Shakira Austin is aware that her future with the Washington Mystics is uncertain following the team's conclusion to the 2025 campaign.
The Mystics ended their season on Sept. 9, falling 75-69 to the New York Liberty. This marked their 10th consecutive loss, concluding the year on a sour note.
Austin completed her fourth year in the league, as the Mystics selected her third overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft. Her rookie contract is up, entering the upcoming offseason as a restricted free agent.
Austin talked about her future in the team's end-of-season interviews on Thursday, per reporter Khristina Williams. While she has enjoyed her time with the team to start her career, she is uncertain about how things will turn out for her.
“I don't really know what the future looks like. You know, I love DC. I love that this is my home. This is where I got drafted. This is where, you know, the first team who believed in me. So I'm excited. I know that their future is going to be amazing. They have a great prestige. They have great esteem in general, just full of life and full of joy. But I just have no idea what the next couple months will look like,” Austin said.
If we make that decision faster or sooner, I'm definitely going to be recruiting as much as I can. I want to play with great people, I want to play with people that have also won and just helping to, you know, put us in the best situation possible. I think they're just, you know, everything will just kind of be be shown in, you know, how the front office handles things. And I think regardless, like, I'm just super blessed to be here, and you know, appreciated so much that mystics have done, and I want to win with them, and we'll just see what the future wants.”
Restricted free agent Shakira Austin talked about an unknown future pic.twitter.com/wdgswMTo7T
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) September 11, 2025
What's next for Shakira Austin, Mystics
It's a mature statement for Shakira Austin to make as she approaches an unclear future with the Mystics. However, she has enjoyed her time with the team that drafted her, which could help her in contract talks to stick around.
Austin averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. This marked her most healthy year, playing in a career-high 38 contests.
Washington ended the year with a 16-28 record on the season, finishing at the fourth spot of the Eastern Conference standings. They ended eight games under the Indiana Fever and 10.5 games under the New York Liberty, falling short of the playoffs as they failed to secure a top eight seed.
The Mystics haven't been to the playoffs since 2023, when they lost in the first round. They haven't made a deep postseason run since their WNBA Finals win in 2019. The team will look to retool and aspire for a return to those heights in the offseason.
