Coming off a series of strategic transactions, the No. 10 Washington Mystics will forge ahead on Friday night, taking on the short-staffed No. 6 Indiana Fever with a chance to play spoiler as they reshape their 2025 expectations from below the postseason cutoff line.
"There's just so many different success stories with this group," Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said following Washington's 88-83 loss to the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.
The Mystics have lost five of their last six games, and will take the court on Friday without injured new addition Jacy Sheldon and starting center Shakira Austin.
While Washington exceeded this year's early-season projections — skyrocketing above the playoff line behind leading scorer Brittney Sykes and the dynamic rookie duo of Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron — the now-fading Mystics chose to shift gears at the trade deadline, sending Sykes to the No. 8 Seattle Storm and shipping second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards off to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.
With their natural 2026 draft pick secured, Washington has a shot at adding a top first-round prospect should they play out the rest of the regular season at the bottom of the WNBA standings — in other words, by strategically tanking the final weeks of 2025 play.
On the other hand, the injury-laden Indiana enters Friday's action eyeing a win after falling to the No. 11 Dallas Wings by just one point on Tuesday.
How to watch the Washington Mystics vs. Indiana Fever on Friday
The No. 10 Mystics will take on the No. 6 Fever in Indianapolis at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ION.
The No. 3 Atlanta Dream still have something to say, entering Wednesday's matchup with the No. 8 Seattle Storm on a five-game winning streak — and, notably, just a half-game behind the No. 2 New York Liberty in the WNBA standings.
"We know it doesn't get any easier," Dream head coach Karl Smesko said of his team's remaining regular-season slate. "This is a trip where we're playing a lot of really good teams."
With stars Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner back in the lineup, Atlanta is returning to the height of their power at exactly the right time: "I thought BG was great," Smesko said of his once-injured center. "She was moving great. She looked really good out there."
As for Seattle, however, the Storm finds themselves on the opposite trajectory, riding a five-game losing streak into Wednesday's clash.
Adding insult to injury, former Storm guard Alysha Clark confirmed this week that she requested her midseason trade to the No. 10 Washington Mystics.
"Asked Alysha Clark if she had conversations with Seattle before the trade and she said she requested to be moved," tweeted Washington Post journalist Kareem Copeland on Tuesday. "Things hadn't worked out as they envisioned and she told herself at 38 years old she was going to stay in control of her career."
Clark's admission follows 2024 reports that volatile locker room dynamics and front office disputes prompted former Seattle star Jewell Loyd to request a trade last season.
How to watch the Atlanta Dream vs. Seattle Storm on Wednesday
The Dream will put their winning streak to the test while trying to take advantage of the Storm's skid at 10 PM ET on Wednesday.
Live coverage of the game will air on ESPN3.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx are inching toward the clinch, closing in on booking a 2025 WNBA Playoffs spot after weekend victories over the No. 10 Washington Mystics and No. 2 New York Liberty extended the league leaders' winning streak to five straight games.
"We didn't make them feel uncomfortable, and they made us feel really uncomfortable," Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said of Minnesota's locked-in defense — fueled by recent addition DiJonai Carrington.
The top two teams in the WNBA standings will meet twice more in the next nine days, as both Minnesota and New York look to maintain their positioning while waiting for their MVP short-listers — Lynx star Napheesa Collier and Liberty standout Breanna Stewart — to return from injury.
As Minnesota widens the gap with just 12 games remaining before the 2025 Playoffs, last weekend's lineup saw other teams rise and fall as clock ticks down on 2025 play.
No. 8 Seattle experienced a precipitous drop, pulling level with the postseason cutoff line after two narrow weekend losses to the No. 6 Las Vegas Aces and No. 9 LA Sparks stretched the Storm's skid to five games.
Taking advantage of other teams' shortcomings, the previously struggling Aces are again climbing the standings, logging a four-game winning streak capped by forward A'ja Wilson's record-setting 32-point, 20-rebound Sunday performance.
How to watch the WNBA game on Monday
The WNBA's lone Monday matchup pits the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries against the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.
The East Coast vs. West Coast clash tips off at 10 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.
Thursday's WNBA trade deadline came and went with one final flurry of activity, as the No. 10 Washington Mystics leaned all the way into their rebuild by sending 2024 No. 6 draft pick Aaliyah Edwards to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.
