10 greatest questions for WNBA offseason: Liberty repeat? Clark encore? Taurasi retirement?

by Anthony S. Hansen
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The 2024 WNBA season is over. Subsequent season is seven months away.

However there’s quite a bit to digest earlier than then.

The WNBA gamers’ union introduced Monday that the gamers voted to decide out early from their present collective bargaining settlement with the league. The WNBA and the union have till October 2025 to strike a brand new deal.

The draft lottery might be held Nov. 17, with the Los Angeles Sparks, Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics in rivalry for the No. 1 decide. And the growth draft for the Golden State Valkyries is about for Dec. 6.

A brand new ladies’s basketball league, Unmatched, will function 30 gamers in a 3-on-3 format held fully in Miami beginning Jan. 17.

And in February, WNBA free company will start. Though, with a brand new CBA on the way in which for 2026, most gamers aren’t anticipated to do long-term offers.

The 2025 season will develop to 44 regular-season video games, with adjustments made to the playoffs, as nicely, together with a best-of-seven WNBA Finals.

ESPN solutions the ten burning questions forward of the 2025 season.

Can the Liberty repeat?

The New York Liberty appeared in back-to-back Finals for the primary time since 1999 and 2000, falling in 2023 to the Las Vegas Aces however successful all of it Sunday in a memorable Finals towards the Minnesota Lynx.

Liberty followers have much more purpose to proceed celebrating, as a result of practically all of New York’s core gamers are anticipated to return. Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot are free brokers, however Stewart has stated she will not be going anyplace. Vandersloot noticed a diminished function towards the second half of the season, so her future is extra unsure.

Nonetheless, operating it again with Stewart, Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, all-WNBA choice Sabrina Ionescu, All-Star Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, rookie standout Leonie Fiebich and Finals Recreation 5 star Nyara Sabally looks as if a reasonably good recipe for fulfillment. New York appears to be like to affix the Aces as the one groups to repeat for the reason that league’s first six years. — Philippou

Will Collier win her first MVP award in 2025?

Napheesa Collier was runner-up this season to Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson, however there was no person higher than the Lynx ahead within the playoffs. Collier averaged 23.8 factors, 9.0 rebounds and three.3 assists within the postseason. She persistently has a number of sequences in video games defending multiple prime participant, exhibiting why she was Defensive Participant of the 12 months.

Collier turned 28 in September. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve made a degree throughout the playoffs to reiterate what she stated throughout the common season: Collier ought to be thought-about within the prime tier of WNBA gamers together with the likes of Wilson and Stewart. Few would argue that after the season Collier had. — Voepel

Can the Aces bounce again after a roller-coaster yr?

Sure, particularly when you think about it wasn’t that dangerous of a season total. The Aces weren’t dominant in 2024 like they have been in 2023, after they had simply six losses within the common season. However that could be a excessive bar for comparability. This yr’s Aces did not have Chelsea Grey till June 19 (foot harm), did not defend persistently and did not shoot as effectively.

Coach Becky Hammon additionally famous the Aces weren’t at all times as locked in as they have been in 2022 and 2023, and did not have the identical starvation. She attributed that partly to human nature, and the truth that different groups wished to take down the Aces.

We are going to wait to see if guard Kelsey Plum — the one member of the Aces’ core 4 who’s an unrestricted free agent — returns. She has been a giant a part of Las Vegas’ success. The Aces want one other scoring risk inside, too. — Voepel

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How Caitlin Clark paved her method as WNBA’s Rookie of the 12 months

Chiney Ogwumike appears to be like again at Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking season that led her to turning into the WNBA Rookie of the 12 months.

Which staff will win the lottery — and an opportunity to pick Bueckers at No. 1?

A month from now, we’ll know which staff owns the No. 1 decide within the 2025 WNBA draft, because the draft lottery will happen Nov. 17 (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). The 2020-21 nationwide participant of the yr, Paige Bueckers of UConn, is anticipated to be the No. 1 decide within the April 14 draft.

The 4 groups that missed the playoffs — Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Washington — will seem within the lottery. Based mostly on the cumulative two-year data, the Sparks have the most effective particular person likelihood of getting the highest decide (44.2%), however the Wings’ odds are successfully a mixed 45.4%, as a result of they’ve their very own decide plus they’ll swap picks with Chicago due to a decide swap they acquired after they traded Marina Mabrey in 2023. The Mystics have solely a ten.4% likelihood. — Philippou

What’s going to Clark, Reese and this yr’s rookies do for an encore?

Indiana’s Caitlin Clark, Chicago’s Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, and Los Angeles’ Rickea Jackson, all of whom got here out of faculty to April’s draft, have been named to the WNBA all-rookie staff.

The fifth, Fiebich, began her professional profession in her native Germany at age 16 in 2016. She was drafted into the WNBA in 2020 by the Sparks, however she did not play till this yr with the Liberty. She had 13 factors and 7 rebounds within the clinching Recreation 5 Sunday. Fiebich, 24, is anticipated to turn into much more of an affect participant subsequent yr.

Clark had a spectacular season, and the Fever acquired again into the playoffs for the primary time since 2016. She shortly proved she might compete on the subsequent degree and can return after getting some relaxation and time away from basketball this offseason.

