WNBA preseason power rankings: Where 2025 champion Liberty, Caitlin Clark’s Fever begin the regular season

The 29th WNBA season tips off on Friday with all 13 teams (welcome, Golden State) taking the floor on opening weekend. At least until the fall, it’s New York, New York, as the Liberty enter the season as WNBA champions for the first time in league history. Hence, why the seafoam are atop the first power rankings of the season.

With as much talent as there is in the league, it’s unlikely the Liberty stay there throughout the season. The top four teams, at least on paper, are quality title contenders and the next bunch can steal enough games to move up in a season that expanded to a record 44 regular-season games. The bottom crew, at least as of this week, are in for a long year en route to a hopeful lottery victory. Though, even being in the lottery at all should net those teams players worthy of building a franchise around for seasons to come.

Advertisement

While preseason games give a glimpse of how new styles and lineups will shake out, it’s not the same as actually playing real games that matter. Here’s how the teams rank on paper heading into the first weekend.

1. New York Liberty

The reigning WNBA champions earn the right to stay atop power rankings until they give us a reason to doubt their supremacy. The most concerning change for the Liberty is the loss of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton to injury, as she’s a top-three scorer who heads their top-three defense and contributes in all the little ways. Natasha Cloud will step in as a key perimeter defender, and the return of French magician Marine Johannès gives the team an added boost offensively. Look for Nyara Sabally to play a larger role off the bench.

2. Minnesota Lynx

The heartbreak of the Lynx’s Game 5 WNBA Finals loss is what champions are made of, and Minnesota is built to triumph. All five starters return, led by Napheesa Collier, who’s fresh off winning Unrivaled MVP honors and the league’s 1-on-1 tournament. She finished second in WNBA MVP voting a season ago, though arguably could have won in any other season that didn’t have A’ja Wilson breaking scoring records. There’s not a lot to dislike about the Lynx after proving most rankings wrong a year ago.

3. Las Vegas Aces

As with the Lynx, the Aces are entering the season hungry after missing out on a three-peat. Head coach Becky Hammon said this week she’s done with dogs, she wants wolves — and she has them. Chelsea Gray starting the season healthy is a massive plus. And after misvaluing the game and possessions a season ago, returning players said they’re back to focusing on the little things that lead to a championship. The one concern is depth in the frontcourt. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is out while pregnant and Megan Gustafson is out indefinitely with a lower leg injury.

4. Indiana Fever

The “Showtime” Fever are, on paper, one of the best collections of talent in the WNBA. But that doesn’t always translate to wins, nor to championships. The Fever will likely lead the league offensively with the weapons new coach Stephanie White holds at her disposal, but it’s the defensive side (the Fever ranked 11th in defensive rating) that needs to prove itself. That’s tough to see in preseason action. White led the Sun to the top of the defensive mountaintop, and the majority of the Fever roster spoke at length about the importance of it on media day.

5. Phoenix Mercury

The Mercury added an Engine (Alyssa Thomas) and a unicorn (Satou Sabally) to their KFC (Kahleah Copper), which should translate on both sides of the ball. They ranked seventh offensively (99.6 rating) and ninth defensively (102.9) a season ago. Second-year head coach Nate Tibbetts is leaning into positionless basketball, placing Thomas, a forward, at point guard in the first days of camp. The roster, as has been the case in the desert, is top-heavy, and they’ll need standout seasons from lesser-known stars to break .500.

6. Seattle Storm

Seattle underperformed a season ago after their free-agent haul. Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins return, and will lead a roster excited by the entrance of No. 2 overall draft pick Dominique Malonga. Malonga is a versatile 6-foot-6 French center who’s been compared to Victor Wembanyama. Noelle Quinn can also put size on the floor in 6-7 Chinese center Li Yueru. If Seattle can improve on its perimeter shooting from a year ago, it could compete for one of those top four playoff spots.

7. Los Angeles Sparks

The potential for the Sparks is high after trading for two-time champion guard Kelsey Plum, who will handle more playmaking duties than she did in Las Vegas. Rickea Jackson can take a step forward in year 2, Cameron Brink is on pace to return this year from an ACL injury, and Dearica Hamby — Plum’s former Aces teammate — is coming off her best season in the W.

8. Chicago Sky

The Sky are set up to ascend in the next few years. Their best offseason move beyond hiring head coach Tyler Marsh was bringing home Courtney Vandersloot. Not only will she keep the offense humming, she’s a strong leader for a group of young players who lacked one as rookies. There were already signs of it in the preseason games, and Angel Reese is taking steps to better her game while working with Lisa Leslie at Unrivaled during the offseason.

9. Atlanta Dream

The Dream are one of the most intriguing teams after first-year head coach Karl Smesko signed not one, but two All-Star centers to play his 3-point-focused offense. Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones can create space for the team’s standout guards, and step out to hit 3s themselves. It remains to be seen if that pans out in year 1 the way he hopes.

10. Dallas Wings

The expectations are high around No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, who can lift this program into a golden era. Already, her court vision is translating to the WNBA level, and her efficiency should remain stable. But with so much “new” in Dallas, it’s quite the climb up the hillside from the valley. How she pairs with Arike Ogunbowale, a high-volume shooter who has been the linchpin of the Wings, will be the focus of their season.

11. Golden State Valkyries

There weren’t many answers in the Valkyries’ first offseason. The front office couldn’t add big names in free agency, selected a draft-and-stash international star in the draft’s first round and waived their second-round pick before even playing a preseason contest. It feels dreary in the Bay, though excitement around the league’s first expansion team since 2008 remained high in its home preseason contest.

Advertisement

12. Connecticut Sun

It’s also not sunny in Connecticut, where the Sun return only two players from their third-place roster. And one of those returners, Marina Mabrey, asked for a trade in the offseason. Throw in a head coach new to the WNBA, and there is a laundry list of questions about how not only this season looks for the league’s smallest market, but also the seasons beyond — it was reported Monday that the team owners are exploring a sale.

13. Washington Mystics

The Mystics cannot catch a break. They drafted Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Georgia Amoore within the first six picks of the 2025 draft, adding more foundational pieces to their young roster. Then Amoore injured her ACL days into camp and second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards (lower back contusion) was sidelined the next day. She did not play in the preseason, and neither did Shakira Austin, the team’s 2022 lottery pick who’s been besieged by injuries since her rookie season. She played 31 games over the past two years.