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The 2025 WNBA season tips off Friday night with six teams beginning their quest for a championship.
An offseason that saw three former No. 1 overall picks switch teams, multiple players back in the league after sitting out for a couple of years, and the top teams retooling— in other words, “the rich get richer.”
Here are the top five squads heading into 2025.
5. Seattle Storm
Seattle was swept by Las Vegas in the first round last year.
Led by former MVP Nneka Ogwumike and All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith, Seattle boasts a pair of players who have averaged over 15 points per game over their careers.
Seattle picked Dominique Malonga second overall. Malonga has a good face-up game and can hold her own when she switches onto guards in the pick and roll.
The Storm also drafted three guards in the second round.
All three have upside as they took Serena Sundell (Kansas) 26th overall. She is the Big 12 all-time assists leader. At 29, Seattle drafted Madison Conner, who shot 45 percent from downtown and led the country in 3-pointers (128). Jordan Hobbs went 34th overall and averaged 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Seattle hopes to get a full season of Gabby Williams, who hasn’t been healthy since 2022. She missed 58 games over that span.
4. Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota lost a heartbreaking overtime battle with New York in the decisive game of the 2024 Finals.
In Game 5, Napheesa Collier fouled out in overtime. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year was carrying the team, leading them in points (19) and rebounds (8) per game. Collier broke the record for most points in a single playoff run last year.
Minnesota retained the same starting five for the ultimate “run it back.”
The Lynx won 30 games for the first time in franchise history last season.
Minnesota relies on its defense, ranking first in defensive shot percentage (41 percent) and defensive 3-point percentage (30.1).
3. Indiana Fever
In her rookie year, Caitlin Clark led Indiana to a seven-win improvement, the sixth seed, and their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade.
Clark has the second-best odds to win the league MVP. The lead guard was seventh in scoring (19.2) and led the league in assists (8.4) and 3-pointers made per game (3.0).
sophomore season coming
#NowYouKnow Caitlin Clark pic.twitter.com/52acxMexPj
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 14, 2025
Indiana added a pair of veteran forwards with championship experience in DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard, averaging 15 and 17.6 points per game, respectively last year.
They also added knockdown shooter Sophie Cunningham, who shot nearly 38 percent from deep and scored 8.4 points per game.
With Indiana being a perennial playoff team last year, Clark was one of the MVP favorites and the addition of a veteran presence, expectations are sky-high in Indiana.
Head coach Stephanie White enters her second stint in Indiana. White is 92-56 record and won Coach of the Year honors in 2023.
2. Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas’ quest for a three-peat ended in the hands of the eventual champions, the New York Liberty, in the semi-finals.
A’ja Wilson is amid her prime, having a trajectory to go down as one of the greatest WNBA players ever.
Last year, she added her third league MVP and first scoring champion title to her resume. She averaged a career-high 26.9 points per game, breaking the record for most points per game in a single season.
Jackie Young, their main facilitator and defensive ace, averaged a career-best 5.3 assists per game, ranking eighth in that category.
Las Vegas added six-time All-Star and former scoring champion Jewell Loyd to bolster the backcourt.
The former number one overall pick had requested a trade out of Seattle, with accusations of receiving mistreatment from Seattle’s staff.
The Aces added last year’s Sixth Player winner Tiffany Hayes as part of a retool. They are also getting former first-round pick Elizabeth Kitley, a center coming off a torn ACL.
1. New York Liberty
New York is coming off a 32-8 record for the second straight year.
The Liberty are similar to the Boston Celtics— they led the WNBA in 3-pointers and 3-point jacks in 2024.
The Champs are back
The road to the repeat starts Saturday as the New York Liberty host the Las Vegas Aces for ‘Ring Night’.
Action begins May 17 at 1pm/ET on ABC. pic.twitter.com/WJ6U6mEOLb
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 13, 2025
The defending champs traded for Natasha Cloud. Cloud led the league in assists in 2022 and has three All-Defensive team selections.
