Around the W: Preseason Rankings

I've ranked all 15 WNBA teams ahead of the season.

The 2026 WNBA season is just a little over one week away. We have managed to work through an expansion draft, free agency, the college/amateur draft, training camp, and preseason games all within the past 25 days. With so much going on, I feel like I’ve written a new article nearly every single day.

After adding two more expansion franchises, the league now sits at 15 teams in total. There are some obvious title contenders within the group, but there is a large portion of the league that could be a back-half of the playoff seeds, or one of the teams that narrowly misses out on the postseason. That’s the group that is the most difficult to predict, but I’ve done my best. Here are my season projections before the regular season begins.

1. Las Vegas Aces

The Las Vegas Aces have won three out of the last four WNBA Championships (2022, 2023, 2025). They bring back their entire championship core from last season, none more important than 4-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson. Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young have all been key to their three titles. Jewell Loyd and NaLyssa Smith were important additions last season. They’ve added Chennedy Carter, Stephanie Talbot, and Brianna Turner to boost their bench depth. If Carter can stay focused, she will be an extremely dangerous option for the Aces.

The New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, and Atlanta Dream could all compete for the WNBA Championship this season, but someone will have to beat the champs first to prove they should be in the #1 spot.

2. New York Liberty

New York continues to have a stacked roster. Not only did they retain their Big 3 of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu, but they also got Betnijah Laney-Hamilton back. Hamilton was desperately missed last season and was the unsung hero of their 2024 Championship team. The Liberty also made one of the biggest splashes in free agency by signing Satou Sabally. It’ll be interesting to see if they play Stewie or Satou on the wing. New York will have arguably the best starting lineup in the WNBA. Ionescu and Sabally reunite from their college days in Oregon.

Avoiding injuries will be key for them to compete for another championship.

3. Indiana Fever

I debated whether I wanted to put Indiana or Atlanta here. Ultimately, I chose the Fever because I think that if Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell play at their highest level, they’re better than the Dream. Indiana lost Natasha Howard and Brianna Turner but replaced them with Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen. I’m not certain if that’s an upgrade or not, but what I do know is that the Indiana Fever nearly beat the Aces in the WNBA semi-finals last year (losing the decisive Game 5 in OT) while nearly half of their roster was on the injured list.

They added defensive whiz Raven Johnson in the first round of the WNBA Draft. She’ll be able to spell Caitlin Clark at the point guard position and help lock down the opponent’s best offensive guard.

If there is going to be a team that unseats the recent champions, Aces and Liberty, then I believe it will be the Indiana Fever. They have two All-Star guards and an elite Center, and they’ve surrounded them with quality role players. I believe the Fever have the best young core in the WNBA because of Clark and Boston. I would be shocked if they don’t win a WNBA Championship within the next 3-4 years.

4. Atlanta Dream

The Atlanta Dream made one of the biggest off-season moves this year by trading two first-round picks to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Angel Reese. Last year, I wrote a lot about how much I liked the team that Atlanta had put together. They have everything a team needs to win a championship. The Dream have three-point shooters, guards that can create off the dribble, excellent rebounders (Naz Hillmon and now Angel Reese), and a solid low-post scorer in Brionna Jones.

It’ll be interesting to see how much of a positive impact Angel Reese brings to Atlanta. Her incredible ability to rebound will give sharpshooters Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard more opportunities than ever before. If the Dream want to win the WNBA Championship, it’ll require Gray and Howard to play at their absolute best.

5. Phoenix Mercury

The Top 4 were easier to rank. Obviously, pending injuries, I feel pretty good that Las Vegas, New York, Indiana, and Atlanta will be the best teams in the WNBA this season. It gets more complicated from here on out.

When looking at the other teams, one thing that stands out to me is that Alyssa Thomas has consistently led her teams to be one of the best in the league over the past five years. From 2021 to 2025, the team Alyssa Thomas was on never finished worse than 4th place in the WNBA standings. I know that the Mercury lost an important piece in Satou Sabally, and they really didn’t make any major additions in free agency or the draft, but I still believe in Alyssa Thomas. At least for the regular season.

