Whenever the WNBA finally tips off again, whether in a few weeks or a few months, one thing feels certain. The league won’t look the same.

This isn’t just another offseason. It’s the moment the league hits reset. Nearly 80 percent of WNBA players are about to flood the free agency market, all waiting for a new CBA that could finally deliver the financial leap they’ve been fighting for. More than 100 players, including the league’s biggest stars, are set to test the market.

You’ll be surprised when you hear the names, especially if you think that’s wild. The free agency market is about to open for eight of the ten All-WNBA selections. The top players, including A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Alyssa Thomas, Allisha Gray, and Kelsey Mitchell, could potentially be traded. There is no error in that. Also involved are Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, and Nneka Ogwumike, who are second-team stars.

Just think about it for a second. Every single player who just took the floor in the Finals doesn’t even have a deal for next season. The league’s brightest stars, the faces driving its rise, are suddenly free to pick up the phone and talk to anyone. As Aces president Nikki Fargas put it, “You’re going to need Plan A, Plan B, and Plan 9-1-1. There is nothing normal about this offseason, so you can’t look at it from a normal lens.” That says it all. This offseason is about to be pure chaos.

So let’s get into it. Here are the potential roster shakeups that could reshape the league before it tips off again next season.

1. Chicago Sky

The Sky stumbled to a 10–34 finish, ranking 12th in offensive rating and 13th on defense, and were out of the WNBA playoff race long before the season reached the finish line. In many ways, Angel Reese’s blunt interview later on felt like the perfect snapshot of a year that had gone completely off the rails for Chicago.

To make matters worse, the Sky no longer owns its 2026 first-round pick, never a good place to be when you’re a struggling team. The trade that helped them move up from No. 8 to No. 7 to draft Angel Reese in 2024 also gave Minnesota swap rights, which means the Lynx are set to have the second pick in the next draft.

But it’s not all bad news for Chicago. As the final piece of the Kahleah Copper trade that sent her to the Mercury, the Sky still owned Phoenix’s 2026 first-round pick. On top of that, as part of one of the Marina Mabrey deals, they also held swap rights with Connecticut’s 2026 first. With Phoenix making the playoffs and Connecticut missing out, Chicago ended up swapping into the Sun’s pick, which left them holding the fifth pick in the upcoming draft.

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That’s the good part.

Angel Reese has made it clear she wants to play with the best in the game, and her rocky moments with the likes of Courtney Vandersloot and Hailey Van Lith only added to that narrative. Now, beyond the rookies, the Sky were set to see nearly all of their veterans hit free agency. There was a real chance that players like Vandersloot, Kia Nurse, and Lindsay Allen would all walk, setting the stage for Chicago to build an almost entirely new veteran core around its young stars.

All signs point to a very different Chicago Sky team when next season tips off.

2. Connecticut Sun

The Sun battled through a tough year to finish 11–33, but there were late flashes of hope as Leila Lacan started to make her presence felt. They ended the season 13th in offensive rating and 11th defensively, closing out a year of transition after losing almost their entire core and their head coach.

Fortunately for the Sun, most of their young core, Saniya Rivers, Aneesah Morrow, and Leïla Lacan, remain on rookie deals. Veterans like Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles are set to hit free agency, but the team’s top priority would be bringing back Olivia Nelson-Ododa before turning its focus to adding experienced pieces around the roster.

Marina Mabrey was the only starter who stuck around, even if it wasn’t exactly by choice, and she could be one of the names to move on in free agency. With GM Morgan Tuck making it clear the focus is on rebuilding around the young core, the Sun could be in for an aggressive run in the WNBA free agency market, especially with no draft capital to work with.

3. Dallas Wings

The Dallas Wings wrapped up the WNBA season at 10–34, ranking ninth in offensive rating and 12th on defense. What started as a season full of promise after landing Paige Bueckers ended in disappointment, with head coach Chris Koclanes parting ways with the franchise after just one year.

Luckily for the Wings, there’s a strong chance Dallas uses the first pick in the upcoming draft to bring in Azzi Fudd, which would lock up their backcourt for the next decade. If that duo can stay healthy, it’s the kind of pairing that can give any defense nightmares. But even then, it leaves one big question that still needs answering.

