The 2025 WNBA season is about to begin, but before the ball goes up, it’s crucial to analyze the changes that have transformed the league.
The rest period has been marked by renewal. The Golden State Valkyries join as the first expansion franchise since 2008, and ten key moves and decisions have redefined what we will see in 2025.
Seven teams have named new head coaches. In addition, three number 1 draft picks, who had played their entire careers on the teams that selected them, and where they also won championships, are now on new teams. Brittney Griner (from Phoenix Mercury to Atlanta Dream), Jewell Loyd (from Seattle Storm to Las Vegas Aces), and Kelsey Plum (from Las Vegas to Los Angeles Sparks) aspire to compete for the title again.
Phoenix’s legend, Diana Taurasi, retired after 20 seasons, leaving Indiana Fever’s DeWanna Bonner and Storm’s Alysha Clark, both 37, as the league’s most veteran active players.
Meanwhile, last season’s WNBA finalists, the champion New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, had a relatively quiet offseason, with Sandy Brondello and Cheryl Reeve keeping most of their key players.
The fight for the 2025 title will largely depend on how the teams respond to the changes that have occurred since October, so it is essential to review ten of the most impactful events.
The Sparks Initiate Coaching Changes
On September 24, 2024, Los Angeles announced the departure of their coach Curt Miller after only two seasons, which initiated a period of changes in the WNBA. At the end of September, Teresa Weatherspoon of Chicago Sky, Tanisha Wright of Atlanta Dream, Latricia Trammell of Dallas Wings, Eric Thibault of Washington Mystics, and Christie Sides of Indiana Fever were also relieved of their positions.
Stephanie White’s decision to leave the Connecticut Sun in October brought the number of head coaching vacancies to seven. This means that 58.3% of the league’s teams will begin the 2025 season with a different coach than the one they had at the end of the 2024 season, the highest percentage of coaching changes in league history.
Consequently, there were eight new head coaches for the 2025 season, including the appointment of Natalie Nakase to the Valkyries.
White returned to Indiana, where she had been an assistant (2011-2014) and then head coach (2015-2016). Tyler Marsh, who was an assistant to Becky Hammon at the Aces, took over in Chicago.
The other two November appointments had no prior WNBA experience. Atlanta hired Karl Smesko from Florida Gulf Coast, and Los Angeles hired Lynne Roberts from Utah. The final three appointments, in December, had different trajectories. Rachid Meziane, who took over in Connecticut, had coached in France and with the Belgian women’s national team. Chris Koclanes, a former WNBA assistant who briefly moved to college basketball, returned to the league as head coach of Dallas. And Sydney Johnson, who had worked primarily in men’s college basketball and with USA Basketball before being an assistant in Chicago in the 2024 WNBA season, was named head coach of Washington.
With a wide range of experiences, from a lack of head coaching experience in the WNBA to Cheryl Reeve’s 25 years of experience in Minnesota, the game philosophies will be diverse. The teams’ response will be a crucial topic of the season.
A matter of concern is that, in a league where the players are Black women, there is only one Black head coach: Noelle Quinn of Seattle.
It is important to note that there are two Black men (Marsh and Johnson) and the first Asian-American coach in the league (Nakase) in the mix.
Jewell Loyd requests a trade after an investigation
On December 4, 2024, Jewell Loyd’s trade request, following an external investigation into allegations of harassment and bullying by the Storm’s technical staff that found no violations, broke up the star trio of Loyd, Skylar Diggins, and Nneka Ogwumike.
After trading for Loyd via a package led by the second pick in the draft, which Seattle used to select French center Dominique Malonga, the Storm must balance two timelines: they hope to compete in 2025 with a veteran group led by Diggins, Ogwumike, and Alysha Clark, but they are also preparing for a future built around Malonga and three first-round picks in the 2026 draft.
Despite Diggins’ belief that this is the most talented WNBA team she has been on, external expectations are not as high for Seattle without Loyd and a trio of injured players. The Storm are poised to make the playoffs, but winning a series for the first time since 2022 will be a challenge.
Loyd’s desired transfer destination was Las Vegas. This established a three-team framework in which Seattle was able to obtain Los Angeles’ second pick, while Las Vegas got Loyd as a replacement for Kelsey Plum, who was able to choose her destination in free agency despite the Aces applying the core designation.