Reese and Cardoso had some actually good minutes collectively on courtroom, and now we wait to see who might be their subsequent coach. Jackson is in the identical scenario.

The No. 2 draft decide, Cameron Brink, performed 15 video games earlier than a season-ending knee harm in June. There might be quite a lot of anticipation to see Brink and Jackson taking part in collectively subsequent season, probably with Bueckers delivering them the ball.

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May the WNBA be headed towards a piece stoppage?

Chiney Ogwumike outlines the important thing points on the heart of the WNBPA’s determination to decide out of the present CBA.

Have we seen the final of Diana Taurasi, and if that’s the case, what’s subsequent for Phoenix?

It felt like we witnessed the ultimate video games of Diana Taurasi’s profession when the Phoenix Mercury have been swept out of the primary spherical of the WNBA playoffs. Taurasi hasn’t publicly introduced a call, and maybe she’ll take a while to make up her thoughts. However the Mercury will probably need to know quickly for planning functions, particularly with the growth draft arising after which free company not too far behind.

Brittney Griner is an unrestricted free agent, however veterans Kahleah Copper, Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and Natasha Cloud are all beneath contract for 2025. If Taurasi retires, who else can common supervisor Nick U’Ren and coach Nate Tibbetts recruit to spherical out the core? And might the Mercury emerge because the superteam some thought they have been able to being final yr earlier than a meager 19-21 common season? — Philippou

Has the Solar’s championship window closed?

The Connecticut Solar have been the bastion of consistency within the league, with six consecutive semifinal appearances. However all through that stretch, which included 2019 and 2022 Finals appearances, they have not damaged by way of for a title. This season ended with a semifinal loss in 5 video games to the Lynx.

Do not be shocked if the 2025 Solar look a lot totally different than the 2024 staff. In Stephanie White’s second yr, the staff did not draw back from speaking about its championship window closing. Many of the staff will turn into free brokers heading into 2025, most prominently together with unrestricted free brokers DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones and Alyssa Thomas (Thomas, the franchise’s longest-tenured participant, is the one one who will be cored).

Even White was not too long ago requested about her future with the staff, though she disclosed that she’s presently coping with a household emergency and her focus is there in the mean time. — Philippou

Who will fill the teaching vacancies?

4 groups — the Sparks, Dream, Wings and Sky — fired their head coaches after the season. They don’t seem to be the one ones available in the market for brand spanking new coaches: Golden State employed Becky Hammon’s prime assistant, Natalie Nakase, and Toronto and Portland will finally be hiring, too.

Sparks and Sky administration will need to discover coaches who can information younger expertise in Brink, Jackson, Reese and Cardoso. The Wings and Dream are current playoff groups which have struggled with consistency and in taking the following step as a franchise. L.A. and Dallas additionally each have the most effective probabilities of incomes the No. 1 decide and being tasked with creating an rising franchise participant.

Will Curt Miller (Sparks), Teresa Weatherspoon (Sky), Tanisha Wright (Dream) or Latricia Trammell (Wings) get possibilities to teach elsewhere? Will well-respected assistants like Katie Smith, Kristi Toliver or Tyler Marsh get appears to be like? — Philippou

How will the growth draft change issues?

The Golden State Valkyries’ growth draft is Dec. 6. Every present WNBA staff can shield a most of six gamers who will not be eligible to be drafted. Groups should submit their lists roughly 10 days earlier than the growth draft, however many of the groups are probably ready now to call their protected gamers.

The Valkyries might be concentrating on gamers who can hit the bottom operating, so it is probably another WNBA groups will lose veterans which have helped stabilize their benches. And younger gamers who have not gotten quite a lot of taking part in time would possibly welcome the prospect to go elsewhere for extra on-court alternatives.

The final growth draft was in 2008, for the Atlanta Dream. They picked 13 gamers and likewise made three trades immediately. The Dream went 4-30 of their first season, however then made the playoffs six years in a row, advancing to the WNBA Finals thrice in that stretch. — Voepel

How will the brand new format affect the playoffs?

Subsequent season’s WNBA Finals might be best-of-seven — two video games on the greater seed, two on the decrease, after which alternating 1-1-1. It means the season might be a bit of longer. It is going to be more difficult in years when the FIBA World Cup is held after the season, due to what number of video games will have to be compressed right into a shorter time period.

Fatigue will be one other concern in a seven-game sequence, and it appeared to have an effect on play Sunday in Recreation 5. Was the protection good? Sure. However did drained legs additionally appeared to contribute to the Lynx capturing 37.1% from the sphere and the Liberty 30.6%? After Recreation 5, Stewart, who was 9-of-36 mixed within the final two video games, stated the league wanted to supply a bit of extra relaxation between video games.

The league may also transfer to a 1-1-1 format for the primary spherical, slightly than two video games on the greater seed and a possible third sport on the decrease seed. The brand new format ensures not less than one residence sport for each playoff staff. However New York’s Sabrina Ionescu stated she’s involved the change takes away among the benefit of the higher-seeded groups.

General, most gamers and followers appeared happy with the playoff adjustments, as did the coaches, saying they bring about the WNBA extra into alignment with different professional leagues. — Voepel

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