So … now what? These WNBA teams have been eliminated
The regular season is over, and while the 2024 WNBA playoffs are underway, it’s also time to turn our attention to how teams should approach the offseason.
A lot of answers are still to come. The league has yet to announce a date for the draft lottery, which was held in December last year. And in addition to April’s WNBA draft, the league will hold an expansion draft as the Golden State Valkyries join the league ahead of the 2025 season. Per league sources, it will take place before the January start of free agency, but the WNBA has yet to announce a date or rules for the Golden State expansion draft.
The Los Angeles Sparks, one of four teams that didn’t reach the playoffs this season, have the best odds for the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, at 44.2%.
In the meantime, we’re breaking down potential moves for each eliminated WNBA franchise, including a look at the state of each roster, team needs and priorities for each front office.
Eliminated in first round
2024 record: 25-15 (5th)
Free agents: Nneka Ogwumike (unrestricted), Gabby Williams (unrestricted), Mercedes Russell (unrestricted), Sami Whitcomb (unrestricted), Joyner Holmes (unrestricted), Victoria Vivians (unrestricted)
2025 draft capital: Standard picks, plus Washington’s third-round pick
2024 recap: After signing All-Stars Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, the Storm’s 14-win jump in the standings from the 2023 lottery was tied for fourth largest in WNBA history. Diggins-Smith returned from giving birth to her second child to play at a high level and Ogwumike made a strong case for All-WNBA honors. Yet Seattle still found itself outside the top four seeds and was swept by the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the opening round of the playoffs. Ultimately, the Storm’s offense wasn’t championship caliber. Seattle ranked seventh in offensive rating during the regular season and mustered no field goals and two points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against Las Vegas after heading to the final period with a lead.
State of the roster: After defensive anchor Ezi Magbegor signed a one-year extension in June, the Storm have three of their so-called “Core Four” under contract with Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd signed through 2025. Ogwumike will become an unrestricted free agent and it’s up to Seattle to re-recruit her to stay.
The other key free agent is Williams, who re-signed after the Olympics and quickly moved back into the starting five alongside that group. Winsidr reported before that decision that Williams wanted a commitment not to be designated a core player, allowing her into unrestricted free agency after the WNBA’s prioritization rule forced her to re-sign midway through the past two seasons. When she returned to Seattle, Williams said she was focused on finishing the season but would be transparent with ownership about her desire.
Making Williams a core offer might not be realistic with the Storm’s cap situation. Even if Seattle filled out the roster with players on the rookie minimum, paying Williams the supermax ($249,244) would leave less than $200,000 to re-sign or replace Ogwumike based on salary data from HerHoopStats.com — less than the $204,500 Ogwumike made this season.
Biggest priority: Upgrading the bench.
Biggest offseason question: Can the Storm become legitimate title contenders? Seattle was half a step behind the WNBA’s top teams, going a combined 2-12 against Las Vegas, Minnesota and New York, including the playoffs. If the Storm re-sign Ogwumike and Williams, they’ll have to find value contributors to improve the bench and particularly the team’s shaky outside shooting. Only three WNBA teams in the past decade have shot worse than Seattle’s 29% from 3-point range. — Kevin Pelton
2024 record: 15-25 (8th)
Free agents: Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (unrestricted), Aerial Powers (unrestricted), Tina Charles (unrestricted), Lorela Cubaj (reserved), Maya Caldwell (reserved)
2025 draft capital: The 16th and 28th overall selections
2024 recap: Atlanta’s season might have been saved by the Olympic break. The Dream lost eight in a row before the WNBA halted play in July and were three games out of a playoff spot. Three wins over eventual playoff teams immediately followed the return to action, and the season was saved. There were still separate four- and three-game losing streaks, but an 8-8 finish was good enough for a second straight postseason appearance. Much of the first-half struggles can be attributed to injuries. Rhyne Howard sat out 10 games just before the pause, and Jordin Canada had two stints on the sidelines that totaled 18 games. Howard was especially good in the second half of the season, averaging 19 points and hitting the 30-point mark four times.
State of the roster: At this point of her career — and because she already has had one retirement — Charles’ playing days must be considered a year-to-year proposition. The Dream would certainly welcome her back, perhaps on another one-year deal. The core of Howard, Canada and Allisha Gray, the Dream’s most consistent player, are under contract for 2025. That’s a good place to start, but there are questions after that. Injuries limited Powers to 17 games, and the production of Parker-Tyus fell off significantly. Both ended the season injured as well. It’s hard to imagine both being re-signed. Haley Jones, Naz Hillmon and Nia Coffey all have cap-friendly salaries, but none are making the impact the Dream need. Atlanta was near the bottom of the league in all the shooting and scoring metrics and was last in points and assists per game.
