Making it to the WNBA is tough for a player, but finding success with a team is even harder.
Throughout the 2020s, there’s been a chasm between the teams that win and those that lose. During this decade, on average, over half of the league ends the year with a sub .500 record.
So, what’s the solution? More losing! The best way for teams that lose more than they win to turn their fortunes around is by tanking.
In recent years, the WNBA has seen an influx of young talent that has transcended the league.
Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers and now Olivia Miles have all arrived and immediately become All-Stars who elevate their teams.
In the 2027 WNBA Draft, JuJu Watkins is expected to be the most-prized prospect, with many viewing her as just as good as the aforementioned players. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that she is already better than them all.
With such a transcendent player, among other very promising prospects, potentially on the draft board, the race to the bottom in the WNBA is well underway.
This season, we are on track for seven of the 15 teams to end with losing records. That would be the most under .500 teams since 2023.
The Seattle Storm are already well into their tanking mission. They’ve been eliminated from playoff contention and have lost nine of their last 10 games, having just snapped their second 11-game losing streak of the season on Tuesday.
While that losing streak might surprise fans, the Toronto Tempo are keeping things interesting. They have lost 10-straight games and have plummeted down the standings. Currently, the Tempo are in 13th place, just one game ahead of the 14th-place Connecticut Sun but still four games better than the cellar-dwelling Storm.
If the Storm continue losing at the same rate, or worse, they could be the first team to end the year with a sub .200 winning percentage since the Indiana Fever back in 2022.
But, that’s not a bad thing! Thanks to that awful record, the Fever won the 2023 WNBA Draft Lottery and selected Aliyah Boston at No. 1 overall, The following year, they again received the top pick, blessing them with Clark.
Indiana is a prime example of why tanking is smart. With a couple of seasons with a lot more losses than wins, a team can get back to the top much faster than just wading through seasons of mediocrity. That Dallas Wings, after drafting Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd No. 1 overall in the 2025 and 2026 drafts, respectively, hope to follow a similar trajectory.
Speaking of mediocrity, the Sparks have missed the playoffs the last five seasons, despite trying to build a winning team.
At the 2026 trade deadline, they finally decided that was enough, sending Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury for a 2027 first-round pick and Monique Akoa Makani.
That move won’t win them more games, but it gives them another pick, which could end up being a top lottery selection. And while Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts has been adamant the team is not playing to lose, they’ve only won two of their last eight games.
At this point, LA fans, like those in Seattle, Connecticut and Toronto, are looking more at draft odds than playoff situations, and the organization should follow them in that mindset.
Ideally, there wouldn’t already be this many teams playing to lose with a quarter of the season left, but that’s the reality. The combination of an influx of generational prospects, mixed with teams that have struggled to stack wins due to injuries, inexperience or both, has created a scenario where franchises, if they want a better chance of winning in the future, are incentivized to lose.
The draft is the quickest way to get better, and with so many great young prospects slated to be available, both in 2027 and beyond, expect the WNBA tanking trend to continue.
In the comments, let us know how you feel about tanking in the WNBA. Is it already a problem? Do you fear it will become a problem? Or, do you consider it a smart strategy for teams in need of an infusion of elite talent?
Also, take a spin on WNBA Tankathon and share your results. What team will be gifted the (presumed) right to select JuJu next April? And, where do you want to see Watkins end up?
