The WNBA is all shook up, as the league's February 1st free agency signing day radically reshaped rosters from coast to coast.
In the largest offseason trade so far, the Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings took the buyer's market by storm while the Connecticut Sun sent starters packing in preparation for a major rebuild. Along with the Indiana Fever, these four teams moved a total of 13 players and 18 assets, making it the most prolific single trade in WNBA history.
Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut) and Satou Sabally (Dallas) headlined the deal, joining Phoenix alongside Dallas's Kalani Brown and Sevgi Uzun.
Connecticut took Phoenix's Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen (who's reportedly moving on to Chicago), plus Dallas's Jacy Sheldon and a first-round draft pick.
Indiana picked up Sophie Cunningham (Phoenix), Jaelyn Brown (Dallas), and a second-round draft pick.
To close it out, Dallas's haul included DiJonai Carrington (Connecticut), Ty Harris (Connecticut), and NaLyssa Smith (Indiana) as well as additional player considerations and draft futures.
That blockbuster four-team transaction comes on the heels of last week's history-making trade between the LA Sparks, Las Vegas Aces, and Seattle Storm, which became official over the weekend. The league's first-ever trade involving multiple former No. 1 draft picks sent Las Vegas's Kelsey Plum to the Sparks and Seattle's Jewell Loyd to the Aces, with the Storm grabbing the 2025 WNBA Draft's No. 2 pick.
More WNBA teams flex free agency muscles
Phoenix and Dallas weren't the only teams profiting off of Connecticut's reshuffling, as 2025 postseason hopefuls Indiana and Atlanta jumped into the market.
Sun standout DeWanna Bonner and three-time WNBA champion Natasha Howard (Dallas) both inked one-year deals with the Fever, joining recently re-signed All-Star Kelsey Mitchell in Indiana.
The Atlanta Dream complemented last week's game-changing Brittney Griner pick-up by netting Connecticut forward Brionna Jones.
Other teams have also kept their names in the mix, with Chicago officially bringing back two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot, who spent 12 seasons with the Sky before her title-winning stint with the Liberty.
The Sky are also reportedly courting Sparks free agent Kia Nurse after sending guard Lindsay Allen and the rights to forward Nikolina Milic to the Sun in exchange for Australia Opals star Rebecca Allen.
In another key free agency signing, Connecticut is bringing eight-time All-Star Tina Charles back after drafting the 36-year-old first overall in 2010.
With the free agency floodgates fully open and a highly anticipated new CBA prompting a wave of one-year deals, even more big-name signings are likely ahead of April's WNBA Draft.
Some of the brightest WNBA stars are packing their bags, as the league's free agency window revs up at breakneck speed, with Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner joining others on the move this week.
After 11 seasons with the Mercury — the team that drafted her No. 1 overall in 2013 — Griner officially jumped ship on Tuesday. The 10-time All-Star will ink a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream when the official signing period opens on February 1st.
Griner explained her free agency enthusiasm in a social media post. "I was able to find where I wanted to go," she said.
"It was a hard decision," Griner continued. "You're leaving what you know, what I've known for my whole career. But there's also the exciting factor... I get to show them something different."
Meanwhile, Phoenix is reportedly closing a deal to receive Connecticut Sun superstar Alyssa Thomas. The four-player trade will send Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen, and the 12th pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft to Connecticut. In exchange, Phoenix receives five-time All-Star Thomas and veteran guard Ty Harris.
League changes spark WNBA stars to explore new teams
A new CBA is entering negotiations and the WNBA's first expansion team since 2008 — the Golden State Valkyries — tips off this season. Subsequently, players across the league are advocating for their futures with increased sway.
Griner, Thomas, Jewell Loyd, and Kelsey Plum are all reportedly leaving the teams that originally drafted them. Most players are signing one-year deals due to the 2026 CBA's anticipated changes — and the deep free agency pool it will create.
While Griner and others are exploring first-ever moves, players like Thomas have been outspoken about seeking improved resources. The conversation is fueled in party by Unrivaled's top-of-the-line facilities.
"They have everything you possibly need here," Thomas said from the3×3 league's Miami campus. "They don’t really have a lot of those things in Connecticut. I've been trying to absorb as much knowledge as I can."
WNBA stars and two-time league champions Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum are on the move, with ESPN reporting Sunday that the Storm, Aces, and Sparks have finalized a huge three-team trade.
According to the report, Seattle is honoring Loyd's trade request by sending the six-time All-Star to Las Vegas. Plum is subsequently LA-bound on a one-year deal after the Aces cored her for a sign-and-trade.
