WNBA 2026: Offseason Guide for Eliminated Teams, Analysis and Key Points

The race for the 2025 WNBA championship is down to four teams.The teams that failed to advance to the semifinals and are now focusing on the 2026 season are: New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries, along with Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings, Washington Mystics and Los Angeles Sparks.This is expected to be one of the most crucial preseasons in WNBA history. The league and players are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA); two new teams in Portland and Toronto will join the league and hold an expansion draft; and there will be an unprecedented number of free agents, given that many players signed one-year contracts after the players association (WNBPA) opted last October to terminate the current CBA. The draft lottery will also determine which team will get the first pick in the 2026 draft.

In the meantime, we analyze the possible moves for each WNBA franchise at the end of its season, including a look at the state of each roster, team needs, and priorities for each front office.

(Note: All players listed as “reserved” can become free agents if their current team does not extend a qualifying offer).

New York Liberty

Record 2025: 27-17 (5th)Free Agents: Breanna Stewart (unrestricted), Sabrina Ionescu (unrestricted), Jonquel Jones (unrestricted), Natasha Cloud (unrestricted), Kennedy Burke (unrestricted), Isabelle Harrison (unrestricted), Emma Meesseman (unrestricted), Stephanie Talbot (unrestricted), Rebekah Gardner (reserved), Marine Johannes (reserved), Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Annika Soltau, Raquel Carrera, Seehia Ridard (suspended contracts expiring)Capital of the 2026 draft: Own third-round pickSeason summary: The Liberty returned nearly all of their players from the 2024 championship season (excluding Laney-Hamilton, who was injured in the preseason and did not play in 2025, and Kayla Thornton, who went to Golden State in the expansion draft). The Liberty began the season with optimism about the possibility of defending their championship. They started the year with a 9-0 record, but injuries and inconsistency frustrated those ambitions, as Jones, Stewart, Cloud, and Ionescu missed games. New York signed Meesseman, a three-time EuroLeague MVP and 2019 WNBA Finals MVP, on August 1, but the move did not have the desired impact due to a short term and changes in lineups. A 12-11 regular season record after the All-Star break caused the Liberty to fall to the No. 5 seed, but they were finally (mostly) healthy when their first-round series began. They won Game 1 against the Mercury, but Stewart suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain in overtime. She was hampered going forward, and Phoenix won the next two games to eliminate the defending champions. The Liberty had the most talented roster in the league, but they failed to capitalize on it.

Template status: The Liberty only have two players under contract for 2026: Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich, and only one draft pick in 2026, so the roster is constantly changing. Depending on CBA negotiations, the Liberty will likely designate Ionescu or Cloud, but under current CBA rules, they could not designate Stewart or Jones.Main front office priority: Two words: free agency. The Liberty need a team for 2026, and due to limited draft capital and players with existing rookie contracts, they have to build that team through free agency. The New York front office is expected to aggressively pursue players from the current roster, as well as possibly add a couple of new faces. General Manager Jonathan Kolb has made big moves in recent years.Most important question of the preseason: The most important question is the simplest, and perhaps the one most teams face this preseason: Who’s returning? This preseason could be straightforward if Stewart, Jones, Ionescu, and Cloud re-sign and this version of the Liberty core makes another run for the championship. Or… some or all of them leave.

Seattle Storm

Record 2025: 23-21 (7th)Free Agents: Skylar Diggins (unrestricted), Ezi Magbegor (unrestricted), Tiffany Mitchell (unrestricted), Nneka Ogwumike (unrestricted), Katie Lou Samuelson (unrestricted), Brittney Sykes (unrestricted), Erica Wheeler (unrestricted), Gabby Williams (unrestricted), Zia Cooke (reserved), Mackenzie Holmes (reserved)Capital of the 2026 draft: Own third-round pick, plus first-round picks from Los Angeles and Las Vegas and a second-round pick from DallasSeason recap: The start of August was a pressure point for Seattle. Tied for fourth in the league entering the month, a six-game losing streak caused the Storm to falter. They recovered enough to make the playoffs, and perhaps more crucially, secure their lottery draft pick from the Sparks, but were stuck facing Las Vegas in the first round for the second year in a row. While Seattle was competitive against the top WNBA teams in the regular season, beating all playoff teams twice except Indiana, that didn’t translate as the Aces eliminated the Storm from the postseason for the third time in four years.Template status: Only two players are under contract for 2026: veteran guard Lexie Brown, who struggled to find consistent playing time this season, and Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick from 2025. The latter is the centerpiece of the next generation for the Storm, who will add two first-round picks next spring and regain 2023 first-round pick Jordan Horston from an ACL tear in 2026. However, if Seattle wants to continue competing in the playoffs, maintaining the veteran presence provided by All-Stars Diggins and Ogwumike could be crucial.

