The WNBA’s 30th season is set to tip off on Friday after an eventful offseason, which featured the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement, a chaotic free-agency period and the ushering in of two expansion teams.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite all the offseason movement and transformation, familiar faces still rule the league. Can anyone disrupt the dynasty in Las Vegas or dim the shine of New York’s superteam?
1. Las Vegas Aces
The reigning WNBA champions remain the team to beat. Las Vegas retained its winning core, bringing back Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and, of course, A’ja Wilson. The four-time league MVP somehow finds a way to top herself each season, and there is no reason to believe 2026 will be any different for Wilson. There’s also newer addition Jewell Loyd, who, after getting acclimated to the Aces’ system last season, is poised to make a greater impact in her second year with the team.
X-factor Dana Evans may be sidelined indefinitely with a leg injury, but luckily, the Aces signed another impact guard in free agency. Chennedy Carter spent the 2024–25 season playing in China, and now returns to the WNBA for the first time since 2024, joining a stacked Las Vegas squad. Carter is a high-tempo player who can bring a spark off the bench for Becky Hammon.
2. New York Liberty
There are a couple of unknowns with this Liberty squad, which is brimming with superstar talent. New York brought back its Big Three of Sabrina Ionescu (who will miss at least two weeks to start the season with an ankle injury), Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, but there are some fresh faces in Brooklyn, too. The Liberty has a new coach, Chris DeMarco, and a new star, Satou Sabally.
There has been a lot of talk about how DeMarco plans to overhaul the Liberty’s offense, simplifying their scheme. Some growing pains are to be expected as the team adapts to his game plan and Sabally gets integrated into the rotation. Still, the hope is that the offense can be resuscitated after stalling out last season. The return of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who missed the entire 2025 season with a left knee injury, should help matters, with the 32-year-old acting as a potent two-way threat and New York’s glue. It may take a second for this team to get its bearings under a new system, but the Liberty have the most imposing, and perhaps the deepest, roster in the league.
3. Atlanta Dream
After a heartbreaking first-round exit in the 2025 playoffs, the Dream leveled up this offseason, bringing aboard Angel Reese from the Sky. Reese will add another dimension to Atlanta, which is headlined by two of the best backcourt players in the league: the ultra-efficient Allisha Gray and prolific Rhyne Howard. The Dream also managed to return Jordin Canada, Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon, but lost Brittney Griner to the Sun.
Jones underwent knee surgery in April, and it’s uncertain when she will return to the team, however, Hillmon has shown she is more than capable of stepping up when needed, starting in 17 games last season. If all goes to plan, Reese, Howard and Gray should have room to operate in a high-octane Karl Smesko offense that prioritizes spacing the floor.
4. Indiana Fever
Indiana retained Kelsey Mitchell, who led the Fever in scoring last season, and potent post presence Aliyah Boston after a surprising semifinal run in last year’s playoffs. Catilin Clark will look to stay healthy after playing in just 13 games in 2025 due to various nagging injuries and finally put her fingerprints on the Indiana offense. Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham are also back in Indianapolis, rounding out a compelling returning supporting cast.
The Fever have some solid new additions too, with Myisha Hines-Allen and Monique Billings bringing veteran experience to the frontcourt. Rookie Raven Johnson, picked 10th in the 2026 WNBA draft, has asserted herself in Indiana’s preseason games and should help the Fever on the defensive end.
5. Dallas Wings
It’s important to take preseason games with a grain of salt, but it’s worth noting that the Wings looked formidable in their two wins against the Fever and Aces. After an impressive Rookie of the Year campaign, Paige Bueckers is poised to take a step forward in her second season in Dallas. She’ll have a potent backcourt compatriot in sharpshooter Azzi Fudd, whom the Wings selected with the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
Dallas’s front office bolstered its frontcourt in free agency, adding 2025 Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith and veteran Jessica Shepard. New coach Jose Fernandez has designs on implementing a new system, with the Wings moving the ball, spreading the wealth and getting everyone involved on offense.
6. Los Angeles Sparks
Nneka Ogwumike is back in Los Angeles, where she won a WNBA championship with the Sparks a decade ago. The 10-time All-Star imbues the squad with a veteran winning mentality and bolsters the Sparks’ defense, which really struggled last season. Ariel Atkins, who landed in Los Angeles via trade with the Sky for Rickea Jackson, should also help the Sparks improve on the defensive end.
The new additions join Cameron Brink, who hopes to be healthy after only playing 34 games in her first two seasons due to a torn ACL, and the highly versatile Dearica Hamby. Kelsey Plum is set to run the floor this season, serving as the engine for the Sparks’ offense, which had the sixth-highest rating in the league last year.
7. Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury took a big hit this offseason, losing Satou Sabally to the Liberty in free agency. Phoenix didn’t bring in any splashy names to fill the hole Sabally left, but perhaps it didn’t feel obliged to, as it has one of the best players in the league on its roster. Alyssa Thomas is a Swiss Army knife, impacting the game in almost every way. The 34-year-old is a triple-double machine and should have another MVP-caliber season in 2026. She’ll be flanked by Kahleah Copper, Mercury’s offensive engine and explosive playmaker. Maybe Phoenix has enough in-house to make another deep playoff run, but the team’s conservative approach to free agency will likely be a talking point throughout the season.
