The WNBA’s free agency period is about to get frothy.
While most players and teams cannot officially agree to contracts until Feb. 1, the free agency waters have begun to churn, with the negotiation window opening on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Here’s a look at what’s happen so far, with updates to come as more signings, trades and credibly-sourced reports emerge:
Where will Jewell Loyd land?
After Jewell Loyd requested a trade from the Seattle Storm in December, the Chicago Sky engaged with the Storm about acquiring the Chicago native, yet “in the month since that request was made, talks between the Storm and Sky have cooled substantially,” reports the Chicago Sun-Times’ Annie Costabile.
Instead, the Las Vegas Aces are Loyd’s preferred landing spot, according to Costabile. The Aces could trade the cored Kelsey Plum in exchange for Loyd. However, such a scenario would require Plum signing off on playing in Seattle. Possibly, a multi-team trade could allow both players to reach their desired destinations.
According to multiple league sources, trade talks between the Sky and Storm have gone cold. What does this mean for the Sky in free agency? And where could Loyd potentially end up?
My latest: https://t.co/1q0c9I5wfw
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) January 23, 2025
Currently playing for Mist in Unrivaled, Loyd spoke with the Sun-Times about what she’s seeking in the post-Seattle stage of her WNBA career, saying:
I’m excited. I fully believe the next 10 years of my life will be the best 10 years. I’ve learned a lot throughout everything, whether it be in the W, overseas, different business transactions. For me, it’s just about finding myself, staying true to who I am, and getting back to having peace throughout everything.
Loyd also indicated she has spoken to Breanna Stewart, her former Storm teammate and current Mist teammate, about navigating the next steps in her career, with Loyd sharing:
The biggest thing we’ve talked about is finding some place where I can just be free. You know, be myself. That’s what she wanted. She wanted to do things with her family, too. So I think the decision is bigger than just basketball.
With Loyd no longer an option, the Sky have set their sights on a familiar face, according to Costabile. Courtney Vandersloot, who has played 12 of her 14 WNBA seasons in Chicago and is an unrestricted free agent, is general manager Jeff Pagliocca’s “top target to fill the point guard position.”
First move for Mystics?
As Josh Felton has outlined, it looks like the Washington Mystics are headed toward a rebuild. With that approach in mind, it appears the team is unlikely to retain Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, according to The Washington Post’s Kareem Copeland.
Coming off the most productive season of her nine-year WNBA career, Walker-Kimbrough, currently playing in Poland, has taken meetings with other teams.
A little free-agency update.
Sounds like Shatori Walker-Kimbrough’s time in Washington may be coming to an end. She’s meeting w teams while playing in Poland, per source. There’s been contact w Mystics, but talks weren’t fruitful.
She was the second-highest scorer (career-high…— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) January 23, 2025
BG, Sloot taking free agency meetings in Miami
According to Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press, Brittney Griner will test free agency for the first time in her career, taking meeting with WNBA executives who are in Miami for the opening weekend of Unrivaled. Previously, the Phoenix Mercury great had re-signed without hearing other teams’ pitches.
A member of Phantom, Griner sees her Unrivaled experience as an opportunity “to show off my skills for free agency.”
Courtney Vandersloot, who has spent the past two seasons with the New York Liberty and is suiting up for Mist in Unrivaled, also has meetings with several WNBA teams. On how Unrivaled has created a fruitful environment for free agency conversations, Vandersloot said:
There’s conversations for sure. Everybody’s like “Hey, you want to come play here?” I think it’s great. You know, it gives you an opportunity to get, like, real honest feedback about teams and say, who wants to play with each other? We’re at a time in the league that there’s going to be a lot of player movement.
What’s going on with Chennedy Carter?
The Chicago Sky elected not to issue a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Chennedy Carter, making the four-year guard who averaged a career-high 14.8 points per game last season an unrestricted free agent, meaning she is free to sign a contract with another team that Chicago cannot match.
Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Annie Costabile:
Chennedy had an incredible season for us last year. She’s extremely talented and is a player that can impact the game at the highest level in our league. We absolutely appreciate all she did for our team last year. However, we’ve made changes to our staff and will make changes to our roster. Those changes impact Chennedy’s fit on the team, so we wanted to give her the best opportunity as a free agent.
