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Less than a month ago, the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association announced that they had come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement that established a historic and comprehensive revenue-sharing model and ensured the 2026 season would go ahead.
In order for the season to start on time, however, the entire offseason had to be condensed into a few weeks. Between April 3 and April 18, the league conducted a historic double expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, a unique free agency period and the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Now, finally, it's time for the players to hit the court. Training camps open Sunday, when teams will be allowed to practice together for the first time. Preseason games will then begin on April 25, with opening night set for May 8.
As training camps open, let's take a look around the league and look at one big question facing each team.
Atlanta Dream
How much does Angel Reese change things?
The Dream were second in the league in offensive, defensive and net rating last season and won a franchise-record 30 games, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the short-handed Fever. Heading into the offseason, the Dream had two paths: make changes on the margins around their core or make a big swing. They chose the latter and got it done without giving up a single member of their core. In addition to re-signing Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones, Naz Hillmon and Jordin Canada, they traded two future first-round picks for All-Star forward Angel Reese.
Reese, whose tenure in Chicago ended in unceremonious fashion, is a major talent boost for the Dream. She's the best rebounder in the league, a strong defender and an indefatigable worker. But Atlanta flamed out in the playoffs because they couldn't make enough shots when it really mattered. Will doubling down on their biggest strengths -- rebounding, defense, getting to the free throw line -- be enough for the Dream to overcome their offensive concerns in the postseason?
Chicago Sky
Can they make the playoffs?
Few teams were as busy as the Sky this month. Out went Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins, among others, in came Skylar Diggins, Rickea Jackson, Azura Stevens, DiJonai Carrington, Jacy Sheldon and Gabriela Jaquez. For the second consecutive offseason, the Sky have completely remade their roster with an eye on the playoffs. "We're gonna remain in win-now mode as long as I'm here," general manager Jeff Pagliocca said earlier this week.
The Sky's roster is more talented than it was last season. Diggins gives them a true high-level point guard, their perimeter defense will be significantly better and their new frontcourt should be a better on-court fit. But can they actually make the postseason for the first time since 2023? Yes, but it's not a guarantee. Their best player is about to turn 36, their likely starting lineup is still going to have multiple non-shooters and their depth is a question mark. The Mystics own swap rights for the Sky's 2027 first-round pick (and own their 2028 first outright) so there's a lot riding on Chicago making the playoffs this season.
Connecticut Sun
What kind of send-off do the Sun give Connecticut?
The Sun had a strong draft, adding Nell Angloma, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker to their young core of Leïla Lacan, Saniya Rivers, Aneesah Morrow and Aaliyah Edwards. They picked up Brittney Griner and Kennedy Burke in free agency to provide a veteran presence and Rachid Meziane appears to be a solid coach. On the court, they're on the right track, but are still in the early stages of their rebuild.
This season will ultimately be remembered more for what has -- and will -- happen off the court. In March, the Mohegan Tribe agreed to sell the franchise to Tillman Fertitta for a record-breaking $300 million. As part of the agreement, the Sun will move to Houston in 2027 and become the Comets – the first relocation in the WNBA since the San Antonio Stars moved to Las Vegas to become the Aces in 2018. What sort of send-off will the Sun give their fans and the people of Connecticut, who have loyally supported the team for more than two decades?
Dallas Wings
How does their new backcourt fit together?
One year after selecting 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 pick, the Wings selected her girlfriend, Azzi Fudd, with this year's top selection. The former Huskies will be joined in the Wings' backcourt by franchise stalwart Arike Ogunbowale, who Dallas re-signed despite a poor 2025 and months of questions about her future.
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Dallas' backcourt is extremely talented, but the fit is not obvious on either end. Ogunbowale is at her best with the ball in her hands and really struggled in the lowest-usage role of her career last season. Bueckers' ability to toggle between an on- and off-ball role is one of her greatest strengths, but the Wings were at their best last season with her running the show. Fudd is best off the ball and her shooting threat will provide invaluable spacing, but you don't draft someone No. 1 just to have them sitting in the corner. And what happens defensively? Ogunbowale has never been known for her work on that end, and when they all play together, either Bueckers or Fudd is going to have to guard 3s. Maybe the talent is overwhelming, but it seemed notable when new Wings coach Jose Fernandez said "we'll see" when asked how the trio would gel.
Golden State Valkyries
Where does the scoring come from?
The Valkyries had one of the most unexpected seasons in WNBA history in 2025, as they became the first expansion team ever to make the playoffs in their inaugural campaign. They also made the postseason despite finishing 10th in the league in offensive rating, last in field goal percentage and 11th in 3-point percentage. Kayla Thornton, who missed half the season after undergoing knee surgery, was their only player in the top 30 in the league in scoring and the only one who averaged more than 12 points.
