WNBA free agency and trade tracker 2025: Deals, news, moves

Players can’t officially sign contracts until Saturday, but the wheels on WNBA free agency movement were spinning Friday.

Twenty-two days after announcing she had played her last game for the Dallas Wings, Satou Sabally is headed to the Phoenix Mercury in a three-team trade, sources told ESPN.

That news came just minutes after ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike reported that her sister, Nneka Ogwumike, is re-signing with the Seattle Storm.

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Friday’s moves came after a busy week. On Sunday, a blockbuster three-team trade involving Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum — the first in league history that involved multiple No. 1 draft picks — started the wheels spinning. On Tuesday, ESPN reported that the Phoenix Mercury are acquiring Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun.

And then ESPN reported that Brittney Griner is headed to the Atlanta Dream.

Negotiations officially opened Jan. 21, and players can sign contracts starting Saturday. With a new CBA featuring massive salary bumps expected to come into effect in 2026, expect to see players sign only one-year deals.

Keep it here all offseason long for the latest buzz, news and reports surrounding the WNBA. The 2025 season — the league’s 29th — will tip off May 16.

Trade grades | Top free agents | Core designation | Offseason guides

Feb. 1 updates

5:32 p.m. ET: Kia Nurse will sign a one-year deal with the Chicago Sky, her agent told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

5:16 p.m. ET: The Chicago Sky are acquiring guard Rebecca Allen in a trade with the Connecticut Sun, who are getting guard Lindsay Allen and the rights to forward Nikolina Milic in the move, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou confirmed.

3:18 p.m. ET: Michaela Onyenwere is expected to re-sign with the Chicago Sky, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou confirmed.

2:47 p.m. ET: Odyssey Sims has signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou has confirmed.

2:43 p.m. ET: The Atlanta Dream have signed Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, the team announced Saturday. In a move reported Tuesday by ESPN, Griner heads to the Dream after spending all 11 seasons of her WNBA career with the Mercury.

Jones is a three-time All-Star whose move was reported Thursday by ESPN. Veteran guard Walker-Kimbrough finished third in Sixth Player of the Year voting in 2024.

1:15 p.m. ET: The three-team trade sending Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks — first reported Sunday by ESPN — is official as all three teams announced the moves Saturday.

The Aces also received the No. 13 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, while the Sparks received the No. 9 pick in the 2025 draft and a second-round pick in 2026. The Seattle Storm picked up Li Yueru, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft and a 2026 first-round pick.

12:47 p.m. ET: The New York Liberty have re-signed guard/forward Kennedy Burke, who started three games during last year’s WNBA championship run, the team announced Saturday.

11:14 a.m. ET: The Minnesota Lynx have re-signed guard Natisha Hiedeman and signed Marième Badiane, a center on the French Olympic team, the team said in a statement.

11:13 p.m. ET: The Dallas Wings are acquiring DiJonai Carrington, the No. 12 pick in April’s draft and the rights to swap 2026 second-round picks, while the Connecticut Sun get Jacy Sheldon and the No. 8 pick in the 2025 draft in the trade, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou confirmed.

10 a.m. ET: The Chicago Sky have signed point guard Courtney Vandersloot, a move previously confirmed Wednesday by ESPN.

Jan. 31 updates

6:49 p.m. ET: The Phoenix Mercury are acquiring Satou Sabally from the Dallas Wings in a three-team trade, sources told ESPN’s Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou.

The Wings are set to receive point guard Tyasha Harris and the rights to Kiki Herbert Harrigan from Phoenix, as well as 2022 No. 2 overall pick NaLyssa Smith and the 2025 No. 8 pick from the Indiana Fever.

Indiana will acquire guard Sophie Cunningham and the 2025 No. 19 pick from Phoenix, which will also receive center Kalani Brown and the rights to point guard Sevgi Uzun from Dallas.

Because Dallas gave her the core player designation, Sabally’s exit had to be via a trade. As it involves a sign-and-trade, the transaction can’t become official until Saturday.

MORE: Trade grades: Why Mercury’s move for Sabally might be more about future than present

6:34 p.m. ET: Nine-time All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike is re-signing with the Seattle Storm as an unrestricted free agent, her sister, ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike, reported on “SportsCenter.”

10:04 a.m. ET: Natasha Howard will sign with the Indiana Fever as a free agent, sources told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. The 6-foot-2 forward and three-time WNBA champion returns to the franchise that drafted her fifth overall in 2014.

I joined Sportscenter to talk about the impact @THoward_6 could have on the @IndianaFever . pic.twitter.com/OaID9VBZos

— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) January 31, 2025

Jan. 30 update

2:45 p.m. ET: Brionna Jones is signing with the Atlanta Dream, her agent, Boris Lelchitski, told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

Jones, a three-time All-Star, spent her entire career with the Connecticut Sun, where she was selected No. 8 in 2017. She emerged as a critical frontcourt presence amid their run of six consecutive semifinal berths, along the way earning the 2021 Most Improved Player and 2022 Sixth Player of the Year awards.