No qualifying offer for Chennedy Carter means she will be free to test the market as an unrestricted free agent beginning tomorrow. https://t.co/ypdGpziZMA
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) January 21, 2025
Costabile offered further reporting about Carter’s 2024 season with the Sky, citing internal difficulties. According to Costabile:
According to multiple league sources, players were unhappy with the dynamic created in the locker room last year due to Carter’s behavior, which went unchecked by former coach Teresa Weatherspoon. There was concern within the team regarding how re-signing Carter would impact the Sky’s chances of landing other free agents.
She further suggests the organization’s decision not to try to retain Carter was made by Pagliocca, new head coach Tyler Marsh and Sky ownership. Carter, who currently is having a standout season in the WCBA, participated in a Twitter/X spaces on Monday night, sharing her perspective of her situation.
Cored player check in
As of Monday, Jan. 20, six WNBA players who are unrestricted free agents have been cored by their teams:
- Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun)
- Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty)
- Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm)
- Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever)
- Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces)
- Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings)
Alyssa Thomas has been cored by the Connecticut Sun, per the WNBA transactions page
Cored WNBA stars so far:
-Kelsey Plum
-Satou Sabally
-Breanna Stewart
-Kelsey Mitchell
-Gabby Williams
-Alyssa Thomas— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 17, 2025
The core qualifying offer is a one-year, fully-guaranteed contract that begins at a supermax salary; for the 2025 season, that number is $249,244. However, the player and team can negotiate a core contract with different terms. A cored player also can be traded, including to a team that has already cored a player. This, for example, means the New York Liberty could acquire Satou Sabally.
Qualifying offer updates
The window for teams to issue qualifying offers to restricted free agents and reserved players closed on Monday, Jan. 20.
Restricted free agents who do not sign the qualifying offer presented by their team can sign an offer sheet from another team; however, that player’s prior team has the right to match. Reserved players, in contrast, cannot negotiate a contract with other WNBA teams, although they can agree to contract terms different from the reserve qualifying offer with their current team. If they accept the reserved player qualifying offer, which is a non-guaranteed training camp contract of $66,079, they can sign before the Feb. 1 signing window opens. Restricted free agents and reserved players who did not receive a qualifying offer now are unrestricted free agents and able to sign with any team, as is the case with Chennedy Carter.
Here are the qualifying offers teams have issued, as well as the players who have signed training camp contracts:
Atlanta Dream
The Dream extended reserved qualifying offers to Maya Caldwell and Lorela Cubaj. Caldwell has signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract for $66,079.
Chicago Sky
While choosing not to issue a qualifying offer to Carter, the Sky presented a reserved qualifying offer to Nikolina Milić and restricted qualifying offers to Dana Evans and Michaela Onyenwere.
Connecticut Sun
The Sun extended a restricted qualifying offer to DiJonai Carrington and a reserved qualifying offer to Caitlin Bickle, who has signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract for $66,079.
Dallas Wings
The Wings extended reserved qualifying offers to Sevgi Uzun and Jaelyn Brown. Brown signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract for $66,079.
Golden State Valkyries
The Valkyries presented a restricted qualifying offer to Temi Fagbenle and reserved qualifying offers to Julie Vanloo, Veronica Burton and Cecilia Zandalasini.
Indiana Fever
The Fever had no players eligible for restricted or reserved qualifying offers.
Las Vegas Aces
The Aces did not extend a reserved qualifying offer to Queen Egbo, the team’s only restricted or reserved free agent.
Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks presented a restricted qualifying offer to Aari McDonald and a reserved qualifying offer to Li Yueru.
Minnesota Lynx
The Lynx did not issue a reserved qualifying offer to Olivia Époupa, the team’s only restricted or reserved free agent.
New York Liberty
The Liberty presented reserved qualifying offers to Marine Johannès, Jaylyn Sherrod, Rebekah Gardner and Ivana Djokić. Sherrod and Gardner have signed non-guaranteed training camp contracts for $66,079.
Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury extended reserved qualifying offers to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, Natasha Mack, Amy Atwell and Celeste Taylor. Mack has signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract for $66,079. The team did not issue a reserved qualifying offer to Charisma Osborne.
Seattle Storm
The Storm had no players eligible for restricted or reserved qualifying offers.
Washington Mystics
The Mystics extended reserved qualifying offers to Emily Engstler, Sug Sutton and Bernadett Határ. The team did not issue a reserved qualifying offer to Li Meng.
