WNBA free agency winners, losers: Storm, Mercury have stand-out winters; Sky, Mystics take step back

The 2024 WNBA free agency period is now two weeks old, and while a number of players are left unsigned, most of the significant business is done. Of CBS Sports’ top-10 free agents, only Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner remain unsigned, and it would be a major surprise if either left their current teams. 

As the offseason excitement starts to wind down, let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from free agency. 

Winner: Seattle Storm

The Storm are the biggest and most obvious winners from free agency. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike have been the only big names to sign with new teams thus far, and the Storm got them both. Not only is Seattle’s one-year interlude in the lottery over, but it now has the talent to contend with the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty at the top of the league. 

Diggins-Smith sat out last season while on maternity leave, but was All-WNBA First Team in 2021 and 2022, and remains one of the league’s best guards. She can play on or off the ball, and will combine with Jewell Loyd to immediately give Seattle one of the best backcourts in the league. Ogwumike, meanwhile, is coming off her best season in years, and will provide a perfect veteran complement to rising star Ezi Magbegor in the frontcourt. 

Questions remain about the rest of the Storm’s roster, but its top-four is about as good as it gets. Seattle’s moves this offseason have only confirmed this is the WNBA’s superteam era. 

Loser: Chicago Sky

This winter was the worst case scenario for the Sky, who are still feeling the domino effects of its mistake-filled 2023 offseason. This time around, Chicago missed out on both Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, which led directly to Kahleah Copper forcing her way out via a trade request. 

With Copper off to Phoenix, the Sky are embarking on a rebuild that should have started well over a year ago. Because of former general manager and head coach James Wade’s short-sighted decisions, the Sky will have to do so without its best player and down multiple draft picks. 

Most notably, the Dallas Wings have swap rights for their 2025 first-round pick via the Marina Mabrey trade, so there’s no value in tanking and Chicago doesn’t have the talent to compete. Barring an unforeseen turn of events, this will be another wasted season in Chicago. 

Winner: Phoenix Mercury

Aside from Brittney Griner’s emotional return, and a few magical moments from Diana Taurasi, last season was one of the most forgettable the Mercury have ever had. Phoenix finished in last place at 9-31 for the second-worst winning percentage in franchise history and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012, ending the longest active streak in the league. 

Things will be much better this summer. Acquiring Kahleah Copper was the headline move, and for good reason, as she’s an All-Star wing in her prime — but it was just one of a number of smart moves by the Mercury. Phoenix also traded for Rebecca Allen, a versatile wing on both sides of the ball, and signed Natasha Cloud, one of the league’s better point guards. Griner has not yet re-signed, but that should be a formality at this point. 

The Mercury aren’t quite on the same level as the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, or other contenders such as the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm, but it’s now a definite playoff-caliber team, and just might be the “best of the rest.” 

Loser: Washington Mystics

In the first 19 seasons of the Mystics’ existence, they won one playoff series. Then they traded for Elena Delle Donne and everything changed. They won two playoff series in her first season, went to the Finals for the first time in her second and won the first title in franchise history in her third. 

All told, they went to the playoffs six times in seven seasons since Delle Donne’s arrival, and the one season they missed out was when she sat out in the bubble. It certainly wasn’t a perfect partnership given Delle Donne’s extensive injury problems in recent years, but she led the best era the team has ever had. 

Now, it appears to be over. It didn’t seem as though Delle Donne was coming back to the Mystics, but now that she’s decided to step away from the game, they can’t even sign-and-trade her to jumpstart a rebuild. Add in Natasha Cloud’s departure and Shakira Austin’s hip surgery, and the Mystics are in a rough spot heading into 2024. 

Winner: New York Liberty

Jonquel Jones is back, and it seems safe to assume that reigning MVP Breanna Stewart will be as well considering she chose to sign in New York just last winter and the Liberty used the core designation on her. Even though both moves have long been expected, returning multiple MVPs would make the Liberty a clear winner. 

The first season of the Liberty’s superteam experiment didn’t result in a championship, but was otherwise extremely successful. New York won 32 games to set a new franchise record, posted the third-best offensive rating (109.6) in league history and set new records for 3-pointers made per game (11.1) and total makes (444). 

If that was what the team could do in its first season playing together, this summer could be even more explosive with added continuity. Once Stewart inks her deal, the Liberty will have the entire core back and again be one of the main threats to win it all.