WNBA free agency is underway, and as of Saturday signings can become official. The Toronto Tempo, one of the two expansion teams joining the league this season, revealed the signings of Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes and Julie Allemand to multi-year deals.
The biggest surprise thus far has been Nneka Ogwumike’s decision to leave the Seattle Storm and return to the Los Angeles Sparks, according to ESPN. Ogwumike was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft, and in 2016 she was named the MVP while helping the Sparks win the title. Now, she’ll return to Los Angeles.
Elsewhere, the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces have been busy, agreeing to deals with Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd, per ESPN. Reigning MVP and Finals MVP A’ja Wilson previously told reporters that she plans to re-sign in Las Vegas, so the Aces will have their entire core back.
Other notable deals include Brittney Griner agreeing to join the Sun for the franchise’s last season in Connecticut (per Terrika Foster-Brasby), Alyssa Thomas agreeing to return to the Phoenix Mercury (per ESPN) and Kelsey Mitchell agreeing to a one-year supermax deal with the Indiana Fever (per ESPN).
Additionally, the Chicago Sky started the week by shockingly trading All-Star Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream for a pair of draft picks. The Dream have also agreed to deals with Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada and Naz Hillmon (all per ESPN) as they look to build on last season’s 30-win campaign.
Here’s a look at the free agency schedule:
WNBA free agency key dates
- April 6-7: Teams can make qualifying offers and “core” player designations
- April 8-10: Teams can begin negotiating with free agents, but no deals can be signed
- April 11: Players can officially sign contracts and offer sheets
With a new CBA agreed to by players and the league, this is the biggest free agency class in league history. Aside from Kalani Brown and Lexie Brown, every single player not on a rookie scale contract is a free agent, including Wilson, Collier and Stewart. This will also be the richest free agency class in history. Thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, the minimum salary in 2026 will be more than $100,000 higher than the supermax in 2025.
The supermax in 2026 is set at $1.4 million, and players like Wilson, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart are expected to sign it and stay with their incumbent teams.
2026 WNBA salaries
|
2025
|
$66,079
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$120,000
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$249,244
|
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2026
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$270K — $300K (based on years of service)
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$583,000
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$1.4 million
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There will inevitably be some movement and some surprises, however. And we’ll be keeping track of the most notable moves right here during 2026 WNBA free agency. Below is our free-agent tracker for the top 50 players in the class.
2026 WNBA free agency tracker
