WNBA Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands After a Wild Free-Agency Period

We've had quite the eventful offseason, with multiple superstars being traded and other big names landing in new places. The fun part is that we may not be done yet.

The WNBA draft is on April 14, and there are still notable names—Chennedy Carter, Isabelle Harrison, and the will-they-suit-up duo of Diana Taurasi and Elena Delle Donne to name a few—to be had in free agency.

We're still roughly three months away from WNBA action—thank goodness for stateside options Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited for keeping us covered in the meantime—but we can quickly take stock of the league as of late February.

Notable Additions: Raquel Correra, Esmery Martinez

Notable Departures: Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky), Kayla Thornton (Golden State Valkyries)

It's only right that the champs tip off the power rankings.

The stars—Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones—will be back. High-impact pieces like Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (heck of an Unrivaled debut, by the way) and Leonie Fiebich will be back. I'm excited to see what kind of growth we see from Nyara Sabally and Kennedy Burke, with the latter likely to have more responsibility with the departure of Thornton.

Losing Vandersloot isn't ideal, but it's certainly manageable. Ionescu will play more point, and the return of Marine Johannés (currently a reserved free agent) and/or Rebekah Gardner (a feisty point-of-attack defender) would help fill the void.

Barring health issues, this should be an elite unit on both ends that can throw a unique blend of size, skill and versatility at you.

They're the favorites until proven otherwise.

Notable Additions: Grace Berger, Marième Badiane, Kiara Leslie

Notable Departures: Myisha Hines-Allen (Dallas Wings), Cecilia Zandalasini (Golden State Valkyries)

Not many people had the Lynx finishing as a top-four seed entering last season, much less posting the second-best record in the league (behind a movement-heavy offense and elite defense) and nearly defeating the Liberty in the Finals.

They'll have to prove it all over again, but they're well-equipped to do so. Their top seven players in minutes played last season, headlined by last year's Defensive Player of the Year in Napheesa Collier, remain on the roster. And if last season's postseason run and her current Unrivaled play is any indication, we may get an even better version of Collier this year.

Kayla McBride reestablished herself as one of the league's best shooters (40.7 percent on 6.6 threes). Courtney Williams was a maestro in ball screens and a crucial late-clock (and late-game) scoring option. Alanna Smith rightfully earned All-Defense honors alongside Collier.

This is a good, versatile group that could add even more pop to their lineups if Diamond Miller is able to stay healthy. I'm keeping an eye on their collective shooting—they led the WNBA in three-point percentage (38.0) by 1.4 percentage points, the widest margin since 2015—but they should remain a tough team to deal with.

Notable Additions: Jewell Loyd, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, Dana Evans, Tiffany Mitchell

Notable Departures: Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles Sparks), Tiffany Hayes (Golden State Valkyries), Alysha Clark (Seattle Storm), Kate Martin (Golden State Valkyries), Sydney Colson (Indiana Fever)

The Aces fell short of their three-peat bid, falling to the eventual champions in Round 2. To say it's been an offseason of change would be an understatement: Of the 10 players to log at least 200 regular-season minutes for them last season, half of them will be donning new threads in 2025.

Still, I wouldn't recommend underrating or writing off the Aces. A'ja Wilson remains the game's most dominant two-way force. Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray should be healthier and (extra) motivated heading into the year.

Between Jewell Loyd, Cheyenne Parter-Tyus and Dana Evans, the Aces added a blend of scoring versatility and chip-on-the-shoulder that could help them on their revenge tour. A healthy Tiffany Mitchell could also add a nice mix of downhill juice and defensive toughness.

Notable Additions: DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson

Notable Departures: NaLyssa Smith (Dallas Wings), Katie Lou Samuelson (Seattle Storm), Erica Wheeler (Seattle Storm), Grace Berger (Minnesota Lynx)

It's hard not to be excited about what this Fever team could be, both in the short and long term.

Headlined by the trio of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, the Fever will continue to put strain on opposing defenses. Add in the shooting of Bonner and Cunningham, and the post-up and screening versatility of Howard...whew, getting stops against this group will be a pain.

There's an enhanced level of lineup versatility that the Fever can tap into. With Stephanie White (back) at the helm, expect a nice mix of jumbo lineups and smaller groups that can space the floor.

The defense has to level up—the Fever finished 11th in defensive rating last year—but that's also where you point to the veterans added.

Howard is a former DPOY; Bonner made a legitimate case for an All-Defense team last season. Colson, even in limited minutes with the Aces, proved she is one of the league's most underrated screen navigators. Cunningham is sub-elite, but has plenty of experience defending up and down the positional spectrum.