Head office’s main priority: Find more shots. The Storm finished ninth in shots and attempts from the 3-point line, a key factor in ranking eighth in offensive rating, ahead of only one playoff team, the Golden State Valkyries. Seattle tried in free agency, but Samuelson was lost due to an ACL tear and Alysha Clark was out of the rotation before a mid-season trade for Sykes. The young core of the Storm could use a knockdown shooter to complement Malonga.Most important question of the preseason: Should Seattle continue with a two-timeline approach? Trading Jewell Loyd for the pick used to get Malonga meant developing the promising teenager, who ranked No. 4 in ESPN’s 25 Under 25, while also trying to win now. The optimistic view was that she could become a star quickly enough to complement Diggins and Ogwumike, while they are still able to lead a contending team. That became harder to justify during the Storm’s second-half slump. The support of Diggins and Ogwumike was crucial for Noelle Quinn, the second-longest tenured coach in the WNBA after Cheryl Reeve, to keep her position last season. If that changes, or if Seattle’s front office decides to move towards a younger group that is more in Malonga’s timeline, there could be changes on the roster.

Atlanta Dream

Record 2025: 30-14 (3rd)Free Agents: Brittney Griner (unrestricted), Brionna Jones (unrestricted), Jordin Canada (unrestricted), Allisha Gray (unrestricted), Nia Coffey (unrestricted), Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (unrestricted), Rhyne Howard (restricted), Naz Hillmon (restricted), Maya Caldwell (reserved)Capital of the 2026 draft: Own first, second, and third-round picksSeason summary: Under the new leadership of Karl Smesko and a new offensive system, the Dream thrived, achieving their best season in years. They improved in almost every statistical category compared to the previous year, going from third to first in rebounds (36.6 per game), from twelfth to third in assists (21.4 per game), and from tenth to third in three-pointers made (421). They are also second in offensive rating, finishing in last place last season, and in defensive rating. Their 30 wins are also a league record in a single season for a first-year WNBA coach. They also finally won a postseason game for the first time since 2018.Template status: Te-Hina Paopao and Taylor Thierry will still be under their rookie contracts, making them the only players guaranteed to return. Paopao, the No. 18 pick in 2025, carved out a solid role in her rookie season, starting 17 games and averaging 5.8 points on 43.8% shooting and 2.4 assists.

Main priority of the front office: The Dream need to find a way to retain their core of Gray, Howard, and Hillmon. Atlanta general manager Dan Padover told ESPN that the trio has been the centerpiece of the franchise’s rebuild over the last four years, and when the Dream drafted Howard and Hillmon in 2022 and signed Gray the following year, the plan was to keep them long-term.Most important question of the preseason: What will Griner’s future be in Atlanta? Her arrival last season was surprising, and there were even more questions about how she, as well as Jones, two dominant bigs, would function in Smesko’s offensive system that relies on shooters. Griner averaged only 9.8 points per game, her lowest point total since her freshman year (12.6). She also played a career-low 20.8 minutes.

Golden State Valkyries

Record 2025: 23-21 (8th)Free Agents: Tiffany Hayes (unrestricted), Kayla Thornton (unrestricted), Monique Billings (unrestricted), Temi Fagbenle (unrestricted), Kaila Charles (unrestricted), Cecilia Zandalasini (restricted), Veronica Burton (restricted), Kaitlyn Chen (reserved), Janelle Salaun (reserved), Iliana Rupert (reserved), Laeticia Amihere (reserved)Capital of the 2026 draft: Own first, second, and third-round picksSeason recap: The Valkyries made history in their first season, becoming the first expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in their inaugural year. A roster made up of former sixth players, the Valkyries said they always maintained the belief that they would exceed expectations and what previous expansion teams had done, but acknowledged that even they were a little surprised at how quickly the group built their chemistry. This was even more the case after Thornton, at the time a candidate for Most Improved Player, missed the season with a knee injury in July. The award, instead, went to her teammate Burton. Golden State had the opportunity to finish as high as sixth place in the regular season, but finished eighth due to some end-of-season losses and tiebreakers. Still, even making the postseason in their first year is an incredible feat.