The Sparks Acquire Kelsey Plum in a Three-Team Trade
On January 26, the Sparks announced the trade of Kelsey Plum. Joining a team that hired Lynne Roberts as their new coach and is being built around the 2024 draft picks Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, as well as veterans Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens, Kelsey Plum said that her arrival is another sign of a new beginning in Los Angeles.
Plum is set to become a free agent in 2026 under a new collective bargaining agreement, but according to reports, she wants to stay in Los Angeles, which would give the Sparks another cornerstone as they try to return to contention after missing the last four postseasons.
Plum not only brings annotation and playmaking, but, more importantly, brings championship leadership and experience to help build a new culture in Los Angeles.
After finishing last in the 2024 standings, the Sparks entered the offseason looking for players who could propel them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Getting a player of Plum’s caliber, both for her on-court production and her voice in the locker room, could do it.
Free agency was quiet until this three-team trade sent Loyd to Las Vegas and Plum to Los Angeles. The Sparks sent their No. 2 pick to Seattle as part of the deal, and at the time they said they didn’t know who would be available at that spot. The pick ended up being Dominique Malonga, who is considered to have one of the highest ceilings in the 2025 draft class.
Las Fever incorporan a un trío de veteranas
On January 31, the Fever signed Natasha Howard and on February 2, DeWanna Bonner. After obtaining the number 1 draft picks in consecutive years Aliyah Boston (2023) and Caitlin Clark (2024), Indiana reached the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016.
Clark helped propel the Fever to the league’s assist lead and sparked the return of long-time team president Kelly Krauskopf, in addition to the hiring of Amber Cox as general manager and the return of Stephanie White as coach.
Kelsey Mitchell was designated as a core player and re-signed with Indiana in January. With the 2024 All-Stars Mitchell, Boston, and Clark returning, the Fever wanted to add more veteran experience for the possibility of a deeper playoff run.
DeWanna Bonner is entering her 16th season, Natasha Howard her 12th, and Sophie Cunningham her seventh. Bonner and Howard are former WNBA champions.
Indiana’s directive didn’t have to say it out loud: It was obvious that the Fever wanted veteran players who not only had talent, but also boosted their energy, leadership, and camaraderie.
Opposing defenses were as physical as possible with Clark last season, a standard tactic against rookies. Now she’s a year older, stronger, wiser, and has experienced players who are known to back up their teammates.
Clark, who led the league in assists last season, now has three more players who run the court very well to whom she can pass the ball. And Fever fans, who fell in love with the team last season, have already embraced the newcomers.
The Mercury Cause a Sensation in the Post-Taurasi Era
On January 28, Brittney Griner signed with Dream, and on February 25, Diana Taurasi retired. The Mercury are almost unrecognizable from a few years ago. The pillars of the franchise Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner are gone. Even Natasha Cloud, Sophie Cunningham, and Rebecca Allen found new teams after being unexpectedly traded this offseason.
But the fanbase, known as the X-Factor, should remain optimistic about the direction of the franchise. General Manager Nick U’Ren was busy this winter acquiring perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas and star Satou Sabally (both were free agents who received the core designation) to surround 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper. Although the team’s depth isn’t stellar on paper, its Big Three is among the most talented, versatile, and dynamic groups in the league.
The Mercury have experienced a lot of turmoil since their last Finals appearance in 2021 with Sandy Brondello, going winless in their two consecutive playoff appearances (2022 and 2024).
They’ve tried several different iterations of super-team builds, previously bringing in Skylar Diggins and Tina Charles. But while upheaval reigned again this offseason, Phoenix hopes that the acquisitions of Thomas and Sabally, plus the year of experience that coach Nate Tibbetts now has, will lead to more stability (and more wins). Still, the Mercury’s ceiling will likely be determined by what they can get out of their non-superstar players.
Thomas’s move to Phoenix was indicative of a greater rebuild for the Sun, while Dallas simply readjusted after Sabally’s departure. Griner’s arrival in Atlanta raises the ceiling for the Dream. And teams like the Liberty, Fever, and Sky gained key depth players in Cloud, Cunningham, and Allen.
