Why are so many WNBA coaches getting fired?

Sixteen long days passed before the next axe dropped, with the Dallas Wings firing Latricia Trammell on Oct. 18 and the Mystics dropping Eric Thibault on Oct. 23 — more than two weeks after the end of Washington’s season.

That brings us to the last 48 hours, in which the Indiana Fever fired Christie Sides on Sunday and the Sun moved on from White a day later.

Six teams changing coaches had already never happened in the WNBA’s history; seven vacancies would be a busy off-season in the 30-team NFL, let alone the 12-team WNBA.

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, one of just five head coaches to retain a job this offseason after Minnesota fell agonizingly short of a championship, weighed in on all the changes in early October.

“I do know this — when coaches are released from their responsibilities, it’s not an indication that they’re not good coaches,” Reeve said. “We don’t have any bad coaches in our league. There might’ve been a time where that was true, a little more inexperience, etcetera, but that’s not the case 1730292758.”

While some of the moves were expected as struggling teams opted for a reset, others came as major shocks. Weatherspoon’s brief tenure in Chicago was largely well-received by fans and players, very few of whom expected her to be fired after one season with the Sky. Chicago rookie Angel Reese, who missed the last six games of the season with a wrist injury, wrote on social media that she was “heartbroken” by the move.

“You didn’t deserve this but I can’t thank you enough,” Reese said. “I love you Tspoon.”

The departure of Sides from Indiana was also unexpected after a resurgent season behind superstar rookie Caitlin Clark, who led the Fever to a 20-20 record and a postseason appearance after a 1-8 start. Sides seemed to comment on her departure on Twitter on Sunday.

Leave it better than you found it.✌🏼

— Christie Sides (@ChristieSides) October 27, 2024

And finally came Monday’s announcement that White and the Sun were parting ways after two of the most successful seasons in franchise history. White authored a 55-25 record over two campaigns, setting franchise win total records in both seasons, but coming up short in the semifinals of both postseasons.

None of the seven vacancies have been filled yet, as the only coach hired thus far this offseason is Natalie Nakase, who will take over the expansion Golden State Valkyries.

White, however, may not be out of a job for long; the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday that she could be headed back to Indiana to coach Clark and the Fever.

The question now is whether this offseason of change is just a blip or sea change in the landscape of the WNBA, which has seen rapid growth in attention in viewership. It’s possible that the incoming new media deal in 2026, which will bring an influx of cash just after the collective bargaining agreement between the league and players’ union expires in 2025, could see teams go after bigger names from the college or NBA ranks with bigger checks.

“Is there more pressure? Where there’s more money,” Reeve said earlier this month, “there’s always more pressure.”