Well, despite the challenges it took to get here, the WNBA offseason is now officially underway.
With a two-team expansion draft, a traditional draft and free agency needing to be completed before the games can begin, teams will be moving at a blistering speed to fill up an offseason of activity in just a matter of weeks.
Considering that teams will have to protect players from being selected in the expansion draft and then decide who they want to pursue in a free-agent market that features most of
the players, this is going to be a tough spring with some difficult decisions, especially for a few franchises.
These three teams, in particular, face some of the toughest decisions.
Dallas Wings
The good news for the Wings is that they have their franchise player established in Paige Bueckers.
The bad news is that’s about it.
They’ll have to decide what to do with Arike Ogunbowale. She’s an unrestricted free agent, and while her talent is undeniable, the chemistry with her and Bueckers in the backcourt left much to be desired.
If they keep the duo back together, then the main issue is establishing the frontcourt. Given that Dallas struggled as a team, center and forward upgrades likely need to be addressed via free agency. Or they can use their No. 1 draft pick to bolster this area of their roster.
The question is, who can they pick up? What’s the fit that makes the most sense under the new head coach Jose Fernandez?
If they get these decisions right, Dallas can fast-forward its rebuild and turn it into a retool; if they get it wrong, they can remain in the WNBA basement, and perhaps Paige will begin to wonder if she wants to remain there.
Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks have a ton of potential.
They have their superstar Kelsey Plum, young talent like Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson and veteran stars like Dearica Hamby.
Still, they missed the playoffs for the past five years and having 2026 be year number six would be unacceptable.
So, they’ll have some tough decisions to make, like who they should protect in the expansion draft and whether they should supermax Plum or Hamby. Or, is it better to move on and use this offseason as a hard reset?
Since the Sparks don’t have a first-round draft pick, retaining their best players and upgrading the rest of their roster will be the only way they can make a push and begin to return to the top of the WNBA hierarchy.
Indiana Fever
If the Fever play their cards right, they can win the WNBA title this year.
Caitlin Clark is a transcendent player, and Aliyah Boston is one of the best bigs in the league.
However, to get to that level, they need to make good decisions this spring.
Is Kelsey Mitchell worth a supermax? Should they go in a different direction and poach an All-Star from another team? And if so, what kind of player should they aim for? Should they pursue a wing or a forward? Perhaps another big next to Boston?
Who they will protect from the expansion draft will also be key. The Fever had a lot of success last season, so Toronto and Portland will undoubtedly be looking to see who they can acquire from Indiana.
All three of these teams have big offseasons ahead of them. The Sparks are rebuilding, the Fever are pursuing a title and the Wings want to retool quickly.
The opportunity is there for all three to improve their situation, but they can also make the wrong moves and take a step back, despite a deep draft class and so many free agents available. The decisions they make can change the trajectory of these franchises for years.
Let’s see if they make the right moves. Share what you think will, or should, happen below. What other teams’ decisions will you also be watching closely?