Biggest priority: Adding a power player who can score efficiently.
Biggest offseason question: If Charles doesn’t come back, what’s the plan? Even if the WNBA’s all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles elects to return, the Dream need to be better offensively. Of Atlanta’s top six scorers, Charles had the highest shooting percentage at 45.6%. Without a first-round pick (traded away to acquire Gray), the path to improving the offense is more difficult. The front office will either have to do something creative in free agency and/or the trade market, or Canada, Gray and Howard will have to become far more efficient. — Charlie Creme
Eliminated after regular season
2024 record: 14-26 (9th) Free agents: Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (unrestricted), Emily Engstler (reserved), Sug Sutton (reserved), Julie Vanloo (reserved) 2025 draft capital: Two first-round picks, their own and Atlanta’s Lottery odds: 10.4% 2024 recap: First came Natasha Cloud‘s decision to sign with Phoenix at the start of free agency. A week later, Elena Delle Donne, after playing just 23 games in 2023, announced she was sitting out the season. That meant two of Washington’s top-three scorers from 2023 were gone. Then in this season’s second game, the Mystics’ other top scorer, Brittney Sykes, suffered a high ankle sprain and missed three weeks. That all added up to an 0-12 start, a hole from which Washington couldn’t escape. The Mystics did win five of six games in late August/early September to become a playoff threat, but — too reliant on Ariel Atkins and Sykes — they ultimately fell short. They had only two wins all season against teams with winning records. State of the roster: Delle Donne’s status is uncertain, but 2024 core players Atkins, Sykes, Stefanie Dolson, Shakira Austin, Karlie Samuelson (who had her best season as a pro) and Aaliyah Edwards are under contract. Keeping those players on the court is the issue. Austin has played just 31 games the past two seasons. Washington might have to bring back Emily Engstler just for frontcourt protection. Sykes missed 23 games. That opened some minutes for Julie Vanloo, who could now be a valued bench piece. Edwards suffered from inconsistency in her rookie year. Her expected improvement would fill some holes. Biggest priority: Add another scorer or a true point guard. Sykes and Atkins can’t be asked to carry the offense again. Biggest offseason question: How can the Mystics maximize their current talent? All things considered, the coaching staff did a great job digging this team out of the 0-12 hole and nearly making the playoffs. But Washington has weaknesses. The Mystics grabbed the fewest rebounds in the league and had the most turnovers. That really limits scoring opportunities. The two first-round draft picks could help add depth that coach Eric Thibault can turn into a balanced attack. A better version of Edwards and healthy Austin could solve the rebounding dilemma and the lack of interior scoring. That was another area where Washington struggled. — Creme 2024 record: 13-27 (10th) Free agents: Isabelle Harrison (unrestricted), Brianna Turner (unrestricted), Diamond DeShields (unrestricted), Chennedy Carter (restricted), Michaela Onyenwere (restricted), Dana Evans (restricted). Elizabeth Williams signed a contract extention through 2025. 2025 draft capital: Holds Connecticut’s first-round pick from the Marina Mabrey trade earlier this season. Dallas could swap first-rounders with the Sky as part of the trade to obtain Mabrey prior to the 2023 season. (Chicago traded away its 2nd and 3rd round picks.) Lottery odds: 17.8% (This is the technical number for Chicago to get the top pick, but with Dallas holding the rights to swap picks, the Sky have essentially zero chance of picking first.) 2024 recap: While competitive most nights, the Sky couldn’t overcome their limited 3-point shooting (last in the WNBA in made 3-pointers per game and percentage of points from 3-pointers), the Mabrey trade, Carter’s late-season illness and Angel Reese‘s season-ending wrist injury. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The 2024 season will be remembered for Reese’s historic rookie campaign, setting league marks for double-doubles and rebounds (a record A’ja Wilson later broke), and for Teresa Weatherspoon possibly finding a core on which to build with Reese, Carter and Kamilla Cardoso. State of the roster: It’s almost certain the Sky would match any offer to Carter, but with six other free agents, Chicago could look quite different in 2025. Production and consistency were sparse after Reese, Carter, Cardoso and the now-departed Mabrey. Rachel Banham and Lindsay Allen could be back because they fill needs and have reasonable contracts — Banham as a 3-point shooter and Allen as a point guard — but it would benefit the Sky if they were coming off the bench. Onyenwere gave Chicago a spark after the Olympic break and is a restricted free agent who seems likely to return. The rest of the team’s