January 15 marked the official start of WNBA free agency. The WNBA released an official list of core players, reserved players, unrestricted free agents and restricted free agents.
More from High Post Hoops
- Bet $5 on Sparks vs. Sky, Win $150 Instantly with Limited-Time DraftKings Promo
- Cash in for Over $2,000 With WNBA Promo Bonuses from FanDuel & Caesars
- FanDuel WNBA Promo Code Gives You $2,500 Bonus for ANY Game Tonight!
- Unlock $200 GUARANTEED With Crazy DraftKings WNBA Promo
- Unlock Over $4,500 Bonus With 3 Best WNBA Sportsbook Promos!
Our own Howard Megdal released his unrestricted free agent (UFA) rankings last month. Those players are now free to negotiate with any team and deals can be finalized as early as February 1.
At the official start of free agency, we learned that Tina Charles (NYL), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Allie Quigley (CHI), DeWanna Bonner (PHX), Candice Dupree (IND), Crystal Langhorne (SEA) and Karima Christmas-Kelly (DAL) had been designated as core players.
After crossing those names off the list, let’s take a fresh look at the unrestricted free agent market.
Rebekkah Brunson, Alana Beard, Renee Montgomery and Jia Perkins each filled big shoes for the WNBA’s top two teams. It would be a surprise to see any of those players suiting up elsewhere in 2018. Sandrine Gruda and Tiffany Jackson-Jones of the Sparks are also unrestricted free agents.
Plenette Pierson of the Lynx announced during the regular season that she would hang ’em up following the 2017 season. Pierson, a former All-Star, Sixth Woman of the Year and two-time champion with the Detroit Shock, will go out on top with a third championship ring.
Pierson was a top reserve for Minnesota in 2017 and also started four games. Temi Fagbenle or RFA Natasha Howard could be in line to soak up many of those frontcourt minutes. Cecilia Zandalasini, a reserved player this offseason, could see more time in the frontcourt as well in 2018 in small lineups for the Lynx.
Sticking to the frontcourt, these bigs all saw significant time in 2017 for their teams: Jessica Breland (CHI), Kia Vaughn (NYL), Courtney Paris (DAL), Sancho Lyttle (ATL) and Camille Little (PHX).
Sky head coach Amber Stocks was very vocal in publicly backing Breland’s shooting ability all season long. Breland was one of the best among forwards in knocking down catch and shoot midrange jumpers. If she can extend her range even further in 2018, things could get very interesting. Breland brings value defensively as well with her ability to move her feet in space and as a shot blocker.
Vaughn quickly became the regular starting center alongside Tina Charles in the New York frontcourt. She is a strong presence inside and showed flashes of some nice high-low chemistry with Charles and Kiah Stokes. Vaughn and the Liberty put together the signature defensive performance of the regular season against MVP Sylvia Fowles (albeit the Lynx were without Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen in that game) on August 20.
Paris, Lytte and Little all served in starting roles for their teams in 2017. Each player has a clear place in the WNBA, but their respective teams may be ready to go in a different direction, at least with those starting slots.
Shekinna Sticklen (CON), Monique Currie (PHX), Tamera Young (ATL), Shenise Johnson (IND) and Alex Montgomery (LVS) sit atop the class of available wing players.
Stricklen really took off last season for the Sun once inserted into the starting lineup after Morgan Tuck went down. Stricklen shot 41% from deep on five attempts per game. The degree of difficulty of her attempts sets her apart from everyone else in this class. More than half the teams in the WNBA could use shooting at her position and project to have minutes to offer on the wing.
Currie started the season in San Antonio before being traded to Phoenix, where she came off the bench to give the Mercury another versatile scoring option on the wing.
Young was a part of the infamous trade between Atlanta and Chicago. The Dream did not find much playing time for Young following the trade, but the respected veteran did hit 34% of her 3-pointers after attempting just 11 in the six seasons prior.
Montgomery fits a similar bill — many teams could use them on the wing and as a piece to unlock more small lineups.
Shenise Johnson was off to a fine start in 2017 on the wing for Pokey Chatman in Indiana. Teams looking for help on the wing will likely be eager to learn all they can about her progress in coming back from the torn ACL she suffered in July.
Cappie Pondexter (CHI) and Ivory Latta (WAS) are both experienced guards capable of giving a team a scoring lift off the bench. Knowing there are some very promising point guard prospects at the top of the 2018 draft class, teams with a need at that spot may wish to wait on these players to see first how the draft plays out.
All has been quiet so far on the free agency front. Which teams do you expect to be the biggest movers this offseason?