Final preseason WNBA Power Rankings: Why everyone is still chasing the Aces

We have arrived. On Friday night, the WNBA season tips off, and this is set to be one of the most unpredictable seasons ever after an offseason filled with player movement and with the addition of multiple expansion teams.

Here are our final power rankings ahead of the 2026 WNBA regular season. Where does your favorite team rank relative to the rest of the league?

15. Portland Fire

I look at this roster and all I think about is how it will look after winning the 2027 and 2028 lotteries, which I think is the point. Portland didn't fall into the trap of trying to make a playoff run in its first year; instead, the Fire grabbed a bunch of reclamation projects and are just going to see what happens.

Will that lead to a lot of bad basketball games, where Portland is just completely overwhelmed by its opponent? Sure. But if the end result is that you find three players who can be part of the core going forward and you get to add a JuJu Watkin or Madison Booker next spring, that's a win for the future.

14. Connecticut Sun

It's a shame that the Connecticut Sun won't be in a position to make a playoff run in their final season before moving to Houston. Fans in Uncasville watched this team be right on the cusp of a championship for years, but last season saw the team wave the white flag and go into rebuilding mode. Kind of, at least — it's hard to rebuild when someone else owns your lottery pick.

The Sun added Brittney Griner this offseason, so at least there's that for fans to enjoy, but Griner can't turn a bad roster into a contender at this point in her career. There are some interesting young pieces here, especially in the frontcourt, but the Sun don't have enough to climb out of the cellar yet.

13. Seattle Storm

Seattle watched its title hopes disappear this offseason with the departure of both Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins. Its best player, Ezi Magbegor, is currently sidelined, and there's a good argument that Seattle has the league's worst backcourt.

At the same time, there are things to watch here. Domninique Malonga should continue to develop into one of the league's most interesting bigs. Awa Fam will be fun once she arrives from overseas. Flau'jae Johnson will have every possible chance to prove she shouldn't have fallen to No. 8 in the draft.

12. Toronto Tempo

Kudos, I suppose, to the Toronto Tempo front office for trying to put together a good team. In the backcourt, it kind of worked, as a Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes starting guard duo is really, really interesting, and having Kia Nurse off the bench could work out.

But it falls apart when you look at the rest of the lineup. The frontcourt is basically just Temi Fagbenle and Nyara Sabally, and the depth there is non-existent. This is just a really imbalanced team. Are they going to run lineups with four guards? Sykes at the four for stretches? I just don't really know what to expect there.

11. Washington Mystics

Toronto might have better high-end talent than Washington, but the Mystics are a more complete team. The team is loaded up front with Shakira Austin, Lauren Betts and Kiki Iriafen, while Sonia Citron gives them a high-end shooter in the backcourt.

The one big issue for the Mystics is the point guard situation. Georgia Amoore didn't play last season after being drafted No. 6 overall, but this season she'll be thrown into the fire as the starting point guard. If she succeeds, Washington can be a playoff contender. If she doesn't, IDK what they do. Play rookie Rori Harmon a lot and hope what she adds as a defender and playmaker makes up for her lack of shooting?

10. Golden State Valkyries

The Valkyries made the playoffs in their first season, but getting back there this time around will be much tougher, especially with news that Iliana Rupert is pregnant and will miss the season.

Gabby Williams was a strong addition, but I don't love her fit with this team. Golden State needed consistent shooting on the wing and as good as Williams is when she's playing her best basketball, her shooting has been very, very streaky at the WNBA level. The team also has questionable backcourt depth. There's serious danger of this all falling apart,

9. Chicago Sky

The Sky are set to be significantly better in 2026 than in 2025, but the question is if they'll improve enough to make the postseason.

Adding Skylar Diggins and Natasha Cloud in the backcourt is massive, and the addition of Rickea Jackson and Azura Stevens almost makes up for losing Ariel Atkins and Angel Reese. I'm fairly concerned about depth and I think at this point Courtney Vandersloot might be a negative when on the floor, but this is still a much better position than 2025.

