WNBA free agency is almost upon us.

With multiple superstars on the market, expect teams to kick into high gear as they try to lure their top targets. To help you prepare, Just Women’s Sports breaks down the key dates and biggest names for the WNBA offseason.

When does free agency start?

Teams can issue qualifying offers and designate core players from Jan. 11-20, and players can accept qualifying offers in that period.

Starting on Jan. 21, players can start to negotiate contracts with any team.

When can players sign contracts?

Players can sign contracts starting on Feb. 1.

Who are some of the top free agents?

Breanna Stewart
2022: 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks

After much speculation about her destination last offseason, the unrestricted free agent returned to Seattle on a one-year deal to see off one of the game’s greats, Sue Bird, in her 19th and final season.

This time around, there’s even more talk. While the Storm could look to bring her back, the New York Liberty were in pursuit of Stewart last year.

Candace Parker
13.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG

A 15-year WNBA veteran, Parker has said she plans to return for 2023. But where will she play?

While she opted to return home to Chicago two years ago, the Los Angeles Sparks have made it clear that they want to bring her back into the fold.

Nneka Ogwumike
18.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.7 SPG

This will be Ogwumike’s first experience with free agency since negotiating the new CBA as president of the WNBPA. But in her exit interview, Ogwumike indicated that she would “love” to return to the Sparks with the right pieces in place.

Brionna Jones
13.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG

The reigning Sixth Player of the Year, Jones led the league in offensive rebound percentage with the Sun in 2022. With the departure of Curt Miller to Los Angeles, Jones could make a move of her own in the offseason.

Emma Meesseman
12.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.4 SPG

Meesseman came up huge for the Sky in 2022, shooting a career-best 57% from the floor. But her status in the WNBA – and with Chicago — remains uncertain as the Belgian national teamer called the WNBA prioritization rule “unfair” to international players in her exit interview.

When is the WNBA draft?

After free agency begins, the next big date on the calendar for the league will be the draft, which is set for April 10. The Indiana Fever hold the No. 1 overall pick, while the Minnesota Lynx will pick second.

Stakes are sky-high for Wednesday night's Cy-Hawk Series clash, as undefeated No. 10 Iowa State welcomes unbeaten No. 11 Iowa to Ames for the highest-ranked NCAA women's basketball matchup in the cross-state rivalry's history.

"[If] you grew up in the state, just there's nothing like it," Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said of the historic series. "You've dreamed, you've watched those big football matchups when you're little, you watched the basketball games when you were little, and to get to be in one — boy, it doesn't get much better."

"[It's] one of those things where it truly is a rivalry, because teams [go] back and forth and have their streaks and wins and losses," echoed Cyclones boss Bill Fennelly.

The red-hot Hawkeyes enter Wednesday's game with the head-to-head advantage having won three straight against the Cyclones — and eight of the last nine in the series.

That said, the Cyclones have the nation's leading scorer on their side, with junior center Audi Crooks's 27.6 points per game showcasing unmatched efficiency in the 2025/26 NCAA season.

"Audi's tough," Jensen said about the Iowa State star. "She's just really, really incredible…. When you let her get it, she's pretty accurate."

How to watch Iowa vs. Iowa State in the 2025 Cy-Hawk Series

The No. 11 Hawkeyes will visit the No. 10 Cyclones in the 2025 edition of the Cy-Hawk Series at 7 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

The Washington Spirit are all in on forward Trinity Rodman, with club GM Nathan Minion telling reporters that the 2025 NWSL runners-up are working "pretty much daily" to re-sign the free agent despite salary cap concerns.

"I think everyone's trying to work together to get a deal in place," said Minion, acknowledging that the NWSL and the Spirit are actively working with each other to retain the 23-year-old star. "[We're] trying to figure this out and trying to get a resolution that can hopefully keep Trinity here with us for a long time."

"The reality is our current salary cap structure — it was built for a different era of women's soccer," said the DC club's recently hired president of soccer operations Haley Carter. "We're going to need mechanisms that allow NWSL clubs to compete for not only players from overseas, but our own players."

The NWSL vetoed the multi-million dollar offer from the Washington Spirit to keep Rodman last week, with the NWSLPA subsequently filing a grievance claiming the league violated the USWNT attacker's free agency rights by blocking the deal.

"These are nuanced conversations, and I would love to just toss the salary cap out the window and pay the players," said Carter. "But we also have to appreciate that, pragmatically, it isn't always payroll that's going to keep our athletes here. It's investment in other things as well."

"We are going to have to start getting creative, I believe, because it's bigger than just one team," continued Carter. "It's bigger than just one player. It's about the league's ability to keep its best players in this league as we continue to grow."

The NWSL transfer and hiring market is ramping up, with both the 14 existing clubs and two incoming expansion teams busy bolstering their 2026 ranks just weeks into the offseason.

Last week, Bay FC announced that England U-23 head coach Emma Coates will become the 2024 expansion club's second-ever manager, with fellow England youth national team and WSL staffer Gemma Davies joining Coates's NWSL crew as an assistant coach.

"I'm truly honored and super excited to build on the strong foundations that have already been established and to implement a clear identity both on and off the pitch," Coates said in Thursday's statement. "[Bay FC] shares my passion for people, performance, and culture, which I believe are fundamental to sustained success."

"Emma is not only an excellent coach, but she also has a proven track record of developing players to compete at the highest levels of both the domestic and international game," remarked Bay Collective CEO Kay Cossington. "Emma has consistently demonstrated an ability to bring players and teams to the next level with clarity, care and purpose. She understands what it takes to build environments where people thrive and perform at their best."

"Bay FC is gaining not only a great coach, but also someone that understands women's football and our athletes inside and out."

While Coates will wrap up her nearly three years at England's U-23 helm to join Bay FC in the coming days, three other NWSL teams are still searching for permanent sideline leaders this offseason, as the Kansas City Current, North Carolina Courage, and Portland Thorns continue to conduct coaching searches.

The Thorns joined the leaderless ranks in late November, parting ways with manager Rob Gale following the team's NWSL semifinals exit.

Reigning WNBA champion A'ja Wilson picked up yet another honor this week, as TIME crowned the four-time league MVP its 2025 Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.

The Las Vegas Aces center became the first player in WNBA history to win a championship, Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, with the 29-year-old sweeping the league's awards this year.

"This year, I collected everything," Wilson said in her TIME interview. "I don't really talk much sh-t — I mean crap. I kind of let my game do it."

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Wilson described the Aces' midseason slump as a focusing agent in her 2025 TIME Athlete of the Year feature, with the skid launching the team on course to their third championship win in four years.

"I think 2025 was a wake-up call that I needed, to let me know that I can't be satisfied with anything," said Wilson. "There's somebody out there that's going to try to take your job. You need to make sure you're great at it, every single day."

Wilson also spoke to the strained relationship between players and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose leadership came under fire in October as CBA negotiations kicked into high gear.

"I only know Cathy by when she hands me trophies," Wilson said. "If that's her true self, thank you for showing that. Thank you for saying those things. Because now we see you for who you are, and now we're about to work even harder at this negotiation."

With the latest CBA extension expiring on January 9th, Wilson promised that the players are all-in on negotiations through the holiday season.

“All of us are going to be at the table, and we're not moving until we get exactly what we want."