They have a phenomenal balance of offense and defense. Sabrina Ionescu remains one of the top shooters in the league.
Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart combine to shut down offenses in the paint. The two combine for ten All-Defensive team selections.
Jones took home Finals MVP honors. Her ability to switch onto guards in pick-and-rolls contributed to New York’s capturing the title.
More must-reads:
- Three-time All-Star will be key to Fever weathering troubling Caitlin Clark injury update
- Angel Reese continues to be a rare bright spot for the Sky
- The 'Multiple 100-RBI MLB seasons' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Kelsey Plum dominates, leads steaking Sparks to blowout win
Kelsey Plum scored 30 points and Dearica Hambry added 20 to go along with 11 rebounds, lifting the Los Angeles Sparks to a 101-86 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night in Uncasville, Conn. Plum's point total was her highest since she erupted for 37 in Los Angeles' 84-67 win over the Golden State Valkyries on May 16. Plum made 10 of 15 shots from the floor on Thursday and Hamby sank all but one of her nine attempts for the Sparks (10-14), who defeated the Sun (3-20) for the second time during their season-high four-game winning streak. Plum scored a team-high 23 points and Hambry added 17 to go along with seven rebounds in Los Angeles' 92-88 home victory over Connecticut on July 13. Azura Stevens sank 4 of 7 attempts from 3-point range on Thursday to highlight her 17-point, eight-rebound performance. The Sparks shot 52.4 percent from the floor and enjoyed a 42-32 edge in points in the paint to send the Sun to their fourth loss in a row and 14th in their last 15 games. Connecticut's Tina Charles collected 24 points and 10 rebounds while Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 17 points and Bria Hartley added 16. Marina Mabrey scored seven points on 2-of-12 shooting off the bench for the Sun in her return from a nine-game absence due to an ankle injury. The Sparks were nursing a slim one-point lead at halftime before scoring 19 of the first 29 points of the third quarter to take a 64-54 advantage. Plum exploited the interior for a trio of baskets to go along with three free throws during that stretch. The Sun trimmed their deficit to seven points early in the fourth quarter, however the Sparks steadily increased their lead to 18 at 90-72 after Plum sandwiched two 3-pointers around two free throws. The outcome was never in doubt the rest of the way.
New York Knicks Predicted to Trade Karl-Anthony Towns For Dallas Mavericks Star
The New York Knicks have had a busy summer thus far as they have made multiple additions to their roster to try and improve off their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Of course, the Knicks also made a head coaching change to begin the summer as they fried Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with two-time Coach of the Year winner Mike Brown. During free agency, New York added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to upgrade their bench at a cheap cost, which is an area that they struggled with last season. The Knicks do have one more roster spot open which they will likely use to add another veteran player to their bench. While the Knicks have focused on upgrading their depth this summer, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell recently created a mock trade that would see New York send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Dallas Mavericks for one of their star players along with depth. In the trade, the Knicks would acquire Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington from the Mavericks while Dallas would land Towns and Vit Krejci. The Atlanta Hawks are the third team involved in the trade and they would receive Caleb Martin and two second-round picks from the Mavericks. For the Knicks, it would be a tough decision to move on from Towns but they would be able to fill some glaring holes in their roster with their return in this deal. Thompson would give them a much-needed three-point sharpshooter in their starting lineup while both Washington and Gafford would be major additions to their frontcourt, especially on the defensive end. Despite this, the Mavericks may not want to move on from three of their key players to acquire Towns, who struggled in the playoffs last season, primarily on defense. While that may be the case, making this trade would be a massive upgrade to the Knicks’ lineup and depth that could make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference next season.
