Welcome to Basketball Insider, presented by The BIG EAST Conference. The first month of the WNBA season has been satisfying. I feel as if many of the biggest questions I had coming into the season have already been answered.
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Will the Atlanta Dream take another step forward with the addition of Angel Reese? Check. Does adding Satou Sabally to the mix in New York make the Liberty even more dangerous, even after a coaching change? Check. Can the Dallas Wings utilize their three-guard lineup of Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Arike Ogunbowale effectively? Check and then some.
The season has also delivered on its share of surprises. Golden State lost plenty of talent this offseason, yet the metrics place the Valkyries among the league’s elite so far. The Toronto Tempo are a playoff contender, something I expected, but so are the Portland Fire, something I absolutely did not expect. And while it is foolish to ever doubt Cheryl Reeve’s ability to coax a contender out of a Minnesota Lynx roster, that the Lynx, at 15.8, are on pace for the best net rating in WNBA history since the 2000 Houston Comets (without Napheesa Collier) is shocking to the point of absurdity.
That said: there are a number of remaining mysteries that I spend much of my days and nights thinking about these days. As we move into the final days of the Commissioner’s Cup and next month’s All Star Game beckons, these are some of the questions on my mind that still remain unanswered.
First: which teams will be buyers and which will be sellers as the season continues? A league in which 8 of 15 make the playoffs is structured very differently, incentive-wise, from one in which 8 of 12 do. Largely, Front offices recognize that lottery picks are exceptionally important, but not universally so. That is why “Chicago Sky rookie sensation Olivia Miles” is not a thing!
But the top of the league is similarly wide open. Atlanta, New York and Las Vegas can all lay claim to the title favorite spot at this point, and to my earlier point, how is Minnesota, ahead of all of them already, winners of 9 of 10, and on the cusp of getting Collier back (name a better mid-year acquisition for anyone!) not atop that list?
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What if Golden State and Indiana determine they are one player away? What if Dallas does? A massive portion of the league can conceivably go for broke and be reasonably logical in doing so. Let’s just note as we consider this: New York has by far the most salary cap room, but also, there may be some teams willing to get creative.
There are four such teams as I see it. Connecticut, with roughly $800k on the books and likely to be hunting Houston-destination future draft picks and assets, could serve as a conduit for three-team deals (though some contender would be wise to add Brittney Griner for the stretch run).
But these three teams are the mysteries: Los Angeles, Chicago and Phoenix. In all three cases, a combination of ownership impatience (LA, Chicago) and recent success (Phoenix) could make a decision to punt 2026 difficult. Is there a breaking point for each? Should Los Angeles, if it merely maintains its current pace and finds itself locked in a three-team race for the eight seed with two expansion franchises, keep on an all-in pursuit that already cost them, among other assets, Rickea Jackson?
And we’ve discussed poor Chicago, who didn’t even benefit from Jackson due to her untimely injury, and is very much trending in the wrong direction. You also cannot convince me that Nate Tibbetts has forgotten how to coach in Phoenix, but I’m not the one who needs convincing.
A trade deadline with Kelsey Plum and Alyssa Thomas looks fundamentally different from most mid-year WNBA seasons. Even Skylar Diggins has the capacity to change a team, though that is an expansive term.
Finally, on an individual level, a few quick hits: will Alanna Smith rediscover her form in Dallas, and what does that do to the Wings’ upside? What happens when Lauren Betts discovers she can be the player she was on June 12 against the Tempo … all the time? Can Bridget Carleton win Most Improved Player votes for the second time in three years? And can Rhyne Howard win Defensive Player of the Year as a non-big for the first time since Alana Beard?
A fascinating few months await us. As for All Star selections…
This week in women’s basketball
Great stuff from Lindsay Gibbs on Satou Sabally.
Amanda Lucci profiles Sue Bird.
Loved this Alexa Philippou piece going big on the Dallas Wings.
We all know New York did this without Sabrina Ionescu, right?
Spend some time with this Rob Knox piece on LaChina Robinson.
And this is must-read from Bella Munson on Flau’jae Johnson.
Five at The IX: Jose Fernandez, Dallas Wings
Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