"Bringing Aaliyah to the Connecticut Sun is more than just a roster move.... Aaliyah is a transformational talent with the mindset and drive that aligns with our vision of building a championship culture," Sun GM Morgan Tuck said in a statement. "Aaliyah is the kind of person and player who can help redefine the future of this organization and we're ready to build that future together."
In return for Edwards, Connecticut sent 2024 No. 5 draft pick Jacy Sheldon to the Mystics, with Washington also receiving the right to a first-round pick swap in 2026 WNBA Draft in the trade deal.
The move follows a Tuesday trade in which the Mystics offloaded their leading scorer Brittney Sykes to the No. 6 Seattle Storm in return for forward Alysha Clark and a 2026 first-round draft pick.
While a few major midseason moves emerged this week, seven of the league's 13 teams decided to forego any trades, with No. 2 New York, No. 3 Atlanta, No. 4 Phoenix, No. 5 Indiana, No. 8 Golden State, No. 9 LA, and No. 11 Chicago holding their rosters steady in the final week of the transaction window.
The clock is ticking down toward the WNBA trade deadline, as teams around the league evaluate their rosters and make midseason moves ahead of Thursday's 3 PM ET final whistle.
The No. 10 Washington Mystics made the most recent transactional splash, sending leading scorer Brittney Sykes to the No. 6 Seattle Storm on Tuesday.
In return, Washington received forward Alysha Clark, guard Zia Cooke, and a 2026 first-round draft pick — though the Mystics immediately waived Cooke as well as center Sika Koné.
Teams now have a little more than 24 hours to decide if they’re stocking up for the postseason or punting this year's potential to shore up future prospects.
Though the WNBA trade deadline has historically been less dramatic than other leagues thanks to hard salary caps and roster limitations, ramped-up expansion and the promise of a new CBA appear to be greasing the wheels this year.
While not every title contender has roster room to spare, teams in line for the lottery will likely look to clean house this week.
To that end, Washington may still be dealing: 2024 No. 6 overall draft pick Aaliyah Edwards played just seven minutes for the Mystics in their 78-64 loss to the No. 11 Chicago Sky on Tuesday, sparking rumors of another potential big trade.
As for the last-place Connecticut Sun, guard Marina Mabrey could serve as a last-minute asset after the team initially denied Mabrey's offseason trade request.
The No. 6 Seattle Storm continue to lose ground, sliding down the WNBA standings after falling to No. 1 Minnesota 91-87 on Tuesday night — even as injured Lynx star Napheesa Collier watched from the sidelines.
Sitting as high as No. 4 this season, the Storm are now on a three-game losing streak, despite a string of very narrow score lines.
"We know those deposits are going to pay dividends coming up, but yeah, I think this group needs to feel a win," Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said after Sunday's 78-74 loss to the No. 5 Indiana Fever.
While Seattle is skidding, another West Coast team is on the rise, as the No. 9 LA Sparks recorded their seventh win in eight games on Tuesday, snapping Indiana's five-game winning streak with a 100-91 LA victory.
The win lifted the Sparks over the No. 10 Washington Mystics in the standings.
Forward Rickea Jackson and guard Kelsey Plum combined for 50 points to book the win, while newly returned forward Cameron Brink tied her career-high with five registered blocks on the night.
Ultimately, while some teams are struggling, others are surging toward the postseason, leaving the lottery-likely to decide whether to throw their weight behind a playoff push or shift their focus to next year.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx hit a snag this week, as league-leading scorer and star forward Napheesa Collier will miss at least two weeks of play after picking up an ankle injury in Saturday's 111-58 blowout win over the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces.
While an MRI confirmed there was no major injury, per ESPN, Collier's sprain will need to be "re-evaluated in the coming weeks."
"Obviously, you hate to see anybody go down, but especially your MVP," Lynx guard Kayla McBride said. "We just wish the best for her. We just want her to be healthy."
Minnesota will aim to continue their run of form without their franchise player as part of a Tuesday lineup with serious WNBA standings implications:
- No. 9 Washington Mystics vs. No. 12 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Locked in a multi-team battle for postseason contention, the Mystics have a chance to make headway against an Angel Reese-less Sky desperate to break out.
