For the second offseason in a row, the WNBA’s new CBA has fostered a free agency period chock-full of star-studded moves and major franchise shake ups. As the dust finally settles, three big unknowns stand out in the league’s new landscape.

ARE THE SEATTLE STORM STILL TITLE FAVORITES?

The defending 2020 champions appear to be shifting their focus toward the future as opposed to maximizing their chances for a 2021 title. Since free agency began, the Storm have said goodbye to two key pillars of their recent dominance: Alysha Clark and Natasha Howard. Clark, a defensive menace who was the only unanimous selection to the 2020 WNBA All-Defensive First Team, was the cornerstone of the Storm’s stifling defense for both their 2018 and 2020 Championship runs. An extremely efficient three-point shooter on the opposite end, Clark signed with the Washington Mystics for 2021 as a free agent.

No better example of a player who transformed her game for @WNBA success than @Alysha_Clark. An undersized scoring sensation at @MT_WBB, she became an elite defender as a pro, and adjusted her offensive attack. She did it so well, she became a vital cog on a championship team. https://t.co/QclCiVr8bw

— Mechelle Voepel (@MechelleV) January 29, 2021

Days later, Howard was traded by the Storm to the New York Liberty as part of a three-team deal. An inside-the-paint version of Clark on defense and a stretch five on the opposite end, Howard was the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year and is a three-time WNBA Champion (2017 with the Lynx, 2018 and 2020 with the Storm).

Natasha Howard is coming to the Big Apple! ????????⚡️ https://t.co/b3MbT62qUz pic.twitter.com/i466Ak4ps3

— Winsidr (@Winsidr) February 10, 2021

The latest goodbye was to Sami Whitcomb, a valuable bench contributor and proficient 3-point shooter, who was also traded to the NY Liberty.

So, what did the Storm receive on the intake side of the ledger?

As part of the Howard trade, the Storm briefly held the 2021 #1 draft pick, but quickly used it to acquire Katie Lou Samuelson from the Dallas Wings. Samuelson, a sharp-shooter from UConn and the fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft, has yet to match her collegiate level of production in the pros. A former teammate of Breanna Stewart, it appears the Storm are hoping that reunion will bring out her shooting magic and fill part of the gap left by Clark.

The Storm also acquired an even younger newbie in Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. The sixth overall pick from 2020, Herbert Harrigan got her feet wet with the Lynx in the Wubble last season, coming off the bench for limited minutes. She flashed promise as a rookie, but in a crowded Minnesota front court, had the potential to spend much of 2021 on the bench.

To offset that collective inexperience, the Storm signed unrestricted free agent Candice Dupree, a fifteen-year veteran and seven-time All-Star who is tied for fifth all-time in WNBA total career points and eighth in rebounds.

With Clark, Howard, and Whitcomb off the books and Samuelson, Herbert Harrigan, and Dupree added on, Seattle is a bit less intimidating than they were last season, especially on the defensive end. But with returners like Jewell Loyd, Jordin Canada, and (ahem) Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, Seattle is still a 2021 title front runner until proven otherwise.

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How will the Los Angeles Sparks fill the voids?

Yes, voids, as in multiple. Granted, Candace Parker’s void is ginormous and covers every inch of the court, but Chelsea Gray’s is a gaping one to boot. In a franchise-altering week, the Sparks said goodbye to both a living legend in Parker, who signed as a free agent with the Chicago Sky, and Point Gawd Chelsea Gray, who signed with the Las Vegas Aces. The enormity of these losses for the Sparks’ stat sheet, attractive style of play, and overall identity cannot be overstated. Add in the departure of Riquna Williams, who also opted to sign with the Aces, and the gaps start feeling insurmountable.

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The new roster additions are Amanda Zahui B, a 6’5” center who posted the best stats of her six-year career last season with the Liberty, and Erica Wheeler, the 2016 undrafted free agent who has since established herself as a capable scorer. Needless to say, these new additions don’t come close to filling the shoes left behind, and no one is making the case they were ever intended to. It will really be up to the returning personnel to lead the way on forging a new identity both on the court and off.

