The 2025 WNBA free agency period has finally slowed to a crawl, though some big names remain on the board, namely New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who is expected to re-sign in Brooklyn to lead the team's quest to repeat as champions. Another to keep an eye on is Chennedy Carter, who became an unrestricted free agent when the Chicago Sky declined to extend a qualifying offer. In addition, we await news on the futures of former MVPs Diana Taurasi and Elena Delle Donne.
So far, the biggest move of the winter was a four-team mega-deal involving the Phoenix Mercury, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings.
- The Mercury received: Satou Sabally, Alyssa Thomas, Kalani Brown, Sevgi Uzun
- The Sun received: Natasha Cloud, Jacy Sheldon, Rebecca Allen, No. 8 pick in 2025 WNBA Draft
- The Fever received: Sophie Cunningham, Jaelyn Brown, No. 19 pick in 2025 WNBA Draft
- The Wings received: DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, NaLyssa Smith, rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, No. 12 pick in 2025 WNBA Draft, right to swap second-round picks with Sun in 2026, right to swap third-round picks with Fever in 2027
Elsewhere, the Dream have agreed to deals with Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, while Kelsey Mitchell has re-signed with the Fever, who also agreed to deals with DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard.
Earlier in the offseason, the Aces, Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks agreed to a blockbuster deal that sent Jewell Loyd and the No. 13 overall pick in the 2025 draft to the Aces, Kelsey Plum, the No. 9 pick and a second-round pick in 2026 to the Sparks and the No. 2 pick, a 2026 first-round pick and Li Yueru to the Storm.
Here are the key dates to know for free agency:
- Jan. 11-20: Teams can make qualifying offers and "Core" player designations
- Jan. 21: Teams can begin negotiating with free agents, but no deals can be signed
- Feb. 1: Players can officially sign contracts and offer sheets
Here are the various types of free agents to know:
- Unrestricted free agent: Can talk to and sign with any team
- Restricted free agent: Can talk to and sign with any team, but their previous team has the right to match any offer they receive
- Reserved free agent: Players who hit free agency with fewer than three years of service. Their previous team has exclusive negotiating rights as long as they extend a qualifying offer
- Suspended -- contract expired: In rare cases, players' contracts will expire while they are suspended. Per the collective bargaining agreement, these players are found to be "withholding services." In practice, these players are treated like reserved free agents, though their previous team does not need to extend a qualifying offer
Ahead of all the action, here is a look at this year's free agent class:
Core players
| Player | Prior team | New team | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Kelsey Mitchell | Indiana Fever | Guard | Signed | |
Kelsey Plum | Las Vegas Aces | Los Angeles Sparks | Guard | Signed |
Satou Sabally | Dallas Wings | Phoenix Mercury | Forward | Signed |
| Breanna Stewart | New York Liberty | | Forward | Cored |
| Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut Sun | Phoenix Mercury | Forward | Signed |
Gabby Williams | Seattle Storm | Seattle Storm | Forward | Signed |
Unrestricted free agents
| Player | Prior team | New team | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Amy Atwell | Phoenix Mercury | Guard | Unsigned | |
| Marieme Badiane | N/A | Minnesota Lynx | Center | Signed |
Morgan Bertsch | Forward | Unsigned | ||
Monique Billings | Golden State Valkyries | Forward | Signed | |
DeWanna Bonner | Indiana Fever | Forward | Signed | |
Jakia Brown-Turner | Guard | Unsigned | ||
Kennedy Burke | New York Liberty | Forward | Signed | |
Emma Cannon | Los Angeles Sparks | Forward | Signed training camp contract | |
Chennedy Carter | Chicago Sky | Guard | Unsigned | |
Jessika Carter | Las Vegas Aces | Center | Unsigned | |
Tina Charles | Connecticut Sun | Center | Signed | |
Alysha Clark | Las Vegas Aces | Seattle Storm | Forward | Signed |
Sydney Colson | Las Vegas Aces | Indiana Fever | Guard | Signed |
Crystal Dangerfield | Guard | Unsigned | ||
Kaela Davis | Forward | Unsigned | ||
Elena Delle Donne | Washington Mystics | Forward | Unsigned | |
Diamond DeShields | Chicago Sky | Connecticut Sun | Guard | Signed |
Liz Dixon | Forward | Unsigned | ||
Queen Egbo | Las Vegas Aces | Las Vegas Aces | Center | Signed training camp contract |
Olivia Epoupa | Minnesota Lynx | Guard | Unsigned | |
Dyaisha Fair | Las Vegas Aces | Guard | Unsigned | |
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu | Forward | Unsigned | ||
Kysre Gondrezick | Chicago Sky | Guard | Unsigned | |
Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | Atlanta Dream | Center | Signed |