The Dream sign Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones
On January 28, Griner signed a one-year contract, and on January 30, Jones signed a one-year contract. The Dream needed to reinforce their presence in the post this offseason, and they did so by adding Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, two of the biggest acquisitions in franchise history.
Atlanta’s efforts to make this seismic shift were not surprising. When the Dream announced Karl Smesko as the new head coach, general manager Dan Padover spoke of proven winners and those with great basketball minds. Heading into free agency, he said Atlanta would be aggressive in pursuing all opportunities.
That the Dream could get Griner from the Mercury and Jones from the Sun is proof that this franchise is trying to take the next step.
Signing Griner, Jones, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough should put Atlanta on an upward trajectory. But the exact way these moves will translate on the court remains an unknown.
Smesko ran a five-out system at Florida Gulf Coast that relied heavily on defense and 3-point shooting, but now has two centers who essentially don’t shoot threes – although it’s worth noting that Griner shot a career-high 9-of-18 beyond the arc last season – so this will be an adjustment. Atlanta still has Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray to power its scoring and offense, and there should still be optimism for a team that made the playoffs the last two seasons.
Griner’s departure from the Mercury was another symbol of a new era in Phoenix, but Jones’s departure from the Sun might have been tougher for Connecticut, which lost its entire starting lineup. Although it was surprising given Smesko’s system in college, the acquisition of the pair didn’t necessarily trigger a chain reaction in the rest of the roster. But, along with the addition of Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, the additions gave the Dream a well-balanced veteran core.
The Wings Begin the Franchise Rebuild
On November 17, 2024, the Wings won the draft lottery and on April 14, the Wings selected Paige Bueckers with the first overall pick. The balls fell in favor of the Wings in November, when they won the draft lottery, marking the unofficial start of the Paige Bueckers era in Dallas.
There are reasons to be excited about how Bueckers will pair with Arike Ogunbowale in the backcourt, but there has been a lot of turnover. DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, and NaLyssa Smith were acquired in the trade that sent Satou Sabally to Phoenix, while Myisha Hines-Allen signed as a free agent, meaning only three players from the 2024 roster have returned.
The Wings also hired a new head coach (Chris Koclanes) and a general manager (Curt Miller).
The Wings could reach the playoffs, but with so much newness, the most important impact is in the steps they are taking for a future led by Bueckers.
Phoenix acquired Sabally as part of the renewal of its roster. With so much readjustment, Natasha Howard (Indiana), Jacy Sheldon (Connecticut), and Kalani Brown (Phoenix) found new teams. After Dallas obtained the first pick, Los Angeles and Chicago traded their lottery picks number 2 and number 3 for Kelsey Plum and Ariel Atkins, respectively.
The Sky add experienced guards to their youngest post game
On January 29, the Sky signed Courtney Vandersloot and on February 23, the Sky acquired Ariel Atkins via a trade. Despite having rookie team selections Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, the Sky missed the 2024 playoffs after a 13-27 run that led to the firing of Teresa Weatherspoon after one season. They also chose not to bring back top scorer Chennedy Carter, paving the way to bring in Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins.
Vandersloot spent the first 12 seasons of her career with the Sky, then the last two with the Liberty, winning the 2024 championship. She is now back with the franchise that drafted her and with whom she won the 2021 title.
Atkins has also won a championship, with Washington in 2019.
Vandersloot is the active career assists leader in the WNBA (2,849); only retired former Seattle star Sue Bird (3,234) has more. Vandersloot has six of the top seven seasons in assists, including being the only player to average double digits (10.0 in 2020). Atkins has averaged double-digit scoring in her seven WNBA seasons, had a career-high in assists (3.1) last year, and has been on the league’s first or second team defensive teams five times.
Vandersloot and Atkins are the definition of professionals: They have done their job well for a long time. They can help bring out the best in Reese and Cardoso, hoping to bring the Sky back to the playoffs.
The Sky traded the No. 3 pick in the trade for Atkins, which the Mystics used to select Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron. Chicago still got a rookie guard in the first round, with Hailey Van Lith. She can learn a lot from players like Vandersloot and Atkins.
The Sun begin the renewal of the squad
On January 30, Brionna Jones signed with Dream and on February 2, DeWanna Bonner signed with Fever.