Jan. 29 updates

4:54 p.m. ET: Free agent Courtney Vandersloot is expected to sign with the Chicago Sky on a one-year deal when contracts can be executed on Saturday, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne confirmed.

11 a.m. ET: Guard Kelsey Mitchell will return to the Indiana Fever for 2025, the team announced Wednesday. Mitchell has played all eight of her WNBA seasons in Indiana since being drafted No. 2 in 2018. She averaged a career-best 19.2 points per game and shot a season-high 46.8% from the field in 2024.

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How deep-sea fishing helped bring Brittney Griner to Atlanta

Alexa Philippou explains the circumstances that led Brittney Griner to sign with the Dream.

Jan. 28 updates

8:33 p.m. ET: Brittney Griner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and Shams Charania reported. Griner has spent her entire 11-year WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury.

MORE: How Griner fits in Atlanta and the legacy she leaves behind in Phoenix

MORE: How trades will impact fantasy women’s basketball

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Alyssa Thomas traded to Phoenix Mercury

Kendra Andrews joins “SportsCenter” to break the news that Alyssa Thomas is being traded from the Connecticut Sun to the Phoenix Mercury.

5:44 p.m. ET: Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 pick in the 2025 draft are headed to the Connecticut Sun in return for Alyssa Thomas, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou confirmed. Tyasha Harris is also headed to Phoenix in the trade.

2:03 p.m. ET: The Phoenix Mercury are finalizing a trade to acquire five-time All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun, sources told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou on Tuesday.

MORE: Trade grades: Alyssa Thomas an unlikely star for Phoenix — but here’s why the trade makes sense

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What blockbuster trade means for Sparks, Aces and Storm

Kendra Andrews reacts to the three-team trade that saw Jewell Loyd go to the Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Sparks.

Jan. 26 update

8:21 p.m. ET: In the first trade in league history involving multiple former No. 1 draft picks, the Las Vegas Aces acquired Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd while sending Aces guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania, Alexa Philippou, Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews.

In the three-team trade, the Storm are also acquiring the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and forward Li Yueru from the Sparks, as well as Las Vegas’ 2026 first-round pick, sources told ESPN. Los Angeles receives the 2025 No. 9 pick and a 2026 second-round pick from Seattle. The Aces receive the 2025 No. 13 pick from the Sparks.

The deal will be made official Feb. 1, sources said.

MORE: WNBA trade grades: How Plum-Loyd blockbuster shakes up three teams — and possibly the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes

MORE: Fantasy Basketball: Plum, Loyd set to shine on new teams

Blockbuster WNBA deal: The Seattle Storm are trading six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in a multi-team move that sends three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources tell me, @ramonashelburne, @alexaphilippou, @kendra__andrews. pic.twitter.com/OlRb37RKIA

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 27, 2025

Jan. 20 update

Brittney Griner, who has spent 11 seasons in Phoenix since the Mercury drafted her No. 1 in 2013, is testing the free agent market for the first time in her career, according to The Associated Press. The center is meeting with multiple teams while in Miami competing for Unrivaled, according to Griner’s agent.

Jan. 17 update

The Connecticut Sun extended a core qualifying offer to Alyssa Thomas.

Jan. 16 update

The Indiana Fever extended a core qualifying offer to Kelsey Mitchell.

Jan. 14 update

The Seattle Storm designated Gabby Williams as their core player, meaning she will not become an unrestricted free agent, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton reported.

Williams joins Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings) and Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) as players with the core designation, which allows them to sign the one-year qualifying offer at the WNBA’s highest possible salary ($249,244) but prevents them from signing with another team as a free agent.

Jan. 9 update

Unrestricted free agent Satou Sabally will be moving on from the Dallas Wings after spending the first five years of her career there, she told reporters Thursday from Miami.

“I’m working with (the Wings) and finding a next home for me,” Sabally said. “I’ve already played my last game in Dallas.”

What is the WNBA’s core system?

The WNBA’s core player designation is akin to the NFL franchise tag. A team can “core” a player to prevent them from becoming an unrestricted free agent by retaining their exclusive rights.

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A core qualifying offer is a guaranteed one-year contract at the supermax, but the team and player can negotiate different terms to a deal. Each team can core only one player, and the 2020 CBA reduced the number of times players can be cored in their career gradually from four to three and, as of 2022, to two, a major change that opened up free agency movement throughout the league.

Six players — Sabally, Plum, Stewart, Mitchell, Thomas and Williams — have been cored so far in 2025, the most in one offseason under this current CBA. But that doesn’t mean those players will return to the teams that cored them. Sabally has already said she’s moving on from Dallas. With the Wings coring her — which they likely did to ensure they’d get some return for Sabally leaving — the only way for her to change teams is via trade.

According to tracking via Across the Timeline, the last time multiple players were cored and traded in one offseason was 2020 (Tina Charles and Skylar Diggins-Smith), but expect other big names to join Sabally in departing their franchises this free agency via that mechanism. And that doesn’t even include a trade that’s suspected to come when Seattle parts with Loyd, as the star requested out in December. — Alexa Philippou