Two additional factors come into play here. I believe Coach Nate Tibbetts has shown that he is a good coach in this league. He helped lead the Mercury to the WNBA Finals last season. More importantly, the Mercury have been one of the best at scouting International talent. They signed a lot of players last season who performed significantly better than expected. If they can do that again, they can develop strong role players to build around Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper.

6. LA Sparks

The LA Sparks had an awful start, but an impressive finish to their season last year. They ended up missing the playoffs as the first team out (9th seed). They lost Azurá Stevens and traded away Rickea Jackson, but they added Nneka Ogwumike, Ariel Atkins (trade), and Erica Wheeler. They maintained their core of Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Rae Burrell, and Cameron Brink.

I think the addition of Nneka Ogwumike should be huge for them. Even if Nneka will be 36 this year, she still played like one of the 10 best players in the WNBA last season. She’ll bring veteran leadership and efficient scoring to the team. Atkins should help them on the defensive end, which was the team’s Achilles heel last season. They gave up a league-worst 88 points per game in 2025.

Los Angeles is in a win-now mode with the additions of Ogwumike, Atkins, and Wheeler. They probably won’t finish in the top four in the standings, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see them finish between 5th and 7th.

7. Golden State Valkyries

From a talent perspective, I’m not sure the Golden State Valkyries have a better roster than the Lynx, Sky, or Dallas Wings, but I greatly underestimated them in their inaugural season, and I won’t be doing that again. Coach Natalie Nakase proved to be one of the best coaches last season as she led the Valkyries to the playoffs. The first time an expansion franchise had reached the WNBA playoffs in its first year.

The Valkyries signed Gabby Williams as their big free agent. Williams will make GSV an even better defensive team than they were a year ago (4th best in DEF RTG). They return much of their main core, including Veronica Burton, Kayla Thornton, and Tiffany Hayes. I expect Burton to improve even further from her impressive 2025 campaign.

If I had one concern for Golden State, it would be that they seemed to get weaker in the low post. Both Monique Billings and Temi Fágbénlé signed with other teams. Players like Janelle Salaün, Iliana Rupert, and Laeticia Amihere will have to step their game up even more this season.

8. Minnesota Lynx

The Minnesota Lynx are the toughest team to predict because I’m not clear how quickly Napheesa Collier will return to the court. Minnesota finished with the best record in the WNBA last year at 34-10, but Collier’s injury is going to massively affect them. On top of that, the Lynx core was gutted more than just about any other WNBA team (outside of Seattle). To start the season, only two starters remain from their playoff squad one year ago: Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride. Bridget Carleton was selected by the Portland Fire in the WNBA Expansion Draft. Alanna Smith left in free agency and joined the Dallas Wings. Key bench players, Jessica Shepard (Dallas), DiJonai Carrington (Chicago), and Natisha Hiedeman (Seattle), also left in free agency.

On the positive, the Lynx drafted dazzling PG Olivia Miles with the #2 overall pick. They also added Natasha Howard in free agency. They’re bringing back Dorka Juhász, who did not play with the Lynx last season. Juhász suffered a right foot injury recently, and it’s unclear if she’ll miss an extended period of time.

The Lynx season truly depends on how quickly Napheesa Collier gets back. The latest reports say the earliest she could return is in June. She’ll miss 9 games if she returns by June 1st. If she misses all of May and June, she’ll miss at least 20 games or nearly half the season. Minnesota has the widest range of possibilities. They could finish in the Top 5 or be a bottom 5 team, depending on how long the Collier injury lingers. That’s why I have them ranked roughly in the middle of the WNBA standings.

9. Chicago Sky

One of the more unpredictable teams is the Chicago Sky. They traded away their best player, Angel Reese, to the Atlanta Dream for two first-round picks. I’m shocked that they weren’t able to get Naz Hillmon back in return with that deal. Then they traded Ariel Atkins for Rickea Jackson. The Rickea trade should be a net positive overall, if nothing else, because she’s so much younger and still has a lot of upside. They also traded with Connecticut for Jacy Sheldon.