Template status: Only Kate Martin and Carla Leite are not free agents for the Valkyries. Both were important rotation players for WNBA Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase, with Leite also starting six games. But neither of them is going to be the core of this team. Golden State owner Joe Lacob wants to keep as many players from this roster together as possible, but it will be a difficult task.Main priority of the front office: Bring back as many players as possible, especially Thornton and Burton. If the Valkyries want to keep building on this impressive season, they need to retain these two guards who are the leaders of this team on and off the court.Most important question of the preseason: The Valkyries thought they were a desirable destination before they had played a single game. Now, after this historic season, they believe even more that they can attract big names. Can the front office land a star in free agency? Part of the Valkyries’ feel-good story was how successful they were with a roster full of former role players. To keep building, they should target a game-changing player.

Los Angeles Sparks

Record 2025: 21-23 (9th)Free Agents: Julie Allemand (restricted), Emma Cannon (unrestricted), Dearica Hamby (unrestricted), Alissa Pili (reserved), Kelsey Plum (unrestricted), Azura Stevens (unrestricted), Julie Vanloo (reserved)Capital of the 2026 draft: Own second-round pick, Seattle’s second-round picks, own third-round pick. They traded their first-round pick to SeattleSeason summary: Lynne Roberts left Utah and college play to coach in the WNBA for the first time. As for the record, her Sparks improved greatly from the end of last season, from 8-32 in last place, and despite starting the summer with a 5-13 record, they had played relatively solid after the All-Star break. They remained in contention for the playoffs until the penultimate night of the season. Still, a franchise that for many years was practically automatic to reach the playoffs has now missed the postseason for the fifth consecutive year.Template status: Post players Rickea Jackson, Cameron Brink, and Sania Feagin, and guard Sarah Ashlee Barker will still be on their rookie contracts. Jackson has had the most success, averaging 14 points and 3.6 rebounds in two seasons. Brink returned from an ACL injury that cut short her 2024 rookie season, playing 19 games this year and averaging 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds. The Sparks hope both 2024 lottery picks will be long-term cornerstones for the team.

Head office’s main priority: To get back Plum, the team’s top scorer, and Hamby and Stevens, their best rebounders. After the Sparks were eliminated on September 9, coach Roberts said she hopes the franchise can keep its core together, as she believes the Sparks can build a lot on the progress made this season. She also said that her biggest disappointment was some of the close games that the Sparks felt slipped away from them, but that experience should help next season.Most important question of the preseason: How much better can Brink be? As long as players like Plum, who asked to be traded from Las Vegas last season, decide to stay in Los Angeles, perhaps the most important key for Roberts and general manager Raegan Pebley is Brink’s continued recovery. Brink averaged 7.5 points in 2024 before getting injured, and it seemed like she was really starting to build confidence at the time she got injured. This year, she returned to action, but didn’t seem very comfortable offensively. Brink still has the opportunity to be one of the league’s impact players, which would be a big boost for the Sparks.

Washington Mystics

Record 2025: 16-28 (10th)Free Agents: Shakira Austin (restricted), Alysha Clark (unrestricted), Stefanie Dolson (unrestricted), Emily Engstler (reserved), Jade Melbourne, Madison Scott (reserved), Sug Sutton (restricted)Capital of the 2026 draft: Own selections in all three rounds: Seattle’s first-round selection, New York’s first-round selection (via trade with Connecticut), Minnesota’s second-round selectionSeason Summary: The Mystics really had two different seasons. Until August 5th with a 13-15 record, they were fighting for a playoff spot behind three All-Stars: rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen and veteran Brittney Sykes. After trading Sykes to Seattle to get the Storm’s first-round pick for 2026, Washington then struggled down the stretch. The Mystics finished the season with a 10-game losing streak, which could allow them to move up in the draft lottery order, pending the Sparks’ season finale. The late fall can’t take away the excitement for Citron and Iriafen, both sure for the All-Rookie first team.

Template status: After having two of the top four draft picks this year, Washington will add young talent again in the spring. Seattle’s late fall will give the Mystics three draft picks in the top 11 to join Citron and Iriafen. The other long-term cornerstone for Washington is center Austin, who finally enjoyed a healthy season and averaged a career-high 12.7 PPG. As a restricted free agent this offseason, the former No. 3 pick is still only 25 years old. With so many rookie contracts on the books, the Mystics have the option to be aggressive in free agency.Main priority of the front office: Explore the 2026 draft. Citron and Iriafen were ranked among the top 10 players under 25 last month, but Washington could still use another high-end prospect. Whether the Mystics move up to select