The bulk of this responsibility now falls to Nneka Ogwumike. If anyone has the poise and skills necessary to usher the Sparks into the next era, it is “Madame President.” The current WNBPA President showed up in the league with a bang as the number one overall draft pick and Rookie of the Year in 2012. After nine years, she’s now a six-time All-Star, 2016 WNBA Champion, and 2016 League MVP.

The LA Sparks have designated 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike as its Core Player, maintaining exclusive negotiating rights.#GoSparks | #LeadTheCharge pic.twitter.com/TqXhE1bK1e

— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) January 14, 2021

Luckily, she’ll have some strong supporting cast members in returners Seimone Augustus, Sydney Wiese, and Brittney Sykes. But the x-factors for the Sparks getting off to the right start in 2021 will be getting Kristi Toliver and Chiney Ogwumike back into the groove and back to high production numbers.

Both Toliver and the younger Ogwumike sister opted out of the 2020 Wubble season due to physical wellness concerns. Toliver is a three-time All-Star and two-time WNBA Champion point guard. A Sparks alum, she spent the previous three years playing for the Washington Mystics and took them all the way to the 2019 WNBA title before transferring back to the Sparks.

Chiney Ogwumike, Nneka’s younger sister by two years, lived up to the family name by also going number one in the 2014 draft and backing it up with the Rookie of the Year award. Playing three of her first five seasons with the Connecticut Sun (the other two she missed due to injuries), she was reunited with Nneka upon being traded to the Sparks in 2019. A two-time All-Star herself, it’s yet to be seen how bright her star could shine if she could string together a few injury-free seasons. And while she is expected to re-sign with LA, the move hasn’t been made official.

The simple truth is there will be no filling of the voids in LA. There can only be change and transformation into something new. It’s not something that will happen easily or quickly, but hopefully Derek Fisher, the Sparks head coach and GM, can use 2021 to get the ball rolling in the right direction. With the high-profile location and big name support the Sparks enjoy, having a consistently strong team in LA isn’t just good for the franchise, it’s good for the league as a whole.

How will Dallas use their stacked deck of draft picks?

For the first time in WNBA history, one team holds the top two picks in a single draft. In the league-wide shuffling that took place last Wednesday, the number one draft pick started the day with the New York Liberty, then went to Seattle as part of the deal for Natasha Howard, only to be traded away from Seattle to Dallas in exchange for Katie Lou Samuelson and a 2022 second-round pick.

While many were surprised Samuelson garnered the number one pick, Dallas wasn’t going to question it. After all the dust settled, the Wings were left holding the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 13th overall picks for the 2021 draft. For a team that had the 2nd, 5th, and 7th picks in last year’s draft, it will be back-to-back years that the Dallas Wings are in a position to make franchise-altering decisions on draft day.

The @DallasWings will be the first team in @WNBA history to hold the top-two picks in the same draft.

They hold five of the first thirteen picks ????

No. 1
No. 2
No. 5
No. 7
No. 13 pic.twitter.com/mrviwrvn8d

— espnW (@espnW) February 10, 2021

In the 2020 draft the Wings were able to snag Satou Sabally, Bella Alarie, and Ty Harris by not trading any of their picks prior to draft day. This left the Wings with an extremely young roster with a high potential payoff a few years down the road. Currently, their most veteran players have just five seasons in the league (Kayla Thornton and Astou Ndour).

Heading into the 2021 draft, it would be surprising if the Wings didn’t use some of their assets to add more veteran experience to support their young talent, especially seeing that they’ll need to clear some roster space to add more pieces on draft day. However, it will be hard for the Wings to pass on the chance to use their top overall pick to draft center Charli Collier from Texas and put some sure firepower into the paint. That is, if she opts to leave college a year early.

Texas’ Charli Collier, a draft-eligible junior who has been projected as the potential No. 1 pick in the 2021 WNBA draft, said she doesn't expect to make a decision on whether she will leave Texas early until after she has completed this college season. https://t.co/NzGAwL7myG

— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) February 11, 2021

The downside for the Wings having so many high-ranking picks this year, as opposed to a different year, is the number of unknowns leading into the draft. With the chaos of the pandemic, the NCAA has granted all 2020-2021 senior student-athletes an extra year of eligibility. What the class will look like come draft day is very ambiguous. Even without the extra layer of fog, many consider this 2020-2021 class to be on the shallower end of the talent pool.

