WNBA free agency is underway, and Friday provided our first big surprise: Nneka Ogwumike is leaving the Seattle Storm to return to the Los Angeles Sparks, according to ESPN. The Sparks selected Ogwumike No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft, and in 2016, she was named the MVP while helping the Sparks win the title. Now, after a short sojourn in Seattle, she has decided to return to Los Angeles to team up with Kelsey Plum. The Sparks have not made the playoffs since 2020, the league’s longest drought. Ogwumike’s return will give them a real chance to get back to the postseason.
What will be the busiest and most expensive free agency period in league history began on Monday (April 6), when teams were first allowed to hand out qualifying offers and core designations.
Kelsey Mitchell, who finished fifth in MVP voting last season after putting the Indiana Fever on her back, was the first player to receive a core designation. Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Kelsey Plum (Sparks), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Ariel Atkins (Chicago Sky), Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire) and Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo) all received core designations as well.
Elsewhere in the league, the Sky started the week by shockingly trading All-Star Angel Reese to the Dream for a pair of draft picks.
As of Wednesday (April 8), teams were allowed to begin negotiating with outside free agents. Notably, A’ja Wilson told reporters that she plans to re-sign with the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, while Breanna Stewart and Ionescu have indicated they plan to stay with the Liberty. On the flip side, Satou Sabally has said that she will not return to the Phoenix Mercury.
On Thursday, the Aces retained another key piece of their core as they were finalizing a one-year deal to bring back Jackie Young, per ESPN. They followed that up by locking up Jewell Loyd on Friday. Additionally, ESPN reported that Alyssa Thomas will return to the Phoenix Mercury and Allisha Gray and Brionna Jones will return to the Atlanta Dream. Gray reportedly signed a three-year «max-plus» deal.
Meanwhile, the Tempo, one of the expansion franchises joining the league this season, has reportedly agreed to max deals with both Mabrey and Brittney Sykes.
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, Collier and Stewart are expected to sign it and stay with their incumbent teams.
2026 WNBA salaries
|
2025 |
$66,079 |
$120,000 |
$249,244 |
|
2026 |
$270K — $300K (based on years of service) |
$583,000 |
$1.4 million |
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.