8. Dallas Wings

After a rough 2025 season, the Dallas Wings completely transformed the frontcourt this offseason, adding last year's co-Defensive Player of the Year, Alanna Smith, as well as Smith's former Lynx teammate Jessica Shepard. The team also drafted Azzi Fudd with the No, 1 overall pick.

But one big question remains: can Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale co-exist? Injuries for Ogunbowale meant we didn't really get a firm answer on that last season, but with the Wings bringing Ogunbowale back this offseason, Dallas is betting its future on the answer to that being yes.

7. Minnesota Lynx

It's hard to know what to think about this team. Losing Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard to the Wings is bad. Losing Bridget Carleton in the expansion draft is an underrated loss for Minnesota. The fact that Napheesa Collier is currently sidelined and it's unclear when she'll return adds in a ton of uncertainty.

On the other hand, this is a Cheryl Reeve-coached basketball team with Natasha Howard, Courtney Williams, Dorka Juhasz and Olivia Miles, so as long as Collier is back before July or so, I think Minnesota will ultimately be fine.

6. Los Angeles Sparks

The Los Angeles Sparks barely missed the playoffs last season and have now added Nneka Ogwumike to the roster. Factor in a full season out of Cameron Brink and this team should easily make the playoffs.

The bigger question is if they can make noise in the postseason, That's tougher to project. Kelsey Plum proved she can be a lead scorer, but I think this team still needs another marquee addition on the wing if it wants to be a title threat, though this certainly has the makings of a team that can be in the mix for the next few seasons.

5. Phoenix Mercury

This year's Phoenix Mercury team is basically just last year's Phoenix Mercury team except without Satou Sabally, which is...a pretty big loss.

But even factoring that in, this is a clear playoff team with a shot at home court in the first round, because it's a basketball team led by Alyssa Thomas, and basketball teams led by Alyssa Thomas always find a way to be good, even if a key piece is gone. Thomas is a singular player, and while her style hasn't always translated in the postseason, it definitely works in the regular season.

4. Indiana Fever

I feel like a broken record here, but the 2026 Indiana Fever season and its outcomes are reliant on Caitlin Clark looking like herself and not like the inefficient, injured player we saw for 13 games last season.

If Clark is back at her best, Indiana is a dark horse title contender. The Clark and Kelsey Mitchell backcourt can easily be the best in the league and Aliyah Boston is arguably the best traditional big in the WNBA, though the situation at the forward spots is a bit shaky.

3. Atlanta Dream

Just looking at this from a talent perspective, the Atlanta Dream are almost in that top tier after the addition of Angel Reese. Adding her to a lineup with Brionna Jones, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard makes for a really intriguing situation.

At the same time, there are very valid concerns about this team's ability to make shots. Adding in Jordin Canada at the point, Atlanta could start three non-shooters, one "meh" shooter and just one player capable of consistently knocking down 3-pointers.

2. New York Liberty

Do I have questions about Satou Sabally's fit on this roster? Sure, but you can't deny the talent here. In addition to Sabally, the Liberty feature Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu. That's some great top-end talent.

But concerns about depth as well as the fact that Ionescu will be out to open the year prevents the LIberty from making a run at the No. 1 spot in these rankings, and I really wouldn't be shocked if the team takes a bit longer to get going than most might think. Still, New York is the biggest threat to Vegas.

1. Las Vegas Aces

No surprise here as the defending champions enter the 2026 as the favorites to repeat. While much of the league comes into this season with new-look rosters, the Las Vegas Aces are basically just running back their championship team, but with even more upside.

This year's team features the same stars, but the Aces will be deeper as they should get a full season of Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, they replaced Kiah Stokes with Brianna Turner and they signed Chennedy Carter as a scoring threat off the bench. And there's also that whole thing where they have the best player in the world, A'ja Wilson.

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