Heading into 2026, there are still plenty of questions about the Valkyries' offense. Gabby Williams, their main free agent addition, is a great player, but not a primary scorer, and they traded out of the first round rather than keeping the No. 8 pick (Flau'jae Johnson). Who is this team turning to when they need a bucket? Why did they not do more to address their clear need for 3-point shooting when they took a record-setting amount of 3s last season? The Valkyries are still going to be an excellent defensive team, but barring some serious internal improvement, it's once again hard to see them scoring consistently. And that will make it difficult for them to improve on last season's finish.
Indiana Fever
Can Caitlin Clark stay healthy?
Last season, the Fever were five minutes away from their first trip to the Finals since 2015 despite six players suffering season-ending injuries -- seven, if you want to include Kelsey Mitchell leaving their final game with rhabdomyolysis -- but that's not a sustainable path. Indiana needs better health this season in order to compete for a title, and that starts with Caitlin Clark.
Clark only played 13 games last season due to an array of lower-body injuries. When she was on the floor, she rarely looked anything like her usual self and had by far the worst shooting percentages of her professional or collegiate career. Clark is healthy now and coming off an MVP showing with Team USA at last month's FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament, but the Fever are still going to be cautious with their superstar. "I don't want to say ease her into it, because she's ready for camp, but we want to make sure that we manage the reps, and what kinds of reps she's getting, just to build her up so that she's ready to go, and we don't have any kind of questions about that," Fever coach Stephanie White said this week.
Las Vegas Aces
Who's going to help Wilson and Young?
The Aces won their third title in four years last season thanks to a historic late-season turnaround and superhuman efforts from A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young. During the regular season, that duo scored 45.2% of the Aces' points. In the playoffs, they increased their output to account for 53.3% of the Aces' points, and each had a late game-winning bucket (Young in Game 3 of the first round, Wilson in Game 3 of the Finals).
There's little doubt that Wilson and Young are going to be awesome again this season, but who will step up to help them? The Aces made big commitments to Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd in free agency and will be expecting more consistency from their veteran guards. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who missed the majority of last season on maternity leave, is now fully healthy and could provide some much-needed frontcourt help. But the biggest boost may come from Chennedy Carter, who signed a training camp contract. She's had some off-court issues at her previous stops, but is one of the most talented backcourt scorers around. Considering some of their depth questions, it's surprising the Aces only brought 13 players to training camp.
Los Angeles Sparks
Can they actually contend?
In the Sparks' first 24 seasons of existence, they missed the playoffs just four times. Entering 2026, they've missed the playoffs five seasons in a row, which is the longest active postseason drought in the league. Their offseason moves -- bringing franchise icon Nneka Ogwumike back in free agency, re-signing Dearica Hamby and trading Rickea Jackson for Ariel Atkins -- should ensure that they return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. But, assuming they get there, can they actually contend?
The starting five looks excellent on paper, but they have a lot riding on Nneka Ogwumike maintaining her All-WNBA level of play into her late 30s and Cameron Brink staying healthy. Their depth, at least in the regular season, is also a bit of a question mark. Getting back to the playoffs would be great, but the Sparks traded two lottery picks (Jackson and Dominique Malonga) and punted on their rebuild to create this team. That could age very poorly if the Sparks aren't able to go on a deep postseason run.
Minnesota Lynx
When is Napheesa Collier coming back?
No team was as hard hit in the expansion draft and free agency as the Lynx, who lost Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton, Natisha Hiedeman, DiJonai Carrington, Jessica Shepard and Maria Kliundikova -- the co-Defensive Player of the Year, two starters, their sixth woman and six of their nine leading scorers from last season. To make matters worse, Napheesa Collier was in a cast as of late March and will not be ready for the beginning of the season after undergoing surgery on both ankles in January.
The Lynx are not going to be the dominant force they were last season when they went 34-10 and tied the league's single-season wins record. But as bad as this offseason has been for them, they did retain Collier, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams -- their three leading scorers last season -- drafted Olivia Miles No. 2 overall and added some vets. There's a path to competitiveness in Minnesota this season, but only if Collier doesn't miss too much time. She said "you'll see me soon," during a press conference this week, but is "soon" mid-May or late June? The answer will determine the direction of the Lynx's season.
New York Liberty
How will their new frontcourt work?
The Liberty were one of the major winners of free agency. In addition to bringing back Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (who missed all of 2025 with a knee injury), they convinced All-Star forward Satou Sabally to take a discount to come to the Big Apple. No other team has a top four as talented as New York, which has understandably been installed as the preseason title favorite (+220, per FanDuel).
Adding Sabally was a no-brainer from a pure talent perspective, but there are some questions about how the Liberty's new frontcourt will fit together. Stewart and Sabally are both at their best with the ball in their hands, making plays for themselves and others. How will they handle lesser on-ball roles than they're used to, and how will opponents treat them off the ball? Stewart's 3-point shooting has fallen off a cliff in the last few seasons and Sabally is a very streaky shooter. Plus, keeping Jones involved enough on offense has been a big issue as is; now they're adding another All-Star to the mix. And what will they do defensively when all three are out there, especially if the other team goes small? Again, great pick-up, but there are going to be some growing pains.
Phoenix Mercury
How far can Thomas and Copper take them?
