It might seem quick — and understandably so after the marathon CBA negotiations and pushed-up start of the season — but regular-season WNBA action starts up again this Friday.
More money, two new teams and a record-breaking free agency period have shaken up the league. Some teams (sorry, Seattle) have been forced into a rebuild; while others (hello, healthy Caitlin Clark?) finally feel ready to truly contend.
Of course, the Aces and Liberty still top this list, but that doesn’t mean other teams haven’t used the seven-month break to build a compelling case as to why they deserve a top-five, or even top-10, placement. The Sparks, after capturing the top-available free agent Nneka Ogwumike, have certainly climbed the ranks.
Add in expansion, and the new 15-team league starts to get even more interesting. The Portland Fire seem to be aiming for success further down the line, but the Toronto Tempo have surely made a push to be competitive early. Training camp itself was shrouded in talk of building a playoff team and meeting or even exceeding the Valkyries’ success from last year.
For our first power rankings of the season, we’ve taken stock of what the speedy off-season and added influx cash could mean for the success of each of the W’s 15 teams.
1. Las Vegas Aces: With A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young all back, the Aces are the team to catch. The reigning champs look as solid as they did when they swept the Mercury in four games in the 2025 WNBA Finals. The new contract sizes and cap space didn’t get in the way of this super roster as they were still able to deal out three seven-figure contracts. Apart from losing Aaliyah Nye and Megan Gustafson in the expansion draft, last year’s star-studded squad is almost entirely intact.
2. New York Liberty: The Liberty have one of the scariest starting lineups in the W: Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally, Leonie Fiebich and Jonquel Jones. Sabally was a huge get for the Liberty, who are certainly in their win-now era and needed just a little bit more of a boost. The biggest change for the 2024 champs is a new head coach (Chris DeMarco) after Sandy Brondello was let go at the end of last season.
3. Indiana Fever: The Fever’s rank relies heavily on Caitlin Clark’s ability to stay healthy. But Clark isn’t the only powerful force on this squad. Without her — and quite a long list of other injuries — Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston brought this team to a semifinals Game 5 showdown against the Aces. If she’s back consistently, expect even more heat out of Indiana.
4. Los Angeles Sparks: The Sparks saw some turnover in their roster after the Tempo selected starter Julie Allemand in the expansion draft, Rickea Jackson went to the Sky via a trade, and Azurá Stevens left in free agency. Yet, the Sparks are poised for a successful year with Kelsey Plum back as a key leader and after adding Ogwumike.
5. Minnesota Lynx: Napheesa Collier’s ankle injury is still a major concern in Minnesota. She won’t be back until June, and her availability to play regular minutes after that is a huge factor in how this team does. Still, the Lynx have some fresh skill incoming after selecting elite passer Olivia Miles in the draft.
6. Atlanta Dream: Last year, the Dream broke a six-year streak of finishing between .500 and made playoffs. This year, with the addition of Angel Reese and a large group of returning players, expect an even better outcome in Atlanta.
7. Dallas Wings: Dallas could make things interesting this season. Could Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd cook up some of the success they had in UConn, now that the two have been reunited in the W? On top of that, the addition of last year’s co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith gives this powerful Wings squad even more of a boost.
8. Phoenix Mercury: The loss of Sabally will impact the Mercury considerably. Yes, Alyssa Thomas is still in town and a bigger threat than ever, but as Game 4 of last year’s Finals showed, she can’t do it all on her own.
9. Golden State Valkyries: Golden State went on a historic run last year as the only expansion team to make the playoffs in its first year. This season, we predict the Valkyries are a bit more of a playoff-cusp squad. The addition of defensive specialist Gabby Williams (she led the league in steals last season) was a great move, but so many other teams also made equally strong free agency decisions.
10. Washington Mystics: The Mystics have been hard at work acquiring talent through the draft. Now, they have a lot of young players to build with, so success this year depends on how quickly the team can gel and adjust to the league’s level of play.
11. Chicago Sky: The Sky have been fighting to be win-ready. They traded away picks, protected players in the expansion draft, and added free agency in what was a busy month in the Windy City. With so much changing so rapidly, will everything in Chicago pan out as planned?
12. Toronto Tempo: Everything about the Tempo shows a focus on winning this season. The new franchise jumped to work during free agency and became the first team in league history to sign a player to a million-dollar contract when it snagged Marina Mabrey. The Tempo followed that up with the exact same deal for Brittney Sykes to make the first million-dollar backcourt pair. Canada’s team was built to be competitive, from the players it signed to the addition of head coach Sandy Brondello and her staff.
13. Connecticut Sun: What this team really needs is a fresh start, something it’ll be getting next year when the franchise moves to Houston. For now, though, it doesn’t have the pieces to be playoff ready.
14. Seattle Storm: After making playoffs in 2025, free agency forced the Storm into a rebuild. This season will be all about developing and supporting Dominique Malonga, Awa Fam and Flau’jae Johnson.
15. Portland Fire: Apart from Canadian Bridget Carleton, the Fire lack solid veteran leadership and overall WNBA experience. If success this year was a concern, the Fire would have been more active during free agency. Instead, it seems a good draft pick in 2027 or 2028 is the more plausible goal.