Even so, the Dallas Wings are sitting in an enviable position, and the franchise’s future looks bright. With Arike Ogunbowale, the league’s reigning top scorer, at the helm and Satou Sabally just scratching the surface of her dynamic skill set, as well as the loads of young talent in their supporting cast, the Wings have the chance to significantly fast forward their development in becoming a Championship contender.

Sophia Smith isn't much of a gamer. 

"It just does not come naturally to me," the Portland Thorns and USWNT forward tells Just Women's Sports with a laugh. "I think with more practice, I could get good."

Whatever skills Smith may lack on the virtual pitch are made up in full by her talent on the actual one. And that talent has ironically earned her an outsized on-screen role in the popular soccer video game EA Sports FC.

Earlier this week, the 24-year-old earned her second-straight spot on EA Sport's Team of the Year. The honor that places her alongside international heavyweights like Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati, Chelsea's Lauren James, and Lyon's Wendie Renard.

While gaming might not have been front of mind when Smith won Olympic gold in Paris last summer, she has noticed how FC 25 has become an essential way for soccer fans to get to know their favorite players. The franchise only started fully integrating NWSL teams in 2023, but Smith's rise to in-game prominence was swift. 

Her avatar is regularly featured in national TV commercials, scoring in both a Thorns and a USWNT jersey alongside men's soccer stars like Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham. It might be just a video game, but FC 25 feels increasingly like one of the few platforms that views both sides of the sport as having equal potential.

The phenomenon is not lost on Smith. She says that from time to time fans will recognize her not from the Olympics or an NWSL championship appearance, but from the video game. "When people have the ability to play with women in a game that they've played all their life, it opens a whole new door for us," she says.

"It's so great for women in sports, because it shows that we also deserve to be in a game," she continues. "We also deserve to have that platform, to have our names out there at the same level as the men."

EA FC levels the playing field

While the EA FC 25 Team of the Year is voted on by fans, the breadth of leagues in this year's lineup also calms some of the debates currently raging within the women's side. It's no secret that NWSL players sometimes have trouble gaining traction in top European awards. This is a tension that Smith herself has faced before her US national team breakout.

"I do think the NWSL isn't recognized enough," says Smith. "People have a lot of opinions on it, maybe people who don't even watch any games. That can be frustrating because it's a very challenging league to play in — every game is competitive."

To prove her point, she references the time it's taken for her USWNT teammate and fellow Stanford alum Naomi Girma to gain recognition on the international stage. If there were any player she could add to EA FC's Team of the Year, she adds, it'd be the San Diego Wave center-back — "and not just because she's my best friend." The growing global market for NWSL-based players like Girma and Smith likely won't silence critics promoting European-style football over American. But Smith sees differences across leagues as an asset for a player, not a problem.

"Either league could be good for any player for a number of reasons," she explains. "You can learn something in Europe that you can't learn here, and vice-versa. That's why players go back and forth."

"I believe that every league that exists can be challenging in its own way, and we're all just trying to figure it out," she continues. "FC having women in the game — women from the NWSL and European leagues — just puts us all as equals as we should be. It allows you to determine someone's game based off someone's game, not if they play in Europe or the NWSL."

Focusing on USWNT growth in 2025

Smith's game speaks for itself. Coming off a disappointing 2023 World Cup, the forward scored three goals and registered two assists during the USWNT's Olympic run, leading the team to their first major tournament trophy since 2019. Her club contributions were similarly impressive. She scored 12 regular-season goals alongside six assists despite Portland's failure to make it past the 2024 quarterfinals.

But the year took a toll, and Smith says that prioritizing rest has been essential to preparing herself for everything 2025 has to offer.

"I feel like this offseason was very much needed for me," she says. "While it was a great year, it was a long year — we just gave everything 110%, 24/7, so when we got to the offseason, it kind of just smacked us in the face."