The Mercury were one of the biggest losers in free agency. One year after acquiring Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally in a massive sign-and-trade deal that cost them Natasha Cloud, Sophie Cunningham, Rebecca Allen, the No. 12 pick in 2025 (Aziaha James) and the No. 19 pick in 2025 (Makayla Timpson), Sabally walked and took a discount to sign for the Liberty -- a team Phoenix beat in the playoffs last season en route to the Finals. While the Mercury were able to re-sign Kahleah Copper, they are significantly less talented than they were a season ago.
Without Sabally -- the team's leading scorer in both the regular season and playoffs -- how far can Thomas and Copper take the Mercury? Thomas is one of the best players in the league, and has put teams on her back time and again, and Copper is a strong co-star who has proven she can excel in a bigger role. But the Mercury were only 27-17 with Sabally last season and their biggest free agent addition was Valeriane Ayayi. Thomas and Copper will have to carry a remarkable burden this season.
Portland Fire
Which young players are for real?
The Fire's expansion draft strategy was completely unlike the Valkyries' or the Tempo's. Aside from Bridget Carleton, they focused on young players who haven't gotten a real chance yet and "second-draft" players -- that is, former high draft picks with yet untapped potential. Their free agency and draft decisions only confirmed that the Fire are planning a multi-year project to build their team into a contender. Notably, their first-ever draft pick, Spanish point guard Iyana Martin, will remain in Europe this summer and won't play in the WNBA until 2027.
Portland's primary goal this season will not be winning, but developing their young players and figuring out which ones can be a part of their long-term core, which could include the No. 1 pick in the vaunted 2027 Draft. The Fire will enter training camp with only two 30 year olds and seven players 25 or younger, including French point guard Carla Leite, Australian forward Nyadiew Puoch, German forward Frieda Bühner and former top-10 picks Haley Jones and Sarah Ashlee Barker. This might be a long season in the Pacific Northwest, but it should be an interesting one.
Seattle Storm
How will Fam and Johnson develop?
The Storm were the biggest winners of the draft. Awa Fam fell to them at No. 3 and the Valkyries inexplicably traded the No. 8 pick (Flau'jae Johnson) to Seattle for the No. 16 pick (Marta Suarez) and a future second-round pick. They also added Taina Mair and Grace VanSlooten on Monday, both of whom have a chance to make the final roster -- or at least earn a developmental player slot. All of a sudden, the Storm have an extremely exciting young core that also features Dominique Malonga, Ezi Magbegor Jordan Horston and Jade Melbourne.
As Seattle enters a new era with coach Sonia Raman, the 2026 season will be all about developing Fam and Johnson. Fam is a super talented big, but she's only 19 years old and the Storm will want to be patient with her as they were with Malonga. Johnson, meanwhile, is a terrific athlete on the wing with two-way potential, but is coming off an underwhelming senior season at LSU and has struggled with consistency. If the Storm can get the best out of Fam and Johnson this season, they'll be in great shape for the future.
Toronto Tempo
Should they want to make the playoffs?
The Tempo are following the Valkyries' approach, at least in terms of trying to be competitive immediately as an expansion team. They hired Sandy Brondello as their coach, took an abundance of veterans in the expansion draft (including Marina Mabrey), signed Brittney Sykes, Temi Fagbenle, Isabelle Harrison and Kia Nurse in free agency and gave Shakira Austin a three-year max offer sheet, only to see it matched by the Mystics. Those are all moves of a team that wants to make the playoffs.
The postseason is far from a guarantee. They have a bunch of good players, but no great ones, and the 12th-best odds to make the playoffs on FanDuel (+360). But let's say the Tempo could guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs. Is that the right goal? It's hard to criticize a team for wanting to be competitive, but Toronto needs a star who can carry the franchise, and there are a number of players who could fill that role at the top of the 2027 draft class. Making the playoffs this season would mean missing out on a lottery selection in next year's draft, and that feels harmful to the Tempo's long-term future, especially when this team has almost no hope of contending.
Washington Mystics
How does the frontcourt rotation shake out?
The Mystics had a big decision to make in free agency, and at the last minute decided to match the three-year max offer sheet Shakira Austin signed with the Tempo. Even after retaining Austin, it wasn't a surprise that they drafted Lauren Betts with the No. 4 overall pick. She was too talented to pass on at that point. It was a surprise, however, that they followed up the Betts selection by taking Angela Dugalic, Cotie McMahon and Cassandre Prosper with their next three picks.
With All-Star forward Kiki Iriafen already in place, the Mystics suddenly have a very crowded frontcourt rotation, which is ironic considering they traded former first-round pick Aaliyah Edwards for Jacy Sheldon last season to try to alleviate a frontcourt logjam. Sydney Johnson has already said that Betts will come off the bench, but it will be interesting to see how and if the rotation changes over the course of the season. Johnson won't just have to find minutes for so many forwards; he'll have to figure out how to make double-big lineups work when neither player can shoot. Notably, Iriafen, Austin and Betts, the most talented members of the group, won't even look at the rim from behind the arc.
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