The WNBA has more teams than it has had since 2002. In the more crowded landscape of 15 franchises, thanks to an expansion explosion in the league, we have questions for each team.
The Aces seem like the favorites, but intrigue abounds. How will the new teams perform? Will free agency pickups have an influence? Will new fits work out?
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Let’s see what our experts have to say before the season kicks off Friday.
Eastern Conference
Does Angel Reese’s addition get the Dream gets over the first-round hump?
Atlanta hasn’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2016 (back then, it required winning only one game). In the four seasons from 2019-22 — the Dream haven’t qualified for the postseason in the last three years — they made it to the first round but won only one game total. With the returning core of Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones, Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada and Naz Hillmon (returning 80 percent of its team starts) and the addition of Angel Reese, Atlanta gets to the second round. Can this be a historic season? Atlanta was already the best rebounding team in 2025, but Reese — the league’s leading rebounder last season — makes Atlanta that much fiercer in the paint. With Reese and Jones, Atlanta now has the two best offensive rebounders, and those extra possessions could make the Dream’s offense more potent, competitive and consistent.
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Is Kamilla Cardoso a franchise cornerstone?
The Sky concluded this offseason that Reese and Kamilla Cardoso weren’t a compatible long-term frontcourt duo. They chose to move forward with Cardoso, even though Reese is already a two-time All-Star and the single-season record-holder for average rebounds. The theory with Cardoso is that she is 6-foot-7 and has the physical tools to be a dominant center; as a South Carolina senior, she was an All-American and the most outstanding player in the Final Four. However, her motor and production have been inconsistent in her two pro seasons, and the Sky were statistically better with her off the court during the 2025 season. Cardoso needs to be a consistent rim-runner, roller and paint protector to validate Chicago’s belief.
What is Connecticut’s legacy as the WNBA enters a new era?
The Sun came into the WNBA at a critical time in 2002. Since its inception, the league was collectively owned by the NBA, but then changed its ownership model, selling WNBA teams to their NBA counterparts or third parties. The Mohegan Tribe saved the Orlando Miracle when the NBA’s Magic didn’t want to. For years, the Sun were a model franchise, making the playoffs in their first six seasons in Connecticut, including two trips to the WNBA Finals. However, the Sun never won a title and didn’t crack the top half of the league in attendance until 2018. Though the Sun were a successful, independently-owned franchise, they also revealed the limitations of being unaffiliated with an NBA team. Now in their last season in Connecticut, and last under the ownership of the Tribe, the Sun aren’t primed to contend for a title or even a postseason berth. It doesn’t seem like a fitting end for a franchise that was one of the league’s most competitive for more than two decades.
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Can the Fever capitalize on its personnel this season?
With Caitlin Clark’s salary set to explode next season thanks to the EPIC provision enacted during the collective bargaining agreement (which allows exceptional players on rookie-scale contracts to renegotiate their fourth-year salaries), it’s hard to project too much of what Indiana’s roster could look like in 2027. With Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell — Indiana’s Big Three — all under contract and looking healthy, can that urgency translate into a deeper postseason run? Indiana won the WNBA title in 2012 and returned to the finals in 2015, but it has been a long, slow climb back to relevancy. To get to the semifinals last season, sans Clark, was a huge accomplishment. Now, with the core of that team back and the future uncertainty, can the Fever make the most of their roster to get back to the WNBA Finals?
Which version of Jonquel Jones will the Liberty get?
The Liberty are at their best when Jonquel Jones is at her best. If Breanna Stewart provides the floor for the Liberty with her night-to-night excellence and consistency, Jones is the ceiling-raiser. She was the MVP when New York won the 2024 WNBA Finals and the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup. Last season, Jones clearly did not feel at home in the Liberty’s revamped offensive system, and she floated through games. Somehow, she casually averaged 13.6 points and 8.1 rebounds while making 42.4 percent of her 3s. New York needs Jones to be more assertive, someone who can make opposing bigs feel her in the paint but also stretch the floor. She has to guard A’ja Wilson and also protect the paint on drives. That’s who Jones was in 2024 and who she has to be to bring another banner to Barclays Center.
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Can the Tempo mirror Golden State’s expansion history?
Led by championship-winning coach Sandy Brondello, the Tempo have playoff potential. The roster first-year GM Monica Wright Rogers constructed through the expansion draft features great guard play, starting with point guard Julie Allemand. From there, the Tempo have a trusted 3-point shooter in Marina Mabrey and a perimeter defender in Brittney Sykes, who is a four-time All-Defense team member. One area worth questioning is their frontcourt, which they filled out with trusted role players Nyara Sabally and Isabelle Harrison. In free agency, they added Temi Fagbenle, who played a crucial role in the Valkyries’ historic postseason.
What’s the Mystics’ ceiling?
The Mystics are the WNBA’s youngest team with five players who were first-rounders in the previous two draft classes. Last season, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the No. 3 and No. 4 respective picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft, exceeded many expectations. Both were named All-Stars, indicating the foundation the Mystics are rebuilding upon is in good hands. This season, they added to it with No. 4 pick Lauren Betts, a 6-7 center from UCLA. In addition, they drafted forward Angela Dugalić and Cotie McMahon with the No. 9 and No. 11 respective picks. There’s no question that the Mystics aren’t in a rush to contend — even for a playoff spot — but they could be one of the biggest surprises this season if their young stars play beyond their age and experience.
