Five most improved WNBA teams heading into the 2026 season

The WNBA is back. Training camps opened Sunday, and the first preseason games are set for this Saturday.

As the league's 30th season gets underway, here is our list of the five most improved teams.

1. Chicago Sky

The Sky questionably traded forward Angel Reese, arguably their best player, in early April, raising questions about their short-term outlook. But after an active free-agency period, it would be a disappointment if Chicago fails to snap a three-year playoff drought.

The front office added forward Rickea Jackson in a trade with the Los Angeles Sparks, then signed another Sparks forward, Azura Stevens, and veteran guard Skylar Diggins, giving the team an intriguing core capable of making noise. 

Jackson, entering her third season, played in 38 games (37 starts) a year ago and averaged 14.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Stevens can help make up for Reese's absence after averaging a career-high eight rebounds in 2025, when she finished second in Most Improved Player voting. 

But Diggins was the team's biggest get. The seven-time All-Star guard averaged 15.5 points and six assists per game while shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc for the Seattle Storm in 2025.

2. Los Angeles Sparks

Last season, Los Angeles had one of the WNBA's top offenses, ranking second in scoring at 85.7 points per game, but finished two games out of the playoffs due to a porous defense that allowed a league-high 88.2 points per game. 

The Sparks made a concerted effort to improve on that end of the court during free agency, signing five-time All-Defensive guard Ariel Atkins and seven-time All-Defensive center Nneka Ogwumike, who previously played for the organization from 2012-23. Joining point guard Kelsey Plum and forward Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles has a talented core that should finish on the right side of the playoff picture after last year's close call.

3. Dallas Wings

The Wings were one of the offseason's biggest winners. In addition to landing guard Azzi Fudd at No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft, they also made a couple of shrewd moves in free agency. They signed former Minnesota Lynx forwards Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard to contracts that will pay each at least $1M in 2026, per Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database.

Fudd is an excellent long-range shooter, while Smith was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 after averaging 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. Shepard averaged 7.3 rebounds in just 20.9 minutes per game, ranking in the top five in both offensive and defensive rebound rate.

4. Indiana Fever

Despite a slew of injuries, the Fever were incredibly a win away from reaching the 2025 WNBA Finals, losing Game 5 of the semifinals in overtime to the Las Vegas Aces. 

This offseason, Indiana made up for losing forward Natasha Howard by adding Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen, the older sister of Jacksonville Jaguars edge-rusher Josh Hines-Allen, to the frontcourt. The Fever also improved their backcourt depth with Tyasha Harris' signing. She spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons under coach Stephanie White in Connecticut, averaging a career-high 10.5 points per game in 2024 and shooting 41.9 percent on three-point attempts across the two seasons.

But Indiana's biggest gain is a fully healthy Caitlin Clark. Her passing and limitless range are second to none, giving the Fever a "Big Three" — alongside guard Kelsey Mitchell and center Aliyah Boston — as impressive as any in the association.

5. New York Liberty

The Liberty were already among the league's best teams, winning the 2024 league title and going 27-17 last season before improving during the offseason. While retaining their outstanding core of guard Sabrina Ionescu and forwards Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, New York signed Satou Sabally, who led the Phoenix Mercury in scoring last year at 16.3 points per game. She's also a plus-defender, averaging 1.3 steals per game.

After taking a bit of a step back last season following consecutive 32-8 records from 2023-24, the Liberty should be right back to those heights, if not higher.