The Aces also receive LA's No. 13 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft in the deal. Meanwhile, Seattle's No. 9 pick in 2025 plus their second-round pick in the 2026 draft now belong to the Sparks.
The Storm walk away with Sparks center Li Yueru, plus two massive draft selections. Seattle now owns valuable assets in the form of LA's No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and Las Vegas' first-round pick in 2026.
However, should they hang onto their chips, Seattle now has a shot at righting a disappointing 2024 run by snagging a top NCAA select like No. 3 Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles or No. 4 USC forward Kiki Iriafen.
Loyd, Plum trade makes WNBA history
Though the news won't be official until the free agency signing window opens on February 1st, the deal is the first in WNBA history to include multiple No. 1 overall draft picks.
Top-picks Loyd (2015) and Plum (2017) have only played for the franchises that originally drafted them. Plum relocated to Las Vegas as part of the San Antonio team that originally selected her out of the University of Washington.
Plum has reportedly indicated her intention to remain with the Sparks past the 2025 season, despite inking a one-year contract.
While the terms of Loyd's agreement remain unclear, both athletes will likely become free agents in 2026. They'll join the majority of WNBA players in doing so, as athletes hope to take advantage of a new CBA that's expected to significantly impact salary caps and other contract stipulations.
The Phoenix Mercury could be entering a new era, with unrestricted free agent Brittney Griner and 20-year WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi both feeding the rumor mill with departure buzz.
The legends have played their entire WNBA careers for Phoenix, sharing the court for more than a decade after joining the Mercury as overall No. 1 picks out of the WNBA Draft in 2004 (Taurasi) and 2013 (Griner).
Griner is actively exploring the free agency market, taking meetings with multiple teams this week while showing off her 3x3 skills with offseason league Unrivaled.
On the other hand, Taurasi is rumored to be retiring. However, neither the WNBA's all-time scoring leader nor the Mercury have confirmed any moves.
Last season, Phoenix anticipated the three-time league champ fulfilling a threat to quietly retire and avoid a farewell. Subsequently, the team honored Taurasi with an emotional "If This Is It" curtain call at the end of the 2024 season.
The 11-time All-Star's most recent statement about retirement came shortly after exiting in the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs. That's when Taurasi voiced her indecision.
"I have not taken it lightly. I think about it every day," Taurasi told The Associated Press. "I’m still in deep thought about it. I want to make the right decision, you know, and I’m just taking my time a little bit."
WNBA free agency negotiation window opens
As for Griner and other WNBA free agents, potential teams are currently courting these top athletes, as the league’s negotiation period officially opened on Tuesday.
No deal can be signed before February 1st. Meantime, many top free agents are capitalizing on what Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart calls the offseason league's "one-stop shop" recruiting ground.
"You're able to talk to other players directly," Satou Sabally said from Unrivaled's Miami campus. "You can figure out what do they have, what type of resources, how important is their team to the owners?"
Regardless of where they go, expect most free agents to ink one-year deals, as this year's CBA negotiations will likely increase 2026 salaries — making athletes hungry to level up again in next year's free agency market.
The WNBA free agency carousel started spinning this week, with teams evaluating rosters and coring athletes to either retain talent or trade players for a return.
Thus far, cored players include Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, and Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams.
Squads employ single-use coring on WNBA stars
Each of the WNBA's teams can core one unrestricted free agent on their roster, ensuring them exclusive rights to that cored athlete. Cored players receive an offer for a one-year, supermax salary contract, along with the option to negotiate different terms.
Cored athletes are unable to directly sign with another franchise, but they can be part of a trade offer by their coring team.
New York cored Stewart after she expressed interest in remaining with her 2024 WNBA Championship-winning squad. Sabally, on the other hand, will likely be part of a sign-and-trade deal after telling media late last week that she is looking to leave Dallas in 2025.
Plum's situation with the Aces is less clear-cut: The two-time WNBA champion could re-sign with her team, though Las Vegas could be exploring opportunities to cash in should she want to compete elsewhere.
Other offers spark WNBA free agent negotiations
In addition to coring, WNBA teams have also begun sending qualifying offers to certain restricted free agents, allowing them to initiate negotiations with those players.
Most notably, despite making Monday offers to three players — guard Dana Evans, forward Michaela Onyenwere, and forward Nikolina Milić — Chicago has yet to extend a qualifying offer to the Sky's 2024 points-leader Chennedy Carter.
Ultimately, while negotiations kick off next week, WNBA contracts cannot be finalized until free agency revs up in February, meaning more shuffling is on deck as teams gear up for the longest and most competitive roster-building season in recent memory.