Isabelle Harrison | Chicago Sky | Forward | Unsigned | |
Tiffany Hayes | Las Vegas Aces | Golden State Valkyries | Guard | Signed |
Destanni Henderson | Atlanta Dream | Guard | Unsigned | |
Natisha Hiedeman | Minnesota Lynx | Guard | Signed | |
Myisha Hines-Allen | Minnesota Lynx | Dallas Wings | Forward | Signed |
Joyner Holmes | Seattle Storm | Dallas Wings | Forward | Signed training camp contract |
Natasha Howard | Dallas Wings | Indiana Fever | Forward | Signed |
Brionna Jones | Connecticut Sun | Atlanta Dream | Forward | Signed |
Ezinne Kalu | Atlanta Dream | Guard | Unsigned | |
Li Meng | Washington Mystics | Guard | Unsigned | |
Tiffany Mitchell | Connecticut Sun | Las Vegas Aces | Guard | Signed |
Astou Ndour-Fall | Connecticut Sun | Center | Unsigned | |
Kia Nurse | Los Angeles Sparks | Chicago Sky | Guard | Signed |
Nneka Ogwumike | Seattle Storm | Seattle Storm | Forward | Signed |
Charisma Osborne | Phoenix Mercury | Guard | Unsigned | |
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus | Atlanta Dream | Las Vegas Aces | Forward | Signed training camp contract |
Aerial Powers | Atlanta Dream | Guard | Unsigned | |
DiDi Richards | Washington Mystics | Guard | Unsigned | |
Mercedes Russell | Seattle Storm | Los Angeles Sparks | Center | Signed |
| Katie Lou Samuelson | Indiana Fever | Seattle Storm | Forward | Signed |
Odyssey Sims | Los Angeles Sparks | Los Angeles Sparks | Guard | Signed |
Taylor Soule | Minnesota Lynx | Washington Mystics | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury | Guard | Unsigned | |
Brianna Turner | Chicago Sky | Indiana Fever | Forward | Signed |
Courtney Vandersloot | New York Liberty | Chicago Sky | Guard | Signed |
Victoria Vivians | Seattle Storm | Guard | Unsigned | |
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough | Washington Mystics | Atlanta Dream | Guard | Signed |
Erica Wheeler | Indiana Fever | Seattle Storm | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Sami Whitcomb | Seattle Storm | Phoenix Mercury | Guard | Signed |
Kiana Williams | Seattle Storm | Guard | Unsigned |
Restricted free agents
| Player | Prior team | New team | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
DiJonai Carrington | Connecticut Sun | Dallas Wings | Guard | Signed |
Dana Evans | Chicago Sky | Las Vegas Aces | Guard | Signed |
Temi Fagbenle | Golden State Valkyries | Forward | Qualifying offer extended | |
Aari McDonald | Los Angeles Sparks | Guard | Qualifying offer extended | |
Michaela Onyenwere | Chicago Sky | Chicago Sky | Forward | Signed |
Reserved players
| Player | Prior team | New team | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Caitlin Bickle | Connecticut Sun | Forward | Qualifying offer extended | |
Jaelyn Brown | Dallas Wings | Indiana Fever | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Veronica Burton | Golden State Valkyries | Golden State Valkyries | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Maya Caldwell | Atlanta Dream | Atlanta Dream | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Lorela Cubaj | Atlanta Dream | Forward | Qualifying offer extended | |
Ivana Dojkic | New York Liberty | Guard | Qualifying offer extended | |
Emily Engstler | Washington Mystics | Washington Mystics | Forward | Signed training camp contract |
Rebekah Gardner | New York Liberty | New York Liberty | Forward | Signed training camp contract |
Bernadett Hatar | Washington Mystics | Center | Qualifying offer extended | |
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan | Phoenix Mercury | Dallas Wings | Forward | Signed training camp contract |
Marine Johannes | New York Liberty | Guard | Qualifying offer extended | |
Li Yueru | Los Angeles Sparks | Seattle Storm | Center | Qualifying offer extended |
Natasha Mack | Phoenix Mercury | Phoenix Mercury | Center | Signed training camp contract |
Nikolina Milic | Connecticut Sun | Forward | Qualifying offer extended | |
Jaylyn Sherrod | New York Liberty | New York Liberty | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Sug Sutton | Washington Mystics | Washington Mystics | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Celeste Taylor | Phoenix Mercury | Phoenix Mercury | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Sevgi Uzun | Dallas Wings | Phoenix Mercury | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Julie Vanloo | Golden State Valkyries | Golden State Valkyries | Guard | Signed training camp contract |
Cecilia Zandalasini | Golden State Valkyries | Forward | Qualifying offer extended |
Suspended -- contract expired
| Player | Prior team | New team | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Maria Conde | Golden State Valkyries | Forward | Unsigned | |
Han Xu | New York Liberty | Center | Unsigned | |
Awak Kuier | Dallas Wings | Forward | Unsigned | |
Jessica Shepard | Minnesota Lynx | Forward | Unsigned | |
Iliana Rupert | Golden State Valkyries | Center | Unsigned |