If the Fever can be an average defensive group, that should be enough to complement an already elite offense. That'll put them firmly in the home-court mix—if not higher.

Notable Additions: Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally, Kalani Brown, Sami Whitcomb

Notable Departures: Brittney Griner (Atlanta Dream), Natasha Cloud (Connecticut Sun), Rebecca Allen (Chicago Sky), Sophie Cunningham (Indiana Fever)

Anytime you can put together a Big Three of Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally, you pretty much have to do it, right?

With Thomas as a hub, you can expect a heavy dose of cutting from Copper and dives (and seals) from Sabally to immediately put defenses in a bind. Defensively, good luck dealing with the collective size and versatility of that trio. I'm especially excited to see Copper even more engaged on that end thanks to some of the creation burden being lifted from her.

There are still questions to be answered with this group, mostly in the backcourt. We still don't have an official verdict on whether Diana Taurasi will return for another season. The point guard room is pretty young and relatively unproven, though Celeste Taylor and Sevgi Uzun provided interesting flashes last season.

Notable Additions: Alysha Clark, Lexie Brown, Katie Lou Samuelson, Erica Wheeler

Notable Departures: Jewell Loyd (Las Vegas Aces), Sami Whitcomb (Phoenix Mercury), Mercedes Russell (Los Angeles Sparks)

The Storm, if they so choose, could start games with Skylar Diggins-Smith, Lexie Brown, Gabby Williams, Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. If Brown, a nifty screen navigator equipped with active and quick hands, is the worst defender in a projected lineup, your defense is comically good.

They're going to need to lean on that defense this year as they look to reconfigure some of the offense to account for Loyd's departure. They have players capable of absorbing more usage; both Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith have multiple top-10 scoring finishes under their belts. Williams and Brown can serve as secondary creators, with the latter also providing value as an off-ball shooting threat.

Alysha Clark and Katie Lou Samuelson should help unlock a level of lineup versatility for the Storm. Their additions feel even more important now in light of Jordan Horston's unfortunate ACL injury.

Notable Additions: Brittney Griner, Bri Jones, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough

Notable Departures: Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun), Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (Las Vegas Aces), Laeticia Amihere (Golden State Valkyries)

Dubbed as one of the early winners of this year's free-agency period, the Dream feel like one of the true "swing" teams in the league this year.

There's a world where new head coach Karl Smesko is able to balance the interior dominance of Griner and Jones, with the perimeter scoring chops of Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray (what an Unrivaled run it's been) and Jordin Canada (please stay healthy) to create a balanced attack that keeps constant pressure on defenses.

It's worth noting that the Dream were a low-turnover, high-free-throw-rate team last season. Griner will likely continue commanding a high rate of double-teams, while Jones can bash teams on the offensive glass or bury defenders early with deep seals to get to the line.

There's also a world where Griner and Jones aren't able to log major minutes together because of spacing and defense-in-space concerns, and the Dream underperform relative to expectations.

I'll probably spend an ungodly amount of time watching them to start the year, because I'm truly fascinated by how this team will come together.

Notable Additions: Kelsey Plum, Mercedes Russell

Notable Departures: Lexie Brown (Seattle Storm), Kia Nurse (Chicago Sky), Li Yueru (Seattle Storm)

Speaking of swing teams, the Sparks certainly qualify after accelerating their rebuild with the acquisition of Kelsey Plum.

A dynamic scorer on and off the ball, Plum's gravity should make life easier for Dearica Hamby (a reunion!), Rickea Jackson, Rae Burrell (she seems poised for a leap), Azurá Stevens and Cam Brink (whenever she makes her return).

Plum's willingness to screen should also pop in this context; inverted ball screens with Jackson or Hamby as the ball-handler, or Plum setting hard cross screens to get any of the bigs or forwards into the post should be fruitful.

I am generally curious to see where the defense lands, especially in light of Brink's recovery. I also wonder what the starting lineup will be. Is it just Plum-Burrell-Jackson-Hamby-Stevens?

At minimum, I expect this to be a team that can give anyone a run for their money. They'll play with tempo, flip matchups and attack from just about everywhere.

Notable Additions: DiJonai Carrington, Ty Harris, Myisha Hines-Allen, NaLyssa Smith

Notable Departures: Satou Sabally (Phoenix Mercury), Natasha Howard (Indiana Fever), Kalani Brown (Phoenix Mercury), Jacy Sheldon (Connecticut Sun)

One could argue the Wings are still waiting to land their biggest acquisition of the offseason once the draft rolls around—hi, Paige Bueckers—but I'm a bit intrigued by this roster.

