Las Vegas has won it again, but Becky Hammon as a player was not a winner. Hammon remains the least successful postseason player, going 60 playoff games without a title. Those scars might have healed after Hammon, as the coach, led the Las Vegas Aces to its third title in four years. The first team to do so since the Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson’s Houston Comets did the four-peat from 1997–2000. According to Hammon, Caitlin Clark and Co. make the Aces the best dynasty yet.

There have been multiple dynasties in the WNBA. Yes, it started with the Houston Rockets winning in the late 90s, but then the early 2000s belonged to Lisa Leslie’s Los Angeles Sparks. And then Bill Laimbeer coached the Detroit Shock. Next, Cheryl Reeve moved from the Shock bench to being Minnesota’s head coach, starting her own dynasty there in the 2010s. But for Becky Hammon, the rise of the league with the likes of Caitlin Clark is evidence that the Aces are the greatest of them all. 

“You have rookies coming in like Paige and Caitlin and Angel and all of them, and like they’re they’re ready now to compete. And so I just think the quality from top to bottom. That’s why we’re adding so many teams, right? There’s a lot of really great players, but these guys (the Aces) are an elite skill set.” Hammon said.

To give more context on what Hammon was speaking about, she was referring to how quickly the landscape in the WNBA has changed. “These players are bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled. That’s great. Just as it was 10 years ago.” Hammon said. For the Aces coach, the previous generations taught the next how to win and how to dominate. However, quality-wise, the current Aces are better than any side in the past, according to Hammon. 

As Hammon referenced, Caitlin Clark and the rookies are the biggest proof of this increase in quality. Among her rookie records, Clark broke the WNBA assist record as a rookie. That means she was a better creator (by numbers) than every WNBA veteran in the past and in 2024, despite being 22 years old.

Clark made the All-WNBA first team as a rookie, being the first since Candace Parker in 2008. The evolution is not limited to a single player either, as Angel Reese set the WNBA record with 15 consecutive double-doubles in 2024. Reese is already arguably one of the game’s elite board crashers, purely on skill. Also, Aliyah Boston, who entered the league in 2023 as a promising talent, became one of the most efficient players in the league.

These youngsters are a representation of where the WNBA is today. That’s where Becky Hammon’s claim comes into play. The Aces have an average age of 28.6, and they are absolutely dominating the youngsters. The likes of A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray are the best of the current generation. 

“I think these ladies are at the top of the game, and it is the best basketball that the W has ever seen from top to bottom,” Hammon said. And don’t forget, Hammon played in the WNBA of the old, so she knows what she is talking about. Heading to 2026, everything will change. The largest free agency period of the league is on the horizon, and Caitlin Clark is in pole position to form a legacy-level squad. 

After Aces rise, is Caitlin Clark’s Fever next WNBA dynasty in the making?

Assuming the CBA is sorted out in time, the 2026 free agency starts in January. The majority of the league’s veterans will be fair game this season as they matched their contracts to this timing, expecting the salaries to rise. Only the ones on rookie contracts and some outliers will remain with their 2025 teams. In the case of the Indiana Fever, they have Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and 2025 rookie Makayla Timpson locked in for 2026.

In addition, they will also have the option of locking in Lexie Hull as well, who will become a restricted free agent. The Fever will have to match the offer Hull gets from any other team, and she will have to return to Indiana. If the new CBA includes core players, the Fever will likely use the designation on Kelsey Mitchell for a second straight season. “The priority will be Kelsey Mitchell and making sure she remains in a Fever jersey,” Fever president Amber Cox said.

They will retain their big 3 of Boston, Clark, and Mitchell. While Clark nursed her injuries, the other two made big splashes with All-WNBA team selections. The other teams, like the Dallas Wings, will retain their star rookie in Paige Bueckers. But Wings haven’t yet figured out the right cast around her. The Seattle Storm and Dominique Malonga are in the middle of a coaching change. Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are stuck in the eye of the storm, and Reese’s future with the franchise is in doubt. 

The Las Vegas Aces will start fresh, just like the majority of the teams in the league, while the Fever will build on their ‘best young core’. So, Caitlin Clark has a head start going into 2026, making them favorites to be the next “legacy” team. And their hamstrung 2025 team gave the toughest contest to the eventual champions Las Vegas Aces. It showed they have made the right call in hiring Stephanie White. The atmosphere around the team makes it a highly regarded destination for any free agent in the market, and Fever must capitalize to build a team that feels like a cheat code.