Smith says she's physically bouncing back after a lingering ankle injury limited her playing time in the later half of 2024. "Most offseasons I'll take a few weeks and I'll start training," she says. "This offseason I took a little longer. I knew that in order to start this next year off right, I needed to give my body what it needed while I could."

With no major US tournaments set for 2025, Smith is looking forward to seeing the national team continue to gel and evolve. She's a big believer in USWNT manager Emma Hayes's "If it's not broken, break it" ethos. It makes her excited to push herself and her team to take things to the next level. 

Bringing the EA FC Team of the Year energy back to Portland

Smith also has work to do in the NWSL. She's rejoining a Portland club that saw multiple legends of the game step away after 2024's uncharacteristic sixth-place finish. As a leader, she wants to see the Thorns back at the top of the table. And she hopes to carry on the legacy of retired stars like Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg.

"Since I arrived in Portland, every year there's been change. I'm just used to it at this point," she says. "The best thing we can do as players is stick together, really just show up for each other every day. And work towards the same goal, which is to win."

"It's easier said than done," she admits. "I'm used to being one of the younger players on the team. I still am, but I have more experience. I feel like I can be a leader in a different way."

With 2024's triumphs behind her, Smith views the new year as an opportunity to improve without the intense pressure of a major tournament. As always, the goal comes down to one simple thing: growth.

"I'm not the loudest person," she says. "But I can lead by example and show up every day, trying to be the best version of myself and helping those around me get better, too."

Making connections on and off the screen

One thing Smith can guarantee is that she'll continue to connect with fans. That goes whether it's signing autographs after a match or finding the back of the net in EA FC 25. 

"It wasn't that long ago that I was that little kid, watching people I grew up looking up to," she remembers. "If they took a minute out of their day to say hi or to sign something, that stuff means a lot." 

"So I try to be that person for people. If I can do that through FC, if I can do that in real life, I always take the opportunity."

Some of the NWSL's brightest stars made headlines this week, as the league's free agency transfer window continues to turn heads both at home and abroad.

Brazil forward Kerolin is officially departing North Carolina after spending all three of her NWSL seasons with the Courage, the club confirmed on Wednesday. The 2023 NWSL MVP will reportedly head to the WSL's Manchester City in a deal extending through 2028.

Sources are also linking two-time NWSL Defender of the Year Naomi Girma to the first $1 million transfer offer in women's soccer history, courtesy of French side Lyon and UK titans Chelsea and Arsenal. The 24-year-old USWNT star's current contract with the San Diego Wave runs through 2026, making a transfer fee a necessary part of any earlier deal.

The current record for a women's soccer transfer fee is $860,000, which Bay FC shelled out to receive Zambian forward Rachael Kundananji from Spain's Madrid CFF in February 2024.

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More NWSL teams make moves to lock down contracts

NWSL preseason has already started for select clubs, with teams putting the final touches on solidifying both their rosters and front offices.

Angel City hired former Portland Thorns FC and Washington Spirit head coach Mark Parsons as the club's new sporting director on Wednesday. The franchise is still searching for a permanent head coach after parting with boss Becki Tweed in December.

The 2022 expansion team also signed veteran forward Christen Press to a new one-year contract, per a Friday morning press release.

Meanwhile, with Girma's possible departure dominating the rumor mill, the Wave announced the addition of 17-year-old UNC defender and 2024 College Cup champion Trinity Armstrong to the club's ranks on Thursday.

Though Girma's fate is yet to be confirmed, San Diego's decision to pick up a talented young center back — on a three-year contract, no less — supports the theory that the USWNT standout is on the move.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball tips off its inaugural season on Friday night, when four of the league's six clubs will take the court for the first time.

The Miami-based league's debut doubleheader begins with a co-founder face-off, as Breanna Stewart's Mist will first square off against 2024 WNBA Finals foe and fellow Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier's Lunar Owls.

Shortly after that inaugural game, Rose BC, whose roster includes top-rated 2024 rookie Angel Reese plus WNBA Finals MVPs Kahleah Copper (2021) and Chelsea Gray (2022), will take the Unrivaled court. Facing them in Friday's nightcap will be Vinyl BC, a team headlined by WNBA Rookies of the Year Aliyah Boston (2023) and Rhyne Howard (2022).

