Winners and losers from the wild first days of WNBA free agency

If you had a hard time keeping up with all the WNBA free agency moves over the weekend, I get it. At every turn, there were new signings and players in new colors. It was apparent that some teams' strategy was to approach free agency hard and fast, while we haven't seen much movement from some other squads. Free agency isn't quite over yet, as players can sign with teams up until a few days before the season tips off. But we can still evaluate how the teams have done in the early days — here are some winners and losers of this crazy start to free agency.

Winner: Chicago Sky

I'll be honest, when the Sky were trading away picks in order to stay safe during the expansion draft and especially when they traded Angel Reese, I was confused where the strategy was heading. But they've shown out in free agency. Now, this doesn't fix some underlying problems, like the front office, amongst other concerns, but that's a conversation for a different time.

The Chicago Sky roster saw some monster additions this weekend, including Azurá Stevens, Dijonai Carrington and Skylar Diggins — along with Jacy Sheldon and Rickea Jackson via trade. Some people might see the departure of Angel Reese as a big blow, but I think it was a need for both parties and she will thrive in Atlanta.

In my opinion, the Sky have formed a great, strong roster so far and they still have the fifth overall pick in the WNBA Draft to add. Their additions so far are elite. Diggins is one of the most experienced and gritty guards in the league. She averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 assists per game last season. Stevens is coming off her most efficient year in the league, and Carrington showed off her scoring and defensive abilities during the 2025 season.

Loser: Seattle Storm

The Storm have lost their top five leading scorers from the 2025 season. It's hard to believe, but Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes, Gabby Williams and Erica Wheeler have all parted ways with Seattle. I'm not sure there's a team that's taken bigger blows in free agency.

They've had three newcomers so far: Natisha Hiedeman, Stefanie Dolson and Jade Melbourne — Ezi Magbegor also re-signed. While those are some solid players, replacing powerhouses like Ogwumike, Diggins and Williams will be next to impossible, especially all at once. I'm excited to see what other moves they make before the season starts, especially with the third overall pick. But for now, it's not looking great for Seattle.

Winner: Dallas Wings

If you follow Paige Bueckers on social media, you may have seen this series of videos on her Instagram story over the weekend.

Having your star player be that excited over your free agency moves has to be a victory in the eyes of the Dallas Wings front office. We all know that while Buecker's rookie season was individually successful for her, it wasn't a successful run for the team as a whole. With the additions of 2025 WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard, they're looking to turn the tide.

Arike Ogunbowale also re-signed with the Wings over the weekend. Plus, the Wings have the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft, adding more star power to their starting five, most likely. All of this news should excite Wings fans, and I consider them winners because of it.

Losers: Minnesota Lynx

I'm not willing to write the Minnesota Lynx off entirely just yet. There's still a lot of time to make some moves — but they've taken some hits during free agency so far. The departures of Alanna Smith, Dijonai Carrington, Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard aren't great, and they also lost Bridget Carleton to the Portland Fire. But Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams both re-signed with Minnesota over the weekend. Lynx star Napheesa Collier is still injured and will most likely miss the beginning of the season, if not longer.

The Lynx have the second overall pick in the draft, and I am excited to see how Cheryl Reeve decides to integrate that player into this Minnesota system, specifically, whether we'll see them in the starting lineup.

Winner: Atlanta Dream

The Atlanta Dream didn't necessarily go out and pursue any big-time players during free agency, but they did manage to keep their core players, who were all free agents. That is a major win in my book. Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones, Jordin Canada and Naz Hillmon all re-signed with the Dream over the weekend.

With the addition of Angel Reese via trade, Atlanta just shot up in my rankings. They look like serious title contenders this season. Reese joins the duo of Gray and Howard, who combined averaged 35.9 points per game in 2025. Last season, Reese was one of only two players to average a double-double. How she will fit into this Atlanta system is highly anticipated.

Winner: New York Liberty

The New York Liberty is another squad that was able to keep its core players despite all being free agents. Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones all chose to stay in New York for a chance at another title. The only departures the Liberty really had were Isabelle Harrison and Kennedy Burke during free agency and Nyara Sabally during the expansion draft.

The Liberty also won massively with the signing of three-time All-Star Satou Sabally. Last season, Sabally averaged 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

It's still unclear where some Liberty players will be for the 2026 season, like Natasha Cloud, Marine Johannes and Emma Meesseman — but so far, so good for New York's front office.

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