free agents either couldn’t stay healthy or fell out of the regular rotation. Biggest priority: Adding some long-range shooting and a point guard who is a scoring threat. Biggest offseason question: How much will the franchise regret the pick swap with Dallas? The Sky would have had the third-best chance to secure the No. 1 pick, but imagine if they did. Paige Bueckers would have filled the franchise’s two most significant needs with one player. This was a rebuilding season, and although there is disappointment in not making the playoffs Chicago accomplished its goal of resetting the franchise with a young core. What comes next with roster reconstruction will be key. — Charlie Creme 2024 record: 9-31 (11th) Free agents: Satou Sabally (unrestricted), Natasha Howard (unrestricted), Jaelyn Brown (reserved), Sevgi Uzun (reserved) 2025 draft capital: Standard picks plus the ability to swap first-round spots with Chicago Lottery odds: 45.4% (combined Dallas and Chicago odds because the Wings have the right to swap picks with the Sky) 2024 recap: The shoulder injury that cost Sabally the first 25 games derailed what was supposed to be another momentum-building season for a franchise coming off its first playoff series win since moving to Dallas in 2016. The Wings still managed to win only three games after Sabally’s return, primarily because they had the league’s worst defense. Teaira McCowan showed signs of improvement in the post, and former first-round pick Maddy Siegrist looked like one of the WNBA’s most improved players over the first month — but was never the same after missing eight weeks with a broken finger. Arike Ogunbowale (second in the league at 22.2 PPG) remains one of the most electric offensive players in the game. State of the roster: Expect the Wings to designate Sabally as a core player and bring her back from what they hope is a full season of the 17.4 PPG she scored after the Olympic break. She and Ogunbowale form one of the league’s top-scoring tandems, but just one year removed from that playoff appearance, this roster either needs to get fully healthy or remade. A decision must be made on Howard. Her leadership and scoring would be missed but letting her go in free agency would provide some offseason flexibility. Dallas added four first-round picks in the last two years, and three of the four — Jacy Sheldon, Lou Lopez Senechal and Stephanie Soares — have combined to score a total of 260 points in two seasons. Biggest priority: The Wings need to be much better defensively and more physical. The draft isn’t likely to provide that, so Dallas should be active in free agency. Oh, and a true point guard would be nice. Biggest offseason question: Was this season just a product of injury or do personnel changes need to be made? The Wings seemed destined for bigger things but for a stretch in the season’s first half were playing without Sabally, Siegrist and Howard. They couldn’t recover and 2024 became a free fall. The front office and coaching staff must decide if just being healthy will be enough or if some big moves are necessary. — Charlie Creme 2024 record: 8-32 (12th) Free agents: Kia Nurse (unrestricted), Aari McDonald (restricted), Li Yueru (reserved) 2025 draft capital: Standard picks plus additional third-rounder from Chicago Lottery odds: 44.2% 2024 recap: The Sparks were the worst team in the league and dealt with a litany of injuries for the second straight year, most prominently losing Cameron Brink, April’s No. 2 draft pick, to an ACL tear 15 games into her rookie season. Even though it was the worst season in franchise history, culminating in a fourth consecutive season without a playoff berth, Los Angeles will enter 2025 with a clear direction in building around its two young stars in Brink and Rickea Jackson. Dearica Hamby also had a memorable summer, putting together a career year in her second season back after giving birth to her second child. State of the roster: There’s not a ton of intrigue surrounding who will be on the 2025 Sparks. The front office did its work early by signing Hamby, Azura Stevens, Stephanie Talbot and Lexie Brown to contract extensions earlier this year (the first three through 2025, Brown through 2026). Players such as Layshia Clarendon, Rae Burrell, Julie Allemand and Zia Cooke are also under contract but are on unprotected deals. Crystal Dangerfield and Odyssey Sims (who are both on hardship contracts) — in addition to Nurse, McDonald and Li — will enter the offseason as unrestricted free agents. Biggest priority: Acquiring a lead guard and establishing consistent guard offensive firepower Biggest offseason question: Will the pingpong balls fall in Los Angeles’ favor? If so, there’s a silver bullet to the aforementioned backcourt issues named Paige Bueckers, who’ll await the Sparks in the draft. A young core of Bueckers, Brink and Jackson would give fans plenty of reasons for optimism about the Sparks’ ability to reemerge as a contender in the coming years. — Alexa Philippou
Washington Mystics