The two remaining Unrivaled teams will debut on Saturday afternoon, when Phantom BC takes on Laces BC in another 3×3 doubleheader.

Led by All-Stars like Brittney Griner and reigning WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu, the Phantom will start the season without guard Marina Mabrey due to a calf strain. Her recovery is expected to take two to four weeks, with an injury re-evaluation set for late January. In the meantime, the Phantom have added relief player Natisha Hiedeman to their short-handed roster.

IT'S GAME DAYYYYYYY! 🗣️ Make sure you tune in tonight at 7pm ET! pic.twitter.com/vAZ2IkemoF

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) January 17, 2025

Unrivaled stars prepare for their close-up

The innovative new league is launching with 36 of the WNBA's biggest stars, a brand new 3x3 format, and a product finely tuned for national TV broadcast. The goal is to bring fans even closer to their favorite athletes.

Subsequently, Unrivaled has teamed up with six US bars "dedicated to elevating women's sports" in an effort to promote official watch parties nationwide.

"The content piece and the TV piece of this is huge for us," Collier told The Athletic ahead of Friday's launch. "We want to make it the most interactive, fun, and exciting experience we can for people."

With a smaller court and cameras positioned closer to the action than in WNBA games, Unrivaled is aiming to bring a small-venue experience to a national audience.

"It’s definitely intimate, and you’re definitely going to hear a lot of stuff," Mist athlete Jewell Loyd told The Athletic. "But at the same time, that’s what you want, and it’s definitely going to make us play a little harder."

How to watch Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball this weekend

The new 3x3 league will tip off with the Mist and Lunar Owls at 7 PM ET on Friday, with Rose BC and Vinyl BC following at 8 PM ET.

All Unrivaled games will air across TNT, truTV, and Max throughout the season, with Friday's tip off broadcast live on TNT.

With the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season in full swing, top collegiate athletes are already eyeing mid-April's national championship in Fort Worth, Texas.

Unlike elite gymnastics, where difficulty can outweigh execution, the college level values precision over big tricks, so Division I athletes all aim for perfect 10s in their competition performances.

Despite this difference, many of the world's most decorated elite gymnasts also compete in the NCAA. Two-time Olympian Jade Carey is back for her senior season with No. 14 Oregon State while her US teammate in both Tokyo and Paris, Jordan Chiles, is entering her junior year at No. 11 UCLA.

The Bruin, who took the 2024 NCAA season off to prepare for last summer's Olympics, will attempt to reclaim the national titles on uneven bars and floor exercise that she earned in 2023.

Top teams poised for the podium

After earning their first national title last spring, No. 2 LSU is hitting the 2025 mat armed with a stacked roster, headlined by 2024 all-around champion Haleigh Bryant and social media star Livvy Dunne.

Add in last year's freshman phenom Konnor McClain, whose prowess on the balance beam ultimately clinched LSU the NCAA trophy, and 2024 Olympic alternate Kaliya Lincoln, who opened her NCAA career with a 9.825 vault two weeks ago, and the Tigers are more than capable of a back-to-back run.

LSU isn't the only SEC team predicted to make a deep run this season, as the conference is once again flush with perennial contenders.

Elite US stars Kayla DiCello and early Freshman of the Year frontrunner Skye Blakely will join two-time US Olympic alternate Leanne Wong in trying to return No. 7 Florida to the NCAA championship meet. At the same time, new SEC team No. 1 Oklahoma, winner of seven of the last 10 NCAA trophies, could see senior Jordan Bowers de-throne Bryant for the 2025 all-around title.

Also causing early national championship chatter are 2024 finalists No. 5 Cal, who return two of the country's best all-arounders in senior Mya Lauzon and junior eMjae Frazier, and Big Ten champs No. 6 Michigan State, whose veteran-heavy lineup boasts stars Skyla Schulte and Sage Kellerman.

How to watch NCAA gymnastics this weekend

Some of the country's top NCAA gymnasts will take the mat when No. 7 Florida visits No. 2 LSU at 7:30 PM ET on Friday. Live coverage will air on ESPN2.