In just a short 48-hour window, the WNBA landscape has shifted multiple times. Two super teams have been formed, a juggernaut has been taken out and inscrutable meaning behind emoji-ridden tweets still have many confused. It all culminated in a hectic two-day span for the league.
Here are our winners and losers of the first two days of WNBA free agency.
Winner: New York Liberty
The Liberty are the clear winners in free agency, pure and simple. After pushing the Chicago Sky to the brink in the first round of last year's playoffs, New York showed the rest of the league it is ready to take its next step in competing for its first championship. In order to actualize that goal, though, it needed to improve the roster and did so to form what could be one of the greatest powerhouses in league history.
Early on in January, New York swooped in and made a blockbuster deal for 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones and a reliable wing in Kayla Thornton. By making a seismic trade like this early in free agency, the team was able to give itself time to construct a more fruitful pitch to Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot, both who ended up in the Big Apple. Vandersloot, the WNBA's third all-time leader in career assists, reportedly had a difficult time saying “no” to the Seattle Storm. The idea of a super team in New York was too hard to pass on for the former Sky great.
The Las Vegas Aces are going to be the betting favorites to win the title heading into 2023 but with a lineup of Vandersloot-Sabrina Ionescu-Betnijah Laney-Breanna Stewart-Jonquel Jones, there is a true threat in New York for taking the crown away from the Aces. In a span of two years, the Liberty went from floundering on the outside of the playoff picture to arguably the best team in the WNBA.
Winner: Las Vegas Aces
While there is a cloud over the Aces, who still haven't made a statement about Dearica Hamby's allegations on being mistreated when the team found out about her pregnancy, they did land an all-time great in Candace Parker.
The former Chicago Sky forward continued to fend off Father Time in 2022, adding another All-WNBA first team honor to her long list of accolades. She will now be replacing Kiah Stokes in a starting lineup that includes four former No. 1 overall picks and Parker's former teammate in Chelsea Gray, a multi-time all-star. Though she did an admirable job taking on some of the better offensive bigs in the league on defense, Stokes was an offensive liability. Adding Parker's scoring production and intelligence facilitating out of the post makes this team borderline unguardable.
On top of adding a future hall of famer, the Aces bolstered the bench by adding Alyssa Clark who is only two seasons removed from being an MVP candidate with the Storm. She is still getting back to full speed after injuries plagued her time in Washington but you can do much worse than having a player of her caliber checking in with the second unit.
The team still needs to answer to Hamby and the fan base but the Aces are in prime position to become the first team since the early-2000s Los Angeles Sparks to win back-to-back championships.
Winner: Los Angeles Sparks
It looked like the Sparks were going to end up on the wrong side of this list when Parker decided to bypass returning to Los Angeles to sign with the Aces. However, they have put together a coherent offseason that has less big names involved and more smart signings (something they could not say last year).
In a time where the Sparks are rebuilding their image across the league, the front office took advantage of cap needy teams. It not only traded for two high upside players in Dearica Hamby and Jasmine Thomas but also got two first round picks out of both transactions. They also won the Azurá Stevens sweepstakes after she generated league-wide interest and retained multi-time all-star Nneka Ogwumike. Adding sharpshooters Lexie Brown and Staphanie Talbot will most certainly help after the team finished last in three-point shooting in 2022.
Is this team going to contend this upcoming season? No, but like we have seen over the last few years, a franchise has to lay a foundation down before it can be major players for a championship. The Sparks are going to be frisky and are building themselves back up brick by brick to be ready to make a splash as soon as next season.
Loser: Chicago Sky
The Sky went all in on the last two seasons and now find themselves in WNBA purgatory after a disastrous start to free agency. After flaming out in last year's semifinals with a 2-1 lead over the Connecticut Sun, Chicago watched Parker, Vandersloot, Stevens, Allie Quigley and Emma Meesseman opt to not return to the team in 2023.
Vandersloot's departure is the hardest to swallow. Not only did she pick the Liberty over returning to the Sky but she first announced that she wasn't going to be back with the team that drafted her in 2011. Fans are now wondering who is responsible for Chicago to not even be in the conversation for its own free agents. The team did not invest in ownership until last week and pales in comparison to the other teams in the league who have more resources for their players. Vandersloot has told the media having access to such resources is important to her and other players.
The only members of the 2021 championship Sky team remaining on the roster are Kahleah Copper, Dana Evans and Ruthy Hebard. Even after signing Courtney Williams, a full-on rebuild is set to commence and Chicago failed to put itself in position to remain at the top of the league.
Loser: Seattle Storm
Like Chicago, Seattle saw its hopes at staying in the contender conversation go to the wayside after losing homegrown talent. Stewart, who helped the team win two championships, saw her best chance of taking home another ring in New York and decided to bolt. That leaves Jewell Loyd and Mercedes Russell as the only players signed through 2023.
As all of the top free agents have made up their minds of where they want to play next year, Seattle has no choice but to start over. That might include trading Loyd, whose two-way ability could intrigue some team to take on her maximum salary in 2023 if it thinks it can contend with the Aces and Liberty. The team has the No. 9 pick in this year's draft but it is considered to be a top-heavy class.
For the first time in decades, the team will be without point guard Sue Bird as well. It marks a new era of Seattle Storm basketball where the team won't be the same threat as it once was.
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