8. Minnesota Lynx
The Lynx lost a lot of key players this offseason, including Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton, Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard. Minnesota will also be without star Napheesa Collier for the start of the regular season as she recovers from ankle surgery. However, Cheryl Reeve has made people look foolish for doubting her teams in the past. The veteran coach has experienced starters Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride to help right the ship, and a promising young rookie in Olivia Miles. When and how seamlessly Collier can return will likely determine the Lynx’s record, but their season will no doubt be focused on Miles’s acclimation to the pros.
9. Chicago Sky
It was a busy offseason in Chicago, with the Sky almost completely retooling their roster. After sending Angel Reese to the Dream, the Chicago front office brought in veteran guards Natasha Cloud and Skylar Diggins, as well as Azurá Stevens, DiJonai Carrington, Rickea Jackson and Jacy Sheldon. The team now has a well of talent, but how all these new pieces will fit together is an open question. Can Jackson and Kamilla Cardoso form a cohesive frontcourt duo? Will Diggins and Cloud, two dynamic playmakers, be able to play off each other? There is a lot up in the air right now in the Windy City.
10. Golden State Valkyries
The Valkyries had a confounding 2026 WNBA draft, trading their No. 8 pick, Flau’Jae Johnson, for Marta Suárez and a 2028 second-round pick before waiving Suárez ahead of the regular season. Putting that confusing draft strategy aside for now, Golden State is heading into the 2026 season with a tangible identity. Natalie Nakase guided the Valkyries to the playoffs in the team’s debut season by getting her players to buy into a gritty and hard-nosed ethos. One of the best defensive teams last year, Golden State added another disruptive defender in Gabby Williams to complement Veronica Burton and Kayla Thornton. Expect another tough-as-nails season out of the Valkyries.
11. Toronto Tempo
The WNBA’s first Canadian team took a more win-now approach than its expansion counterpart in Portland. The Tempo acquired experienced, tenacious players like Marina Mabrey, Kia Nurse and Brittney Sykes to lead the squad in its inaugural season. Toronto also selected versatile guard Kiki Rice with the No. 6 pick, in what could turn out to be a steal of the 2026 draft. Nyara Sabally will headline the Tempo’s frontcourt alongside veteran Isabelle Harrison and center Temi Fagbenle. Sabally and Harrison have experience with Sandy Brondello, a two-time WNBA champion, who knows what it takes to win in this league.
12. Washington Mystics
Youth is the name of the game for the Mystics. The dynamic duo of Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron is back in action after an impressive rookie campaign and is now the anchor of this green group. The two are surrounded by exciting first-year players like center Lauren Betts and guards Georgia Amoore (who missed last season with a torn ACL) and Cotie McMahon. This is a team built for the future, focused on developing its young stars.
13. Connecticut Sun
The Sun will play their last season in Connecticut this year, with the team moving to Houston in 2027 after being sold. Much like the franchise’s market, the team’s roster is also in a bit of a rebuild. Connecticut signed 10-time All-Star Brittney Griner in free agency, supplying this young group with a veteran presence. Saniya Rivers, Aaliyah Edwards, Aneesah Morrow, Leila Lacan and Diamond Miller are all young, exuberant pros with plenty to prove. And don’t forget about the rookies out of UCLA, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens, who can make an impact on offense. While the playoffs are likely not in the cards, this budding squad should be fun to watch.
14. Seattle Storm
Seattle may be in the early stages of a renaissance, but it arguably has the highest ceiling in the WNBA. Second-year center Dominique Malonga and rookie Awa Fam (picked No. 3 in the 2026 draft) are the future of the league and are teaming up to create one of the most menacing frontcourts in the WNBA. At just 20 and 19 years old, respectively, Malonga and Fam are far from their peak and will get to develop on a rebuilding team. Flau’jae Johnson, whom the Storm secured via trade in this year’s draft, will inject this wanting offense with energy, with few other scorers on the roster.
15. Portland Fire
Unlike the Tempo’s win-now approach to expansion, the Fire opted to focus on the long-term in their inaugural season. Bridget Carleton, Karlie Samuelson and Megan Gustafson will anchor Portland as the most experienced players on the roster. The Fire’s lineup features a litany of versatile players, including guard Carla Leite, but the expansion side has no consistent scorer. Things may get worse before they get better in Portland—but perhaps that was the plan all along.
More WNBA from Sports Illustrated
- When Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu Could Return to Court After Preseason Injury
- Potential Landing Spots for Hailey Van Lith After Sky Release Guard, Add Natasha Cloud
- Azzi Fudd Gave Honest Assessment of WNBA Officiating After Preseason Game
- A’ja Wilson on Meeting Beyoncé, A’Two Sneaker Release & Lowe’s Commercial w/ Jalen Brunson
This article was originally published on www.si.com as WNBA Preseason Power Rankings: Can the Aces Run It Back?.
