Welcome to WNBA free agency 2026 — extremely compressed edition. Starting this week, qualifying offers can be extended and core players designated, with negotiations running Wednesday through Friday. Signings can begin Saturday.
We already know several big names who won’t be going anywhere. Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson has said she is staying with defending champion Las Vegas this season. Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have said they will remain with New York.
But with more than 100 free agents, there will be no lack of player movement. ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Kareem Copeland, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel look at what we might see in free agency over the next few days.
How will the condensed offseason affect free agency? Will fewer players be on the move?
Andrews: With 100 players looking for deals, there is still going to be plenty of movement over the next week, if less than was expected a few months ago. There could be a lot of one-year deals signed by players with the teams for which they played last year, pushing the free agency frenzy that was expected this year to 2027.
What could keep this free agency period interesting — and could still drive a lot of moves — is the level of salary players can make under the new CBA. There are a handful of elite players who want to earn one of the league’s first million-dollar salaries, and if a team is able to offer a player that, she won’t need long to decide on a new home.
Copeland: Kendra nailed it. There has been more talk recently about kicking the can down the road a year with players taking single-season deals instead of maximizing years. There’s a lot of money available and some worry about rushing a life-changing decision just a few weeks before training camp starts. Add in the fact that there are more teams than ever, considering two more expansion teams, plus three coaching changes to existing teams, and there’s a lot of unknown floating around the league right now.
There will certainly be more players like Wilson, Stewart and Ionescu announcing that they’ll stay. But it could be interesting to see what influence the recent group of young stars such as Caitlin Clark in Indiana, Paige Bueckers in Dallas, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen in Washington, Dominique Malonga in Seattle and others have on free agency. Will vets want the opportunity to pair with young talent that has had immediate success?
Voepel: Though some players will make short-term free agency decisions, there might be others who see this as the perfect opportunity to set themselves up where they really want to be. Players have different priorities at various stages of their careers. For some, this actually could be the right time to make a bigger commitment.
Which players are you watching most closely?
Copeland: Arike Ogunbowale is one of the most confounding players in the league, producing a wide array of opinions from coaches and scouts. She is an elite scorer and one of the best isolation players in the league. But she can be a ball-dominant guard and has shot over 40% from the field only once in her seven-year career. Efficiency and defense aren’t her best attributes.
She also had the biggest falloff of her career in 2025, a consequence of the first year of another Dallas makeover. Bueckers is now the unquestioned franchise cornerstone — and Ogunbowale didn’t make the All-Star team for the first time since 2020. Her points average dropped to a career-low 15.5 while shooting a career-low 36.4% from the field. On top of all that, knee tendinitis took the 2020 scoring champion off the court after Aug. 10. At the end of the season, the Wings replaced coach Chris Koclanes after one season and replaced him with Jose Fernandez. Which team in the league will see a path to maximizing the abilities of one of the best scorers and shotmakers in the WNBA?
Voepel: Nneka Ogwumike played her first 12 seasons in Los Angeles and the past two in Seattle. Will she stay put with the Storm? Or even leave the West Coast entirely? She has one WNBA title from 2016, but we will see if winning another is her priority, or if other considerations move ahead of “must-win-now” mode. Ogwumike turns 36 in July, but she still averaged 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds last season.
Philippou: It’s looking as if the Liberty’s core will more or less remain intact — so what about the core in Las Vegas? We know Wilson is returning to the Aces, but will Chelsea Gray and especially Jackie Young? The latter could be the No. 1 option elsewhere if she would prefer to take on such a role. Jewell Loyd also needs to decide if she will be back or move on.
The Phoenix Mercury core is the other trio to watch. If Alyssa Thomas — who seemed happy in Phoenix — stays, what’s to come of Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally? Copper was the foundational player of this new-look Mercury squad after she was acquired via trade in 2024, and Sabally will also have a decision to make. How Phoenix builds on its Finals run will be worth closely watching.
How will expansion teams Portland and Toronto affect free agency this year?
Andrews: The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire exited the expansion draft beaming about the foundational players they acquired through their selections. But they still want to add more during free agency. The question is, do they have enough to lure players to their new franchises? Last year, the Golden State Valkyries set their sights on some top-tier talent, such as Kelsey Plum, but couldn’t get anyone to bite. It’s hard to predict if Portland or Toronto would have any different outcome, but they are being aggressive in having conversations with prospective players. A team source with the Fire told ESPN that the franchise was trying to get as many meetings as possible with players looking for new teams so they could pitch their vision.
Copeland: Who wouldn’t want to be the face of a new franchise that’s introducing the league to new fan bases in areas hungry for women’s basketball? And in Toronto, there’s the added bonus of being the franchise cornerstone for an entire country. Now, it didn’t exactly play out that way for the Valkyries last year, but they were dealing with a specific and limited free agent class. This group is much more vast and the money is much larger. There will be opportunities to take big swings for these franchises, and there might be a unique opportunity for a player both on and off the court.
Voepel: The Tempo have one of the most respected coaches in women’s basketball in Sandy Brondello, who has won championships in New York and Phoenix. Her status as such a well-known figure in the league could help Toronto lure free agents who want to play for her.
Philippou: In a similar vein, I am fascinated to see how the Connecticut Sun’s free agency looks given the franchise is now officially relocating to Houston, and Comets personnel are already working closely with the Sun front office this offseason. Connecticut was already rebuilding around a young core, but it will be interesting to see who else the Sun will bring in to play alongside the likes of Leila Lacan, Saniya Rivers, Aneesah Morrow and Aaliyah Edwards.
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