The 2026 WNBA season will be here before you know it; how are all the league's teams stacking up against each other ahead of May's kickoff?
Well, now that free agency and the draft have settled, we can get a much better grasp on where each team is exactly in the grand scheme of things.
WNBA Draft 2026 grades: Analysis of every pick in all 3 rounds
We're expecting some risers and fallers from 2025, even if our thoughts on the league's best teams won't come as a huge surprise.
WNBA 2026 free agency winners (Liberty!) and losers (Lynx?!)
Let's run through all 15 teams and stack them up now that the big offseason hurdles have been jumped.
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1. Las Vegas Aces
The champs stay at the top. Keeping the band together was always the goal for Vegas as it defends its WNBA title, and the team did that by bringing back all five of its 2025 playoff starters and key bench players like Dana Evans and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus. The team also added veteran depth pieces like Brianna Turner and Stephanie Talbot. As long as the Aces have A'ja Wilson, they can win a lot of games. As long as Wilson is flanked by players like Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Jewell Lloyd, Vegas will be a special sort of headache for opposing teams. An injury-ravaged Indiana Fever team taking them five games in the semifinals last fall proves that the Aces are beatable. The fact that Vegas has won three of the last four titles proves that they deserve top status until further notice.
2. New York Liberty
The Liberty kicked its offseason into high gear by adding former Phoenix Mercury standout Satou Sabally to its fearsome trio of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones. At least on paper, that's a terrifying lineup of stars that can match what Vegas brings to the league in pure star power. However, 2024 title winner Sandy Brondello is no longer the team's coach, and this is an older roster with real injury concerns going forward. If this lineup can stay healthy, New York is going to be favored in most of its 2026 games. The frontcourt will be a monster with Stewart, Jones and Sabally all rotating in and out of the lineup, but the guard room after Ionescu and Marine Johannès doesn't quite jump out on the page. Nevertheless, we know what the Liberty is capable of on its best day. It's all a matter of if losing Brondello will do more harm than hoped and if this team can maintain health this summer. For now, New York is the team we most feel can dethrone Vegas for another championship after winning in 2024.
3. Indiana Fever
The Fever lost six players to injury throughout the 2025 season, including superstar Caitlin Clark, and still made it all the way to the semifinals. Was it a fluke, or is it a sign that Indiana is a juggernaut in waiting if it can just stay healthy? Stephanie White's excellent coaching and the front office's ability to identify impact free agents on the fly deserve so much more credit than they cumulatively got for 2025's surprise push. An MVP-level Kelsey Mitchell and still-improving Aliyah Boston proved they can lead a playoff run, even without Clark on the court. Now that the franchise face is healthy and rested, the Fever should get right back to business. After the resilience this team showed during its 2025 playoff run, you can't count the Fever out to duplicate that success, or even push past it, with a healthier roster with much more time to gel. Monique Billings, Ty Harris and first-round guard Raven Johnson should all add a dimension the team missed last year during its healthy Clark games. Getting Lexie Hull, Sophie Cunningham and Damiris Dantas back maintains veteran continuity, and second-year forward Makayla Timpson could be the team's secret weapon that many aren't expecting to take the leap. Rookie guard/forward Justine Pissott could make the team and add firepower beyond the arc, too. While there aren't any guarantees for this Fever team, perhaps more should made of what the team did without Clark and what it can do with her back in action.
4. Atlanta Dream
The Dream wisely got the band back together and got younger in the post by swapping out Brittney Griner for Angel Reese. Reese is a megastar who will only putt more fans in the seats; she should at least balance out what Griner brought to the team in 2025 with more upside. Atlanta getting eliminated in the first round of last year's playoffs by the zombie Fever showed that the Dream still have work to do to make a real playoff push. However, that postseason experience should only benefit one of the better rosters and coaching staffs in the WNBA. We're expecting Atlanta to pick up where it left off, and we're very curious how Reese will adapt to her new team. With Las Vegas, New York and Indiana, Atlanta completes the big four we're expecting to lead the title chase this summer.
Will the Valkyries suffer any regression after a sensational first season in the W, or will Natalie Nakase's upstart team improve on its 2025 campaign and establish itself as a real playoff threat? Adding Gabby Williams to the roster makes us think it'll be the latter. We just have too much confidence in this coaching staff and roster to predict any sort of drop-off. Getting 2025 first-round guard Justė Jocytė is an intriguing wrinkle that could pay off in a big way if she hits the court running. Ballhalla is perhaps the most fearsome atmosphere in the WNBA right now, and that's not nothing. Golden State should build on its 2025 successes with the infrastructure in place, but you can't rule out a step back, either. If the team arrived much quicker than expected, it's fair to wonder if a sophomore season reflects more of what people expected the Valkyries to be last year. We're not sure, but our gut tells us to still watch out.
6. Minnesota Lynx
The Lynx seem to understand that life will be tougher than hoped until Napheesa Collier is back to full health. We have no clear idea when Collier will be back from her ankle surgeries; what if she's not back by July? Can Minnesota lean on its excellent guard room of Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride and first-round selection Olivia Miles and Cheryl Reeve's steady coaching to get wins while Collier is recovering? Will the team's frontcourt losses make it more vulnerable for a major step back this season until Collier rounds full form? Even when Collier is healthy, losing Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton and Jessica Shepard all at once is really tough to overcome. Natasha Howard is a smart veteran addition who knows Reeve's system, but will she be enough? We still think the Lynx are good enough as established to push for a playoff spot in the best scenario, but they feel primed for a difficult reality check soon.
