The 2022 WNBA season officially came to a close with the Las Vegas Aces' Game 4 win over the Connecticut Sun in the Finals. Taking the hard-fought series 3-1, the Aces won their first-ever title, while Chelsea Gray was named Finals MVP after a historic and unforgettable playoff run.
Now, it's time for a long and interesting offseason. There won't be any WNBA basketball for eight months, but the league office and all 12 teams will remain busy on a number of fronts. Here's a look at the biggest storylines heading into the winter.
Free agency
For much of the league's history, free agency didn't exist in any meaningful sense. That has changed under the most recent collective bargaining agreement; it is now one of the most important parts of the calendar. And for the second consecutive year, there are a number of big names hitting the market whose decisions could alter the present and future of the league.
First and foremost, MVP runner-up and reigning scoring champion Breanna Stewart will be an unrestricted free agent. Her decision to sign just a one-year deal with the Storm last winter in order to play with Sue Bird in her final season signaled to many that she may be on her way out of Seattle. It's also important to note that the Storm used their core designation on Jewell Loyd, so they cannot use it to make sure Stewart stays.
Following the Storm's season-ending loss in the semifinals, Stewart acknowledged how much she loves playing with Loyd, but also admitted that she plans to "test the waters." Notably, she confirmed meeting with the New York Liberty during free agency last winter, and the franchise that represents her home state will have max cap space this offseason.
In addition, reigning Sixth Woman of the Year Brionna Jones, Tina Charles, Emma Meesseman, Chiney Ogwumike, Nneka Ogwumike, Azura Stevens, Brittney Sykes and Courtney Vandersloot will all be unrestricted free agents. So too will a number of stars who are not locks to return to the league next season. Liz Cambage has stepped away from the league indefinitely, while both Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi will contemplate retirement.
Notable restricted free agents include Sophie Cunningham, Natisha Hiedeman, Marina Mabrey, Teaira McCowan and Gabby Williams. Because their current teams can match any offer it makes these players less likely to move, but it's still worth keeping an eye on any developments here.
For the 2023 season, the salary cap will be $1,420,500; a max salary will come in at just over $202K, while a supermax will be slightly more than $234K. Every team but the defending champion Las Vegas Aces currently has max cap space, though that may not remain the case if they bring back their own free agents.
Prioritization
In the most recent CBA, the players agreed to prioritization rules in exchange for higher salaries (though perhaps not high enough many would argue). Now, those rules are coming into effect for the first time, with players required to report to their teams by opening night in 2023, or else they will be ruled ineligible for the entire season. In 2024, players must report by May 1 or the start of training camp, whichever is later.
Many players head overseas in the winter to suit up for clubs in Europe, Asia or Australia in order to earn an extra paycheck – one that is often much higher than their WNBA deal. Depending on when those leagues end – the French and Turkish leagues often run into the WNBA season – some players may now be forced to choose one or the other. There are exceptions to the rule for players with 0-2 years of experience and for national team obligations, but even so many are not happy about the change.
"I think prioritization needs to be talked about and addressed," Stewart said. "It's one of the biggest disconnects between the players and the WNBA board of governors. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of players going overseas. This is something that will affect the majority of the players in our league. It should be interesting."
"As a European, I don't think that rule is fair to non-Americans [players]," Emma Meesseman said.
It remains to be seen if any players will actually skip out on the WNBA, but turning that into a possibility doesn't make sense for the league. Take a player like Gabby Williams, who plays in France, for example. "I'm also shying away from the W because teams aren't touching what I'm making in Europe." Would it be better for her to return a few weeks late and still play 85-90 percent of the season or have her not play at all? The answer seems obvious.
Even so, the league doesn't seem interested in backing down any time soon.
"The owners really stepped up on the compensation side for the players in this collective bargaining cycle, and I think the kind of quid pro quo for that was prioritization," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. "Showing up on time for our season, and quite frankly after 36 years of working in my working world, there wasn't once where I wasn't required to show up on time."
"I think our owners are very steadfast in their commitment but we're also chipping away at the ability to pay players more so that we are not going to take away any opportunity for them to go overseas. We just want them to come back in time for our season."
"We want them to come back and be with the team and build the chemistry needed for a championship culture. That's something the owners really stepped up and it was really important to them, and I support them wholeheartedly in that."
Expansion
Expansion has been a major topic for a few years now, and that will not change this offseason. In fact, it should only become a bigger story as we move closer to an announcement date. There is still no definitive timeline, but Engelbert has mentioned numerous times that she hopes to make things official before the end of the calendar year.
"Yeah, I would say I would love to announce [expansion cities] by the end of the year," Engelbert said at her Finals press conference. "These are complex situations to build expansion in cities. Again, you need to find the right owners with the right capital. We have to run an expansion draft, we have to let our GMs know in advance and head coaches what that's going to look like. We are working on all of that. We have work streams around all of that. We have a process and a lot of interest. The great thing is we have more than ten cities interested and we continue to do calls in those cities with potential ownership groups and take potential bid situations seriously."
