The 2024 WNBA champion has been crowned, and the parade is over. That means it is time to focus on the offseason. This WNBA offseason will bring plenty of excitement. The Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft will take place on December 6, Unrivaled will play its inaugural season in January, and several big names could potentially be on the move in free agency.
Between the expansion draft and free agency, fans will likely see several familiar faces playing for new teams. Depending on who decides to move on from their previous teams, it is the latter that could drastically alter the WNBA landscape.
3. Satou Sabally to the Indiana Fever
With Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston on the team as well as a new coach, the Indiana Fever might be one of the most attractive free-agency destinations in the WNBA. Who would want to play with a generational talent on a team trying to compete for a championship?
The idea certainly seems to appeal to Satou Sabally, who is entering unrestricted free agency this offseason. Fans started speculating as soon as Sabally liked a few comments trying to recruit her to Indiana.
Sabally struggled with injuries during the 2024 season but when she played, she played like an All-Star. She may be just the kind of player the Fever need next to Clark and Boston—someone who can score, is a strong rebounder, can space the floor, and is not a bad defender. Adding Sabally this offseason could put the Fever one step closer to legitimate title contention.
For now, it is all just rumors, though. The Dallas Wings could still core Sabally and limit her ability to negotiate with other teams—if she truly does not want to play in Dallas anymore, there is little reason to force her to stay, though.
If Sabally wants to leave, the Wings will have a lot to figure out. They will likely already lose Natasha Howard in free agency and must build a winning team around Arike Ogunbowale.
2. Kelsey Plum leaving the Las Vegas Aces
The Las Vegas Aces won two championships with the core of A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Kelsey Plum. They did something that most teams find impossible: repeat. It was not quite enough to threepeat, though, and some changes might be coming in Las Vegas.
Kelsey Plum is the only core player who has not signed an extension yet. Does that mean she could be on her way out? Maybe. There is no way to know for sure. Plum could also just agree to a new deal with the Aces, become a core player, and continue to compete with the players she knows she can win with.
If Plum leaves Las Vegas, her departure would drastically change the WNBA landscape, though. For one, Las Vegas would not be quite the same team anymore without her. Secondly, she could catapult another team to the next level.
1. The Connecticut Sun’s big three breaks up
The Connecticut Sun have several key players hitting free agency this offseason. Brionna Jones, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, and Tiffany Mitchell are all unrestricted free agents, while DiJonai Carrington will hit restricted free agency. That is the team’s big three and two other key players. Out of the big three, only Thomas is eligible for a core designation, and there are some big decisions to be made.
The Sun have been consistently good for a few years now, but they have also been consistently not good enough to win a championship. With the new CBA coming, players are probably looking for short deals. So, do the Sun want to give it another year with all of their big three or at least some returning to Connecticut or decide to blow it up?
The trio of Jones, Bonner, and Thomas has not been able to win a title together so far, and the roster might benefit from some changes. Plus, the Sun lost their head coach and will be hard-pressed to find someone better than Stephanie White. It seems that Connecticut’s championship window has closed.
If just one of the big three leaves, the Sun could still be a contender, but it could also bring a talented player to another team looking to make a playoff push. That alone might be enough to alter the WNBA landscape. However, the most drastic change would come if all three were to leave, and the Sun went from being a contender to sitting at the bottom of the standings.