7. Phoenix Mercury
Maybe this is a smidge too low for Phoenix, a team that literally just played in the WNBA Finals. However, losing Sabally is a huge blow. The Mercury didn't replace her with a player of equal talent, which could come back to haunt them if Alyssa Thomas has another MVP-level season and Kahleah Copper has a strong year. Nate Tibbetts is one of the best coaches in the game, and he knows how to maximize what he has. Like the Lynx, we see where the pratfalls are for regression just as easily as we see the pathways for avoiding them. Phoenix feels like a team that could swing a big trade midseason to bolster its playoff hopes. Honestly, that might be what's eventually necessary.
8. Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks have sped up their contention timeline by bringing back franchise legend Nneka Ogwumike and trading for Ariel Atkins. Kelsey Plum will still be one of the league's best pure scorers, Dearica Hamby is back in the fold and Cam Brink will start the year healthy after missing much of 2025. That's a pretty strong starting five, but we're a little curious about Los Angeles' depth. Trading away Rickea Jackson could backfire if she emerges in Chicago, even if Atkins is a better fit for a win-now team. Plum is the focal point, and Ogwumike should still be a force to reckon with in her return to L.A. The Sparks should be positioned to build on its late 2025 momentum, but can this team push further than the first round of the playoffs? At least right now, Los Angeles feels like it has a firmer ceiling.
9. Dallas Wings
No team improved in free agency and the draft quite like the Wings. Paige Bueckers now has her UConn teammate Azzi Fudd and former Minnesota Lynx frontcourt problems in Smith and Shepard. Arike Ogunbowale is back in town, too, even if 2025 wasn't her best year on the court. Could new coach Jordi Fernández follow in Dream coach Karl Smesko's footsteps and be the next women's college coach to take the WNBA by storm with an improved roster? We aren't ready to say the Wings will be pushing for a title, but a playoff berth feels like an incredibly realistic goal. Bueckers' second season in the W alone should get Dallas fans excited; the roster improvements, at least on paper, should keep Dallas from picking high in the 2027 WNBA Draft. Things are looking up down in Texas if you ask us.
10. Chicago Sky
The Sky seemed destined for a full-fledged rebuild after trading Angel Reese, but that's not what Chicago wanted to do. The team went on a spending spree to add vets like Skylar Diggins, Azurá Stevens and DiJonai Carrington and traded for young talents like Rickea Jackson and Jacy Sheldon. The team brought back vets like Courtney Vandersloot, Rachel Banham and Elizabeth Williams, too. Recent high draft picks like Kamilla Cardoso, Hailey Van Lith, Sevgi Uzun and Maddy Westbeld are joined by UCLA standout Gabriela Jaquez. That's a massive talent infusion, but how far will it get Chicago? Usually in pro sports, there's always a team that spends a bunch of money and fails to cash in on its rampant investments. Will that be the Sky? Chicago should be competitive every night, but what is the ceiling here? Do the Sky just max out with an early playoff exit, or can this team do more? We're curious.
11. Washington Mystics
The Mystics are going to be really good one day if all goes according to plan. The team added first-round talents like Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalić and Cotie McMahon to its young core of Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, Georgia Amoore, Shakira Austin and Lucy Olsen this week. The upside is all of those new players, plus Amoore having her super-rookie season after missing all of 2025, is immense. The downside is when all of this, or if all of this, will come together for Washington to ascend past fringe playoff contender. Maybe the dawn is sooner than we expect. If anything, nobody should sleep on the Mystics this year. They should at least be a feisty out every night.
12. Connecticut Sun
The Sun still feel a few pieces and a lot of growth away to getting back into contending shape. Adding Brittney Griner ahead of the big move to Houston is really neat, and the Comets should have a brighter future than the Sun. We like adding young players like Nell Angloma Gianna Kneepkens, and Charlisse Leger-Walker to the team's young core of Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers and Leïla Lacan. Kennedy Burke is also a fun addition for her 3-point shot alone. Connecticut was a stingy out last year, but losing Mabrey gives us a little less hope in its ultimate ceiling.
13. Toronto Tempo
The Tempo should be a bit closer to the Valkyries than other WNBA expansions teams, even if we're not quite sure Toronto will push that hard for a playoff spot right away. Brondello is a heck of a coach to lead the team in its first season, and vets like Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey will certainly score a lot of points. Kiki Rice is also a smart bet for the point guard of the future. We think Toronto can make solid gains this year for the future, but we're not exactly sure how far it will get in its first full campaign in the WNBA. Maybe the Tempo will surprise us?
14. Seattle Storm
The Storm will eventually cash in on the overwhelming duo of Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam Thiam. That frontcourt is going to be a pain in the neck for teams one day. However, that day is probably not coming this summer in totality. Malonga, Fam and LSU star Flau'Jae Johnson give Seattle a really neat young score that can develop alongside each other in the years to come. Ezi Magbegor is the team's best player at present, but will she even be on the roster by season's end? We could see her as a popular trade candidate ahead of the deadline.
15. Portland Fire
The Fire are clearly building up for the future. While we're sure that Portland will give some teams fits this season just on the unknowns of how this roster will flow together alone, we think the Fire should have the inside track to the top 2027 WNBA Draft pick at present. If that means JuJu Watkins lands in Portland, it will all be worth it. However, if you're a Fire fan, stick with the eventual growing pains and remember the Valkyries are the outlier for expansion.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: WNBA power rankings: Analyzing the league post-2026 draft, free agency
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