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Western Conference
Can the Wings lay a championship foundation in 2026?
Only six times in WNBA history has a franchise drafted No. 1 picks in back-to-back seasons. In the first four instances, all four franchises won WNBA titles within four years of the second No. 1 pick. With the re-worked CBA, and some of the Wings’ top talent (Paige Buekers, Azzi Fudd) still on rookie-scale contracts, the Wings are working with a lot of talent because of their freedom in free agency. With Bueckers, Fudd and Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas has scoring options at all three levels. With Alanna Smith, Jess Shepard and Awak Kuier, the Wings have strength on the inside and defensive weaponry. With contracts in place, there’s at least a two-year runway for this core, but we could see the makings of a championship foundation in 2026.
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What does Year 2 success look like?
By becoming the first expansion team to make the playoffs, Golden State had an unmistakably successful first year in the WNBA. Still, entering Year 2, it’s fair to ask: What does success look like in the Bay? How does this franchise take a step forward? Golden State returns its core — Veronica Burton, Janelle Salaun, Kayla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes — and it signed Gabby Williams, a bona fide two-way stalwart. Golden State was last in the league in field goal percentage last season (40.7 percent), but made more 3s than any other team. Increasing assist percentages and decreasing turnovers (the Valks ranked second-worst) would be obvious improvements as Golden State continues to build on an extremely solid foundation.
Can anyone catch the Aces?
The Aces aren’t the deepest team in the WNBA, but that doesn’t matter when the franchise that has won three of the last four titles returns its top six players, including the world’s best player, A’ja Wilson. With that talent on the floor and the gumption the Aces showed last season to turn a 14-14 start into yet another championship, who is getting in the way of Las Vegas? One scheduling hitch to watch that could determine some postseason seeding: The Aces have two really tough road stretches — one in the middle of May (four road games against the Sparks, Sun and Dream in a week) and another in early August (five games over nine days against Chicago, Atlanta, Indiana, Minnesota and capping the swing against New York).
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Is the Sparks’ bench good enough for a postseason push?
The Sparks have a starting five that can compete with any team. Kelsey Plum is an ace shooter and scorer who has grown as a playmaker, and she has Ariel Atkins and Rae Burrell as a spacer and driver, respectively, who can take on the tougher defensive assignments. Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby are former All-Stars who still score and rebound at elite rates, and Ogwumike is among the better defenders at her position. L.A. hemorrhaged points when it went to its bench last season, and the reserves still pose questions. Three rookies (Ta’Niya Latson, Chance Gray and Jihyun Park) plus a sophomore Sania Feagin, who played all of 77 minutes last season, will need to produce. Cameron Brink looked lost on offense during the preseason, and Emma Cannon is more of a locker room connector than a contributor at this stage of her career. That leaves Erica Wheeler as the lone proven reserve. Brink, Latson and someone else will have to improve quickly to keep the Sparks competitive for all 40 minutes.
Is this Napheesa Collier’s last season in Minnesota?
Collier will miss the start of the season as she rehabs a left ankle injury that required surgery this offseason, during which she signed a one-year deal with the Lynx. This deal follows a multi-year rookie extension that expired after the 2025 season. When asked about her decision to opt for a one-year deal, Collier barely addressed the question. Instead, she emphasized that her focus was on returning to the court as soon as possible and “to win a championship.” Still, she made no mention of the future beyond this season. If Collier leaves next year in free agency, it could mark the beginning of a complete Minnesota overhaul.
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How far can the Mercury go without Satou Sabally?
Mercury general manager Nick U’ren opted not to use the core designation on Sabally — the franchise’s leading scorer during their 2025 WNBA Finals run — which allowed the forward to leave in free agency. The move was suspect considering how the rest of free agency went for the Mercury, who didn’t sign any major free-agent prospect, outside of re-signing their own stars, including Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner. All three have proven more than capable of leading Phoenix to the playoffs; the question is whether this is still a team that can contend for a title. U’ren has proven he’s one of the WNBA’s best talent evaluators, putting together a roster last season that no one believed would make it to the title round. The Mercury may not be able to repeat that magic, but this core can take them far.
Will the Fire win more than 10 games?
Short answer: no. Unlike the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s other 2026 expansion team, the Fire largely fell flat in free agency. First-year coach Alex Sarama, known for his constraints-led approach, spent the last two seasons as an NBA assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he deployed the CLA methodology, which leans heavily on adapting and creativity over set plays. Former Lynx forward Bridget Carleton is the Fire’s max player. She averaged just 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 2025. Though Carleton and other Fire players will have expanded roles in Portland compared to their previous teams, they are at a serious talent disadvantage compared to just about every other team in the league.
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What is Dominique Malonga’s ceiling?
The Storm are firmly in a rebuilding timeline, but they might have a potential superstar in Malonga, whose rapid rate of improvement after the 2025 All-Star break was on display when she went toe-to-toe with Wilson during the first round of the playoffs.
Now, Malonga gets to prove she can be that player as a starter, not just as a backup to Ezi Magbegor and Ogwumike. Her pace and athleticism jump out, but can she be a consistent screener and hand-off partner while being a defensive anchor as the lead communicator? There will be opportunities to do everything this season in Seattle, if Malonga is up for the task.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, WNBA
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