The Sky were pretty aggressive in free agency as well. They added Azurá Stevens, Skylar Diggins, and DiJonai Carrington.

Chicago is difficult for me to pinpoint. There are a lot of teams that will fall into that 7-10 range. If they’re seven or eight, they’re a playoff team. If it’s nine or ten, then they aren’t. The Sky were tied with the Dallas Wings for the worst record (10-34) in the WNBA last season. I think they will be better, but I don’t know if that will be good enough to reach the playoffs.

10. Dallas Wings

Similar to Chicago, the Dallas Wings should be better than they were a year ago. They had the #1 overall pick and used it to draft ace shooter Azzi Fudd. Before that, they bolstered their front court in free agency by adding Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard from Minnesota. Awak Kuier, the former #2 overall pick in 2021, is also returning to the team after avoiding the WNBA for the past two years.

They made the coaching change from Chris Koclanes to Jose Fernandez. Fernandez spent 25 years leading the University of South Florida. Will Fernandez find similar success to what Karl Smesko had in Atlanta last year?

Ultimately, I think the Dallas Wings’ success will depend on how large an impact the additions of Smith, Shepard, and Kuier have on the team. Dallas had back-to-back #1 overall picks. They had the opportunity to pair Paige Bueckers with one of the premier post prospects in the 2026 WNBA Draft. They could have added either Awa Fam or Lauren Betts, but they opted to take Fudd instead. Never has a franchise had the top pick in the draft in consecutive years and taken two guards with those picks. The Seattle Storm took Lauren Jackson, followed by Sue Bird. Then, later took Jewell Loyd, followed by Breanna Stewart. The Las Vegas Aces selected Kelsey Plum and then A’ja Wilson the following year. And the Indiana Fever drafted Aliyah Boston #1 overall, and followed that up by drafting Caitlin Clark. Using that type of draft strategy and roster building has led to seven WNBA Championships.

We will see if Dallas made the correct decision or not. If they make the playoffs and turn into a potential contender (Top 5 team), then the answer is yes. But if they miss the playoffs again, there will be some second-guessing of their decisions.

11. Washington Mystics

The Washington Mystics finished 10th last season, and I have them finishing 11th this year, but I think they will be better than they were a year ago. The Mystics have a talented young core with a lot of different players. It helps when they’ve had six first-round picks over the past two years. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were both WNBA All-Stars in their rookie seasons. Now the team will be adding Lauren Betts, Cotie McMahon, and more. They also get Georgia Amoore (drafted 6th overall in 2025) back from her torn ACL injury. The team also re-signed Shakira Austin, matching an offer she received from the Toronto Tempo.

They have a lot of really good young pieces. Now it’ll just depend on how quickly they can build chemistry together. Washington just needs a little more outside shooting, and they might turn into a true contender in due time.

The Mystics lose some veteran presence from last season as Brittney Sykes was traded away at the trade deadline, and Stefanie Dolson signed with Seattle in free agency. But if the young group can gel together, they can go on a playoff run this season.

My placement of the Mystics is less about my confidence in their squad and more about the fact that seven teams will miss the playoffs this year. Nearly 50% of the entire league will miss the playoffs in 2026. That’s compared to just 33% of teams that missed the playoffs in 2024. As I write this, that also makes me wonder: at what point will the WNBA change the number of teams that advance to the postseason? By the time we hit 2030 and the league has 18 teams, will only 8 teams make the playoffs and 10 teams miss the playoffs? Or will they change it, and have 10 teams make the playoffs, 8 teams miss, and have the top two seeds earn a first-round bye?

12. Toronto Tempo

Much more than the Golden State Valkyries in 2025, or the Portland Fire this year, the Toronto Tempo are trying to compete for a playoff spot in their first season. They were more aggressive than the other expansion teams by signing Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes to larger contracts. They also brought in Temi Fágbénlé and Nyara Sabally. They also tried to sign restricted free agent Shakira Austin from Washington, but the Mystics matched the offer. Lastly, they brought in veteran head coach Sandy Brondello. Brondello has won WNBA Championships with both the Phoenix Mercury and the New York Liberty and will hope to compete right away in Toronto.