Dodgers Predicted to Acquire $4.175 Million All-Star, Gold Glove Outfielder in Blockbuster Trade
Major 2024 NFL free-agency deals are aging very poorly
Several of the high-profile names of the 2024 free-agent class are really struggling to justify the massive contacts they received through the early stages of the 2025 season. Despite the generous contracts, some players have been very underwhelming after getting the big payday. In particular, these players who signed major deals are now playing on new teams or in new roles: Christian Wilkins — four-years, $110M with Raiders, now a free agent Kirk Cousins — four-years, $180M with Falcons, now a backup Bryce Huff — three-years, $51.1M with Eagles, now with 49ers Jonah Jackson — three-years, $51M with Rams, now with Bears Gabe Davis — three-years, $39M with Jaguars, now a free agent Gardner Minshew — two-years, $25M with Raiders, now with Chiefs Chidobe Awuzie — three-years, $36M with Titans, now with Ravens While certain free agents such as Saquon Barkley and Danielle Hunter have delivered massive returns on their contracts to the Eagles and Texans, respectively, these other big signings have taken a completely different trajectory. Whether it is due to injuries, underperformance or not fitting the schemes, these players have not lived up to their deals. Wilkins is a case in point. The Raiders decided to cut him after signing him to a four-year, $110M deal. He struggled with injuries that held him out in 2024, leading to the team and Wilkins disagreeing on how the injury has been handled. Because of this, the two split ways only one year into his contract. Huff only played in 12 games and had a total of 2.5 sacks for Philadelphia after inking a three-year, $51.1M deal. He was traded to the 49ers in June for a 2026 mid-round pick. Cousins might be the most egregious of these deals. The former Vikings QB signed a four-year, $180M, with $100M fully guaranteed. Yet, he only started 14 games in 2024, and now is the backup to Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons now are essentially stuck paying their backup quarterback an annual average of $45M. These signings highlight the risk of free agency. Paying top dollar for past performance runs the risk of overlooking team fit and future value of contracts. Too often, these high-profile veterans who get massive paydays decline very fast or simply fail to mesh with new systems. So far, these investments in 2024 appear to have aged very poorly. Unless these players turn their performances around in 2025, many of the teams will view these moves as a cautionary tale of overspending in free agency.
Canucks Reportedly Interested in Former Third-Overall Pick as Another Young Player Could Leave the Team
The Canucks are reportedly quite interested in Ducks' Mason McTavish, this news coming after one of their young NCAA players, Jackson Kunz, could leave the team. With $3.25 million of free cap space now available after Dakota Joshua was sent to Toronto, the Vancouver Canucks and GM Patrik Allvin have room to add a significant piece, and it seems that they may be after a former third overall choice. Vancouver is interested in Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish, a restricted free agent, reports The Province's Patrick Johnston. 'Hence their continued interest in Roslovic, as well as their interest in Mason McTavish, the Anaheim Ducks' restricted free agent. Of course adding McTavish, the third-overall pick in the 2021 draft, will be very hard: he's a highly-regarded player with huge upside and will cost a big price in trade, perhaps more than the Canucks can afford.' Johnston said. It won't be an easy feat to get him due to asset limitations and Anaheim's stance on his next deal, but the 22-year-old would be a perfect fit as the Canucks' second-line center. After playing his inaugural 20-goal NHL campaign, McTavish offers skill and grit, two qualities that the Canucks may covet during a playoff push. While a few large-name players are available on the free market, Vancouver is considering trades as well as free agent solutions in the latter half of the offseason. Making a bold move for a player like McTavish wouldn't be out of character with the needs of the team. The Canucks need to sign their important NCAA prospect by August 15th Meanwhile, the Canucks are also under pressure in another direction. The deadline on August 15th is coming up to sign NCAA prospects graduating after four years. If they don't sign them, they'll become unrestricted free agents. The key concern is forward Jackson Kunz. If he isn't signed by August 15, 2025, he'll land on the open market. In the midst of a potential blockbuster trade and looming NCAA deadlines, the next several weeks can be make-or-break for Vancouver.
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