Engelbert also noted that the list of potential cities is down to about 10 and includes Philadelphia and the Bay Area. It's important to note that expansion teams will not be starting play in 2023 – during her All-Star press conference, Engelbert said "I'm hoping that it'll be a couple teams by no later than '25, but I'd love it in '24 – but announcing them this offseason will still be an exciting part of the process.
One form of expansion that will be coming to the league next season is an expanded schedule. Engelbert announced at the All-Star Game that teams will play a record 40 regular season games in 2023 – up from 36 in 2022.
An all-important Draft Lottery
Details for the Draft Lottery have not yet been announced, but based on previous years it should happen at some point in December. Regardless, this will be the most important Lottery in years, perhaps since 2018 when A'ja Wilson was the No. 1 overall pick – fitting considering that Aliyah Boston, the projected top pick for the 2023 WNBA Draft, is also a fellow South Carolina star.
One of the most dominant collegiate players in recent memory, Boston led the Gamecocks to the national title last season while winning Naismith College Player of the Year, Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She has all the makings of a franchise center, and every lottery team will be desperate to hear their name called.
The Indiana Fever, who once again finished in last place with a dismal 5-31 record, lead that pack. They closed the season on an 18-game losing streak that was the second-longest in league history, and are making their sixth straight lottery appearance. Yet somehow, they've never won the No. 1 pick. If that bad luck ends this year, they could finally turn things around in Indianapolis.
Also heading into the lottery are the Atlanta Dream, who traded up for the No. 1 pick last year to get Rhyne Howard. If they can win the lottery themselves this year and pair her with Boston, they would be delighted. The Minnesota Lynx, meanwhile, are in the lottery for the first time since 2011. Boston would be a natural replacement for the departing legend Sylvia Fowles, who retired at the end of the season. Finally, the Washington Mystics are back in the lottery courtesy of the Los Angeles Sparks, who traded their 2023 first-round pick to the Dream, who then sent it to the Mystics in the Howard deal. The Mystics won the lottery last season and would love to go back-to-back to add to their playoff-caliber roster.
Here's a look at the odds (the WNBA uses the combined record of the two previous seasons):
| Team | Combined 2021 and 2022 record | Odds of winning No. 1 pick |
|---|---|---|
Indiana Fever | 11-57 | 44.20% |
Atlanta Dream | 22-46 | 27.60% |
Washington Mystics (via Los Angeles Sparks) | 25-43 | 17.80% |
Minnesota Lynx | 36-32 | 10.40% |
As for the actual draft, that should take place some time in April, though no official information has been released for that either. While Boston is by far the best player in the class, she isn't the only promising prospect. Stanford forward Haley Jones, Iowa State forward Ashley Joens, Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley and Baylor guard Aijha Blackwell are other players to watch.
Kansas State center Ayoka Lee, who boasts the NCAA single-game scoring record of 61 points and was a projected lottery pick, suffered a knee injury that will keep her out all season. Subsequently, she has already announced she will return to school for the 2023-24 season.
Coaching changes
Coaching searches are a part of pretty much every offseason, but especially this winter with a quarter of the league looking for a new head coach. The Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever and Los Angeles Sparks will all need to make a hire, and other teams could be added to the list.
The Wings announced on Monday in a bit of a surprise move that they have parted ways with Vickie Johnson after two seasons with the club. She led the team to back-to-back playoff appearances, but also back-to-back first-round exits, and the organization decided to go in a different direction. There's some real talent on the roster, but the Wings need to find a direction after years of haphazard management.
Just a few weeks into her third season with the club, the Indiana Fever fired Marianne Stanley and promoted Carlos Knox to interim head coach. No coaching move was going to change their fate, though, and they stumbled to a 5-31 finish and a sixth consecutive lottery appearance. Knox is now gone as well, and whoever takes this job will have their hands full, but depending on what happens in the draft it could be an intriguing group of young players to work with.
The Sparks are also facing a decisive offseason, as they have to hire both a head coach and GM after firing Derek Fisher from both roles in the middle of the season. His interim replacement, Fred Williams, departed for Auburn University, where he'll be the associate head coach. With just two guaranteed contracts on their cap sheet for 2023, the Sparks have all sorts of flexibility; that's exciting, but also puts a lot of pressure on the coach and GM to make everything click.
Monitoring Griner's status
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner is unfortunately still detained in Russia after being sentenced to 9 ½ years in prison for drug offenses. The State Department has been working diligently to orchestrate her release via a potential prisoner swap, but that is a complicated process made more difficult by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and it's unclear when or if that will happen.
Griner's physical and emotional well-being remain paramount. Engelbert shared at her Finals press conference that she received a letter from Griner recently, which she signed off with "I'm staying strong." She will need plenty of support from her family, friends, the league and the government in order to do so until she returns home, which hopefully will be sooner rather than later.
Given her current circumstances, it doesn't seem right to spend too much time discussing her basketball situation. However, it is worth noting that the league honored her contract for this season so she is now an unrestricted free agent. At some point, the Mercury will have to determine if they want to sign her to another contract regardless of when or if she'll play again, or if they want to use that cap space elsewhere. Those decisions are a ways off, however, and again, Griner's health and safety are more important.
