Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The second half of the WNBA season begins with the All-Star Break over and the trade deadline approaching.
- Eight playoff teams are fighting to hold position, but the deadline adds urgency for teams ready to think about the future.
- One franchise is showing signs of life after a rough start, while another faces critical questions about its direction.
It's a big week in the WNBA. Not only are we entering the second half now that the All-Star Break is over, but we also have the trade deadline looming. In a season where we're already fairly certain which eight teams will be in the playoffs, the deadline has particular interest, because you have some clear sellers out there who can start thinking about the future.
With all of that in mind, let's re-rack things and see where everything stands in the WNBA at the moment.
WNBA Power Rankings, Week 12
Position | Team | Record | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Minnesota Lynx | 22-6 | 2 |
2 | Golden State Valkyries | 19-8 | 1 |
3 | Las Vegas Aces | 18-8 | 4 |
4 | Dallas Wings | 18-9 | 3 |
5 | Indiana Fever | 17-10 | 5 |
6 | Atlanta Dream | 16-10 | 6 |
7 | Washington Mystics | 14-12 | 7 |
8 | New York Liberty | 15-12 | 8 |
9 | Portland Fire | 11-16 | 9 |
10 | Phoenix Mercury | 10-18 | 12 |
11 | Chicago Sky | 9-18 | 11 |
12 | Toronto Tempo | 10-16 | 10 |
13 | Connecticut Sun | 7-20 | 13 |
14 | Los Angeles Sparks | 10-16 | 14 |
15 | Seattle Storm | 6-23 | 15 |
With Phee back, the Lynx are the clear favorites
Only one team reached the 20-win mark by the All-Star Break: Minnesota, which managed to win 21 games before Napheesa Collier returned with one game left to go before the break. She helped lead the team to win No. 22 and looked like she hadn't missed a step.
While there's reportedly been some trade chatter around Collier, whose contract expires this offseason, we should probably push that aside and just talk about what we saw on the floor in that game, which was Collier scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds despite her long period away from the game. She's a top-five player in the world, and she's not third, fourth or fifth.
The Lynx now have the league's best starting unit. Would it be good to see Dorka Juhasz play closer to the version of herself that won EuroLeague MVP to help shore up the bench? Sure, but critiques of this team at this point are just splitting hairs. This is a championship roster.
Kelsey Plum's future is up in the air
The same report that mentioned Collier as a trade candidate also mentioned Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum could be on the move, specifically because Plum does not appear interested in re-signing with the Sparks this offseason.
That, uhh...would be bad. It'd be real bad. The trade that brought Plum to Los Angeles sent the No. 2 pick in last season's draft to Seattle, where the Storm landed Dominique Malonga, who looks set to be a perennial All-Star and a huge piece in the team's rebuild. In return, Los Angeles got what might amount to a two-year rental on a team that won't make the playoffs in either season.
I'll put this bluntly: the Sparks have a serious issue with their decision-making process. Firing GM Raegan Pebley in the middle of the season isn't going to fix that; this franchise needs to completely re-assess what it is, what it's doing and what it ultimately wants to be. It's been an issue for years now, and this failed 2026 season should be the wake-up call to make changes. Will it be? We'll see.
Phoenix is rising
Get it: Phoenix, rising, rebirth, etc., etc., etc.? Anyway, the Mercury were really bad for long stretches of the season, but won two in a row heading into the break. They're five games back of the final playoff spot and getting there won't be easy. It might not even be possible, considering how well the Mystics are playing right now.
But I do know this: Provided Phoenix doesn't trade away Alyssa Thomas or Kahleah Copper, this is going to be a team that you absolutely don't want to play on a nightly basis. They can play some super physical basketball and just make things really tough on whoever they're facing.
That doesn't change the fact that after making the WNBA FInals last year, this year's performance is a complete failure, but it might give the team reason to retool instead of rebuild this offseason. Whether or not that's the right approach will depend on how the rest of the season goes and how the offseason ends up looking, but Phoenix is at least finally playing like a solid basketball team, which is more than you can say about some of the other teams outside of the playoff race.
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