even with all of these acquisitions, I don’t know if they are truly a championship contender. It’ll depend on what they can get from Taurasi and Griner at this point in their careers. If things go south, they can continue to build around Copper and Cloud. But they won’t have the draft assets to acquire legitimate talent in the draft until possibly 2027.

Seattle Storm

Favorite Move: Adding Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike

The Seattle Storm were the big winners in Free Agency this year. It wasn’t quite a New York Liberty overhaul from a year ago but adding Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike to the roster is a significant upgrade in talent.

Coach Noelle Quinn emphasized the importance of adding a strong lead point guard to the team for 2024. Mission accomplished as the Storm added the top point guard available. Diggins-Smith will be able to break down defenses with her dribble penetration. Her scoring ability will also limit what opposing defenses can do against Jewell Loyd. Quinn talked about how other teams would set up in a Box and 1 and put all of their defensive attention on Loyd. Diggins-Smith is too talented to ignore. Not only will SDS be able to take some of the scoring load off of Jewell, but she will also be utilized to set up her teammates. Diggins-Smith will be able to run the two-player game, pick-and-roll, etc. with both Nneka and Ezi Magbegor.

Just as adding Skylar to the team will make things easier on Loyd, adding Nneka Ogwumike to the starting lineup is going to help Ezi Magbegor tremendously. Ezi was thrust into a new role having to be one of the primary options for her team last year. She can build off of that but will now have Ogwumike to lean on. Post defenders will have to worry about both teammates down low. Coach Quinn consistently emphasizes the importance of rebounding and Nneka will play a huge factor in that as well.

Seattle now has one of the most talented starting lineups in the league with Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, Jordan Horston, Nneka Ogwumike, and Ezi Magbegor. Similar to the Liberty from a year ago, I think it’ll take time for this team to gel but they have the potential to be a Top 3 or 4 team in the WNBA by the end of the season if all goes well.

Least Favorite Move: Trading away the #4 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft

I am a big believer in building through the draft. If you look at the Storm’s four championship teams, their core was always built through the draft with Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd, and Breanna Stewart. Las Vegas’s Championship team with Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young was built through the WNBA Draft. It’s not the only way to build a team but I believe it’s the best way.

The only good thing about having a down year like the Storm did last season is that you get to look forward to having one of the top picks in the upcoming draft. If the team is lucky, that could be a legitimate difference maker and potential All-Star. However, Seattle traded away their lottery selection so that is no longer in play.

Of course, it was a necessary evil. The best part of Seattle’s off-season doesn’t happen unless the worst part of the season also happens. The Storm had to trade away the 4th overall pick to have enough salary cap space to sign both Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike. Those additions certainly make up for losing the draft pick and then some. But it’s still unfortunate.

With Seattle and Phoenix both trading away their lottery selections, I have to wonder if their front offices have received intel that multiple eligible players will be returning to college for a 5th season, therefore devaluing the draft picks. That’s certainly possible. Or it might just be that the opportunity to add star players like Kahleah Copper, SDS, and Nneka was too valuable to pass up.

Washington Mystics

Favorite Move: Signing Karlie Samuelson

The announcement that Karlie Samuelson received a two-year guaranteed contract from the Washington Mystics was a feel-good story. Karlie has struggled to find a consistent home in the WNBA. She’s played for the Sparks, Wing, Storm, and Mercury. She had her best season in the WNBA last year back with the Sparks and even earned a starting role for the majority of the season. She averaged a career-high nearly 8.0 PPG and shot 43% from beyond the arc. Karlie is a quality role player and deserves to stick around for more than one season with the same team.

Least Favorite Move: Holding Elena Delle Donne hostage

Around a month or so before Free Agency began, some reports stated that Elena Delle Donne was looking to explore her options in Free Agency and was unlikely to return to the Washington Mystics. After that, the Mystics organization placed the Core (franchise) Tag on her which meant she was no longer an Unrestricted Free Agent. It was presumed that Delle Donne would be traded similar to what happened to Jordin Canada this year or Natasha Howard back in 2021. It was said that she had an interest in signing with the Las Vegas Aces but they can’t afford her while the Core Tag is placed on her.

After the Phoenix Mercury signed Natasha Cloud there was some thought they may trade for Elena Delle Donne as well. However, they ended up trading for Kahleah Copper and Rebecca Allen instead. So now Delle Donne can’t sign with any other team besides Washington and it’s unlikely another team will now trade for her. Because of this, EDD announced that she’s not planning on playing basketball this year.

Delle Donne has dealt with multiple back surgeries and injuries. If she sits out this season, that might be it for her career. And it would be an unfortunate way for her to go out.

Per Richard Cohen, if EDD sits out this year. The Washington Mystics will be able to hold her exclusive rights via the Core Tag again in 2025. However, the Supermax qualifying offer that comes from the tag does expire after March 7th. I wonder if they could do a sign-and-trade for her after that point without the other team having to pay her the $240K+ Supermax. There might be more teams willing to trade for her, including Las Vegas or New York, if they can add her at a lower rate.

Wrap Up

Those are my thoughts on Free Agency throughout the WNBA landscape. Seattle and Phoenix, two lottery teams from last season, significantly upgraded their rosters. Atlanta is another team that could see their team improve with their additions. The Las Vegas Aces still sit at the top of the class with the Liberty close behind but I don’t think it is a foregone conclusion that those two teams meet again in the WNBA Finals.

Let me know what you think in the comments section below. Which moves were your favorite and were there any moves that confused you or you don’t agree with?