- No. 5 Indiana Fever vs. No. 10 Los Angeles Sparks, 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The Fever are rolling despite the lack of return timeline for injured star Caitlin Clark, but a Sparks side with seven wins in their last 10 games could upend Indiana.
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 6 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): With Collier sidelined due to injury, the Lynx will welcome key addition DiJonai Carrington to the fold as a hungry Seattle looks to pounce following two straight losses.
With more than half the 2025 season in the books, it's prime time for WNBA injuries, putting shorthanded squads in the spotlight as they push toward the playoffs.
The No. 9 Golden State Valkyries emerged as the WNBA's big winners on Tuesday night, with the 2025 expansion side shaking off a tough Sunday loss to the last-place Connecticut Sun with a 77-75 win over the No. 5 Atlanta Dream.
Golden State forward Cecilia Zandalasini scored a team-leading 18 points off the bench — including the game-winner — as Golden State built up a 30-point third quarter to narrowly hang onto the lead.
"We were talking about resilience, so it felt really good, especially on the road," starting guard Tiffany Hayes said after the win.
While Golden State secured momentum with the upset win, Tuesday's result wasn't quite enough to catapult the Valkyries over the postseason cutoff line.
Both the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces and the No. 8 Washington Mystics held fast to their playoff positions with Tuesday victories over No. 10 LA and No. 12 Chicago, respectively — denying both the Sparks and the Sky any headway in pushing out of their current lottery slots.
LA did see some upside in forward Cam Brink's return from injury, with the 2024 No. 2 draft pick contributing five points and three rebounds in her limited 14-minute performance.
With such parity, any WNBA team — including Golden State — can make a run up the 2025 table, so long as the squads at the top cede any ground.
Second-year LA Sparks forward Cameron Brink is gearing up to make her long-awaited return on Tuesday night, stepping back on the WNBA court after missing more than a year of action due to a June 2024 ACL tear.
Brink's return couldn't come at a better time for LA, as the Sparks continue to take serious aim at a postseason run after rattling off five wins in a row.
The 2024 No. 2 overall draftee will likely be on a minutes restriction as she works her way back into full-game fitness, with the Sparks easing her in during their Tuesday matchup against Las Vegas.
"It means the world," Brink told the Long Beach Press Telegram about her WNBA return earlier this week. "I'm just very excited, very humbled by this experience. It's no easy thing to come back from."
Brink's comeback will close out a trio of WNBA games on Tuesday:
- No. 9 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): After a hot start, the Valkyries slid into a free-fall, leaving Golden State hoping to improve on their 2-6 July record against a gelling Dream side.
- No. 12 Chicago Sky vs. No. 8 Washington Mystics, 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The young Mystics are currently clinging onto the final playoff spot, with a chance to push ahead against the injury-riddled Sky.
- No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 10 Los Angeles Sparks, 10 PM ET (NBA TV): The Sparks are the shiniest team in the WNBA right now, but they'll have their work cut out against an Aces team desperate to bust out of the mid-table doldrums.
The top WNBA titans showed some weakness this weekend, as both the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 2 New York Liberty suffered unexpected upset losses at home.
First on Saturday, the No. 10 LA Sparks staged a 101-99 upset win over reigning WNBA champions New York, notching their fifth straight victory thanks to a dramatic buzzer-beater from guard Rickea Jackson.
Liberty standout Sabrina Ionescu led the game with 30 points, stepping up in the loss after star Breanna Stewart exited with a leg injury less than four minutes into the game.
Similarly, despite perennial MVP candidate Napheesa Collier putting Minnesota on her back with a 32-point performance on Sunday, the league-leading Lynx couldn't contain the No. 4 Atlanta Dream, falling 90-86 in their first home loss of the season.
The win helped the Dream shoot up the WNBA standings, overtaking fourth place from the Seattle Storm, whose 69-58 Saturday loss to the No. 8 Washington Mystics sent them stumbling into the No. 5 spot.
The No. 7 Las Vegas Aces have also been pushing, leapfrogging the Mystics with a 106-80 win over the No. 12 Dallas Wings on Sunday.
"One of the toughest things is going through hard things and remaining optimistic and positive," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said of her team's battle-ready mindset. "My main focus was just to keep everybody upbeat."
While multiple squads have consistently impressed this season, no single team has remained unanswered above the rest — a nod to the league's growing depth and subsequent parity.