What about Arike Ogunbowale?

The Dallas Wings have been Arike Ogunbowale’s franchise for a long time now, but she’s set to hit free agency this offseason, along with Myisha Hines-Allen, Tyasha Harris, Li Yueru, Luisa Geiselsoder, Haley Jones, and Grace Berger. After losing both Natasha Howard and Satou Sabally last season, Arike wasn’t able to hit the level she would’ve wanted, and now there’s a very real chance we could see a Wings team next year without its longtime face of the franchise.

4. Phoenix Mercury

Unlike the others on this list, the Mercury never really hit a rough patch. Despite moving on from Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Sophie Cunningham, and Natasha Cloud, Phoenix stormed through the season to a 27–17 record, finishing third in the West and fourth overall, their best win total since 2014. What started as a dream regular season only grew bigger once the WNBA playoffs arrived.

Comebacks weren’t just part of their run; they became their identity. They shocked the Liberty in the first round after falling behind, then pulled off the same trick against tournament favorites Minnesota, refusing to fold when the pressure was at its highest. The magic finally ran out in the Finals, though, where they couldn’t get past the Aces and ended up getting swept.

Unfortunately for Nate Tibbetts, apart from Kalani Brown, almost every key piece is headed for free agency. Yes, that includes the big three of Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, and Satou Sabally. Of course, there’s no guarantee they won’t all return. But from a franchise point of view, is it really wise to try and hang on to all three?

Copper was limited to just 28 games last season after dealing with a knee injury that required offseason treatment and cost her the start of the year. Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas also missed time, sitting out five games each during the regular season. And while Thomas still played at an MVP level, age isn’t exactly on her side anymore.

Not to forget, Thomas had a tough finals series too. It started with heartbreak in Game 1, when she missed two late free throws that could’ve sealed the win, then dipped further in Game 2 with her quietest playoff night, just 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

She answered back in Game 3, coming one assist short of what would’ve been her sixth career playoff triple-double. For context, only Sheryl Swoopes and Courtney Vandersloot have ever reached that milestone in the postseason, and both did it just once. Even then, it wasn’t enough.

So there’s a real argument that the Mercury might not choose to retain Thomas next season. And even if they do, there’s a strong chance that their big three would be looking at supermax contracts, which could leave next to no cap space to bring the rest of the roster back together. Players like Westbeld, Kitija Laksa, Lexi Held, and Monique Akoa Makani were key parts of this run, but we might not see them in Phoenix next season.

5. Seattle Storm

The Storm wrapped up the WNBA season at 23–21, ranking eighth in offensive rating and fourth on defense. They finished seventh in the standings and bowed out in the first round with a 2–1 loss to Las Vegas. Another year of flashes, another year of inconsistency, and once again, a rather disappointing end. That’s been the story in Seattle ever since Breanna Stewart left and Sue Bird hung it up.

The Jewell Loyd trade was supposed to set Seattle up to contend, bringing in veterans like Gabby Williams and Alysha Clark, and later Brittney Sykes. On paper, it looked right. But on the floor, the consistency never quite showed up. And yet, they were one Jackie Young putback away from eliminating the team that went on to win it all. If that shot rims out, the entire conversation around the Storm’s 2025 season might be very different.

The Storm does have some exciting young pieces in Dominique Malonga, Jordan Horston, and Nika Mühl. But the rest of their core is headed for WNBA free agency, and that leaves a big question hanging over Seattle. Is it time to pivot from the legends and start fresh? With Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins both at 35, the front office could instead choose to prioritise keeping players like Gabby Williams, Brittney Sykes, or even Ezi Magbegor. Either way, it puts the Storm in a tricky spot heading into the offseason.

There’s no questioning the quality of Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike. Both are still All-Star-level players. But there comes a point where a franchise has to ask the hard question. Do you take the risk, or do you turn the page? A lot of money would be tied up in players who may no longer be at the absolute peak of their powers.

That said, wherever Diggins and Ogwumike land, they’ll continue to be the game-changers they’ve always been.