Who is Winning the 2025 WNBA Free Agency?
The 2025 WNBA Free Agency period has been marked by record movement across teams. Although it has only begun, shocking trades and signings have already occurred. Players began signing contracts on February 1st, and teams can continue signing free agents throughout the offseason and even the regular season, provided they do not exceed cap space. Let’s check in on our teams, who are our winners and losers so far?
Phoenix Mercury - Winner
Received: Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally, Sevgi Uzun, Kalani Brown, Sami Whitcomb
Traded: Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner, Rebecca Allen, Sophie Cunningham
The triple threat of Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper, and Satou Sabally will be scary, and as of right now, they appear to be the strongest team assembled thus far. Thomas is a five-time WNBA All-Star and one of the most dominant point guards in the league, so she will pair well with the attacking threat Copper. The addition of Sabally and Brown offset the loss of Griner and more, provided Sabally stays healthy throughout the season. Sabally is a versatile forward with ball-handling and shooting skills and is adept at playing both the small and power-forward roles, bringing a depth of range to any team she is on.
Indiana Fever - Winner
Received: DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Jaelyn Brown
Traded: NaLyssa Smith, Victaria Saxton, Grace Berger
The Indiana Fever are now championship contenders, with the signing of DeWanna Bonner sealing the deal. The Fever maintained their golden reserve of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell, who recently re-signed with the Fever. The addition of veteran forwards DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard makes a deadly combination for the Fever. Bonner is six foot four and can double as a small and power forward, having averaged 15.0 points and six rebounds per game last season with the Connecticut Sun. Howard is similarly versatile and averaged 17.6 points and seven rebounds per game last season with the Dallas Wings. Sophie Cunningham will also bring depth to the Fever’s guard lineup. Cunningham has a similar skill set to Lexie Hull, although she is a better scorer and playmaker, and given Hull was a good fit for the Fever’s lineup last season, Cunningham will likely only be better.
Atlanta Dream - Winner
Received: Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
Traded: Tina Charles, Cheyenne Parker
Although the Atlanta Dream will be losing center Tina Charles, their new additions are pretty sweet. The Dream will have a big and dominant lineup of Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones, Allisha Gray, and Rhyne Howard, with the smaller Jordin Canada at the point. It will be interesting to see how these new pieces gel together, but at first glance, they appear to be pretty lethal. Guard Walker-Kimbrough will be a good rotation player for the Dream as well.
Dallas Wings - Potential
Received: DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, Tyasha Harris, Myisha Hines-Allen
Traded: Satou Sabally, Jacy Sheldon
The Dallas Wings will be an interesting case, and although they will be losing Sabally, the Wings have added some decent pieces in DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, and Myisha Hines-Allen. Especially given the first pick within the 2025 WNBA Draft, which will most likely be Paige Bueckers, the Wings could look like a solid team. Hopefully, we can see NaLyssa Smith find a better fit within the Wings’ system, compared to that of the Indiana Fever.
Los Angeles Sparks - Potential
Received: Kelsey Plum
The Los Angeles Sparks are a big maybe. Kelsey Plum is a welcomed addition to the Sparks, but it did come at the price of their second pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. However, on a team that lacks veterans, this will probably be a better team than last year. Plum will bring much-needed scoring capability as she joins forwards Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson, and Cameron Brink, as well as guards Lexie Brown and Odyssey Sims. If Cameron Brink does not come back full-force after her ACL injury, however, the Sparks’ current forward lineup leaves something to be desired with the loss of Li Yueru.
Connecticut Sun - Loser
Received: Tina Charles, Jacy Sheldon, Diamond DeShields, Natasha Cloud, Lindsay Allen
Traded: Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones, DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, DeWanna Bonner
Unfortunately, the Connecticut Sun is likely the biggest loser to come out of the WNBA Free Agency thus far. The Sun have lost their entire starting lineup and are in full rebuild mode. Center Tina Charles and guard Natasha Cloud are two great additions, but their losses definitely outweigh what they have gained. The Sun reached the semi-finals during their 2025 WNBA playoff run, but likely will not return to that same caliber come 2026.
The teams above are those that will likely see the most changes to their performance during the 2026 season, for better or for worse, but more alterations could still be coming. So far, the rosters for the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty are virtually unchanged, which is to be expected considering they are already championship-caliber teams. There has also been little to no noise surrounding the Washington Mystics, which is unfortunate considering they struggled heavily last season. It will be interesting to see what impacts these new trades bring to the league.
