WNBA: Get ready for the craziest free agency period in league history

SO much is changing in the WNBA right now.

A new teams means more roster spots. But that also means a lot of movement. The Golden State Valkyries just completed their expansion draft, where they selected players from 11 of the 12 other teams to start forming their roster. That alone is a lot more player movement than we are used to a WNBA offseason.

Now that Golden State is starting to build their roster, it means other teams have new vacancies. On top of that, there are a whole lot of free agents getting ready to negotiate contracts in the new year. The soon-to-be-expired collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the WNBPA also adds an interesting wrinkle into free agency this year.

Let’s break down four factors that are going to make free agency particularly entertaining:

1. Golden State’s remaining roster needs

As the WNBA did not release the lists of protected players for the Golden State expansion draft, a few of the selections were surprises. Kate Martin moving to join her former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Natalie Nakase in the Bay is very exciting, as is Monique Billings, coming from the Phoenix Mercury, getting a well-deserved roster spot. Kayla Thornton leaving the New York Liberty is sad, but she will be great on the Valkyries as well. And it was surprising to learn that the Indiana Fever did not protect Temi Fagbenle.

Looking at this roster, there is a clear need for centers, something the Valkyries can focus on in free agency. They also have yet to use the one core designation allotted to them as a new franchise.

Another factor to consider is that a few of the international players selected may or may not even come over to the WNBA this year. As general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said our Łukasz Muniowski about the team’s perspective, “Our first order of business will be to make them trust our organization and prove that we want to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with them.” Whatever happens, the Valkyries will have wiggle room in free agency to make some big signings.

The overwhelming belief is that the Valkyries could attract one or two BIG free agents. They have plenty of cap space to work with and offer great facilities, as well as the opportunity for a rising star to create their own legacy as the No. 1 option on a new team.

2. CBA uncertainty = player power

As expected, the WNBPA announced they would opt out the current CBA after the 2025 season. That means everything from the salary cap to player benefits and more will be re-negotiated. With that, players who are free agents this offseason have a little leg up in their own negotiations.

A lot of players—think Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird (pre-retirement)—opt to sign one-year deals. It gives them the power to change their deals year by year, along with the freedom to make moves. These No. 1 options have the power to do this—because it’s not like they are going to just not sign somewhere if they want to play. They’ll just take their championship-contending talent elsewhere, if it comes to that.

Due to the forthcoming CBA negotiations, the power of signing a one-year deal extends to a larger population of players, giving more players more power in contract talks. Don’t want to give us what we want? Fine, we just won’t sign and will take our talents somewhere else for one season. Even if organizations try to entice players with multi-year deals, players likely still will prioritize one-year agreements, preserving the opportunity to sign new contracts under the stipulations outlined in the new CBA.

All of this to say, expect A LOT of one-year contracts this free agency.

3. What’s Jewell Loyd’s future?

Jewell Loyd recently requested a trade from the Seattle Storm. The Olympic gold medalist was apparently at the center of a recent investigation into the Storm that focused on player treatment by coaches. The investigation found the team innocent of all accusations, and shortly thereafter the news broke that Loyd was asking out.

However, Loyd has one more year left on her contract. She can’t just sign somewhere this offseason. She has to be traded. She also comes along with a $249,032 contract.

Loyd is a top player in the league so teams could end up shuffling things around to make space to trade for her services. She could end up in Golden State, but other possibilities are the Chicago Sky (her hometown team) or even the Aces, depending on how their free agency shakes out.

Either, way, Loyd’s trade request makes free agency a little more juicy.

4. So many big-name free agents

Here are some of the biggest free agents in the WNBA heading into the 2025 offseason:

The only difference between unrestricted free agents (UFA) and restricted free agents (RFA) is that the team of the RFA holds their negotiating rights. That means that they have the option to match any offer other teams make; they basically have to pass on a player before that player can go sign elsewhere.

There also is the complication of the core designation. For example, Breanna Stewart was “cored” by the Liberty last season, meaning they essentially claimed her and she wasn’t allowed to go sign anywhere else. Cores last the entirety of a player’s contract, which means Stewart’s first core ended when her current contract ended. Players can only be cored twice by a team, so if the Liberty core her again for this season, it will be last time they can do so.

Last season, Elena Delle Donne wanted to leave the Washington Mystics and play somewhere else. But, they cored her. So instead of just playing in Washington again, she just took the year off. Washington was unable to core anyone else and since Delle Donne’s contract is now up anyway, she can now do what she wants.

It’s going to be an absolutely wild free agency period in the WNBA. If the non-stop entertainment of this offseason is any indication, there will be some spicy signings as we open up free agency in the new year.