You never want to lose a Satou Sabally if you can help it, but the Wings did a pretty solid job of replenishing their depth around perennial All-Star Arike Ogunbowale.

Landing Carrington gives them a young, all-world defensive wing who should bolster what was a woeful defense last season. Harris can operate on or off the ball, and adds more fight at the point of attack.

Smith gets a much-needed change of scenery. A versatile screening partner and bully against smaller defenders, Smith should be able to fill some of the scoring void left by Sabally and Howard. A similar case can be made for Hines-Allen.

We'll see what the roster looks like post-draft, but the defense should be better next season. If the offense can hover around league-average, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Wings battle for a playoff spot.

Notable Additions: Courtney Vandersloot, Rebecca Allen, Kia Nurse

Notable Departures: Lindsay Allen (Connecticut Sun), Dana Evans (Las Vegas Aces), Diamond DeShields (Connecticut Sun)

As a quick disclaimer, there's room for movement here once we get closer to the regular season. As of this writing, the Sky only have nine players under contract. The draft plus late additions in free agency—do they bring back Isabelle Harrison? —will make it a little easier to break down and project with this roster.

As it stands: It's hard not to be excited about the Angel Reese (balling in Unrivaled) and Kamilla Cardoso (balling in China) duo up front. The addition of Vandersloot should make life much easier for them. Her entry passing and screening should lead to deeper catches and more fruitful scoring opportunities.

The additions of Allen and Nurse add much-needed shooting to the room. I'm particularly excited about the defensive versatility of Allen and what kind of lineups she may unlock.

As we wait for the roster to round out, it's fair to be concerned about the scoring potential of this group.

It doesn't appear that Chennedy Carter will be back; that's 17.5 points that may be difficult to replace, especially once you consider the how of her scoring. The drives and her ability to navigate tight spaces was very important for the Sky last season.

Notable Additions: N/A

Notable Departures: Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (Atlanta Dream)

I'm not quite sure what to do or think about the Mystics.

A healthy version of this roster could compete for a playoff spot. Ariel Atkins and Brittney Sykes are All-Star-caliber players who bring tremendous value defensively. Shakira Austin is one of the W's best young bigs. If Unrivaled play is any indication, Aaliyah Edwards is ready to take a big step forward in her sophomore season.

Stefanie Dolson shot the leather off the ball last season (46.5 percent on 4.0 threes) and otherwise opened up the offense with her screening and work as a high-post hub. Young players like Emily Engstler and Jade Melbourne showcased interesting flashes.

There's clearly stuff here to work with. I don't know if the Mystics actually want to be in the fight for seventh or eighth, or if they'd rather land lower in the standings. The fact that they essentially punted on free agency seems...a bit odd.

They have the fourth and sixth overall picks in this year's draft, and I'm not sure if they want to use both picks or package them in an effort to move up. I'm slotting them here for now.

Notable Additions: Natasha Cloud, Tina Charles, Lindsay Allen, Jacy Sheldon, Diamond DeShields

Notable Departures: Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury), DeWanna Bonner (Indiana Fever), Bri Jones (Atlanta Dream), DiJonai Carrington (Dallas Wings), Ty Harris (Dallas Wings), Tiffany Mitchell (Las Vegas Aces)

Talk about a team in flux.

The Sun became the first team in WNBA history to lose their entire starting lineup in one offseason. Marina Mabrey requested a trade only to have it denied; we'll see how that plays out. Cloud, one of the new additions and easily a top-three player on the roster, didn't seem enthused about how the trade from Phoenix went down.

There are players to like on the roster. Cloud is one of the best defenders in the league while doubling as an effective playmaker. Mabrey is a talented shooter and scorer who the Sun could certainly use. Charles is back where her career began and is fresh off a productive season (14.9 points, 9.6 rebounds) in Atlanta. I'm excited for more Olivia Nelson-Ododa minutes; I fully expect her name to pop up in Most Improved Player discussions this season.

But it's an incomplete roster right now that may have to sort through more movement before the year begins. New head coach Rachid Meziane will have his work cut out for him.

Key Additions: Tiffany Hayes, Laeticia Amihere

This feels like a natural spot to have the newbies.

They deserve a salute for landing Hayes, last season's Sixth Woman of the Year. Reunited with former Aces assistant and current Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase, Hayes should assume lead scoring duties.

Zooming out, this a pretty rangy roster. The wing room of Kayla Thornton, Stephanie Talbot and Kate Martin is especially intriguing. Another year of "Julie Vanloo, Starting Point Guard" should be fun to watch; her mix of nifty passing and off-the-bounce scoring will add a level of flair that I'm sure the new fanbase will appreciate.

We'll circle back with deeper thoughts following the draft.