Like the Mystics, I don’t think the Tempo have a bad roster. It’s just difficult to place them when so many other teams have even more talented rosters. As an expansion franchise, they are expected to struggle in their first few years. The Valkyries making the playoffs in year one is definitely more of an anomaly than the norm.

If Nyara stays healthy, she should be primed for a breakout season. Mabrey and Sykes should provide enough offense to keep the team competitive. And I’m very high on rookie Kiki Rice, and think that she’ll be able to make a positive impact this year as well.

Toronto is doing a lot of things to be competitive right away. I just don’t think it’ll be enough.

13. Seattle Storm

Near the end of the last season, I suggested that it was time for the Storm to enter a rebuild. They were on the verge of missing the playoffs a year after they were swept by Las Vegas in the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs. They ultimately made the playoffs, but lost to the Aces again in the first round in 2025. Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins are great players, but it was doubtful they were going to be able to topple Las Vegas, New York, or Minnesota in the playoffs as they got older.

As the 2026 off-season played out, we got our answer in which direction the team would head moving forward. The team did not re-sign Ogwumike, Diggins, Gabby Williams, Brittney Sykes, or Erica Wheeler. All players who will be 30 or older this season.

The team enters a full rebuild with a younger core that consists of Ezi Magbegor, Dominique Malonga, and Jordan Horston. Then, with some draft-day moves, they added Awa Fam and Flau’jae Johnson. They also brought back 23-year-old Jade Melbourne. The Storm hired Sonia Raman to be the new head coach. The focus is expected to be more on growth and development, and less about wins and losses in 2026.

Seattle could surprise me and compete for the playoffs ahead of schedule. But especially with Ezi Magbegor’s injury, which could cost her half of the season, I think it’ll be difficult for them to finish in the Top 8 to reach the playoffs. The franchise would be better off missing the playoffs and landing a top draft pick. They could hit the jackpot and land JuJu Watkins or Madison Booker, but even if they don’t, there is enough talent in the Top 5 or 6 spots that could add to the Storm’s young nucleus.

14. Connecticut Sun

The Sun are in an interesting and difficult situation. Connecticut has been sold to an ownership group in Houston, and the league has already approved its relocation to Houston for the 2027 season. They are in the middle of a rebuild, but that has also been muddied. Despite finishing 11-33 in 2025, the Sun had the 5th overall pick due to the two-year record lottery rule. Worse yet, they had traded the rights to that pick away to the Chicago Sky for Marina Mabrey as they attempted to make one last run at the title in Alyssa Thomas’ final season in Connecticut (2024). Then they lost Mabrey in the expansion draft to the Toronto Tempo.

It’s a bit of a mess, but the good news is that the team does have some nice young pieces, including Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, Aaliyah Edwards, and Leila Lacan. That’s a solid young core to build around. Better yet, because they finished so poorly last season, if they have another bad season as expected, they will likely finish the 2026 season with the best odds to land the #1 overall pick.

They added Brittney Griner and Kennedy Burke for this season. I’m not sure how much Griner has left. She will be replacing Tina Charles, and that’ll probably be close to a wash for on-court production.

Sadly, the team’s time in Connecticut is coming to an end, but the future is still bright. Even if that’ll be in Houston.

15. Portland Fire

Whereas the Toronto Tempo signed players in an attempt to be a playoff team in Year 1, it doesn’t seem like the Portland Fire are looking to do the same. Portland appears to be playing the long game, and honestly, that’s not a bad strategy. There are franchise-altering prospects entering the 2027 and 2028 WNBA Drafts. One awful season in Portland could result in the Fire landing JuJu Watkins next year.

I don’t know a lot about the new head coach, Alex Sarama. Maybe he will be a coaching genius, and the Fire will shock the WNBA world and compete for a playoff spot this year. It’s also possible that their scouting and ability to find diamonds in the rough are similar to what the Mercury did last season. But if neither of those things is true, then I have a hard time seeing any other team finish in last place other than Portland.

Notes:
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