Winners and losers of the WNBA’s 2022 free agency

After the WNBA’s successful 25th season saw the Chicago Sky win their first title in franchise history on home soil, things are going to look different for many teams – including the reigning champs – heading into 2022.

With the free agency signing period starting on Jan. 15 – though players cannot actually start signing deals until February – some big names are travelling from coast to coast during this off-season to get acquainted with their new teams.

Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers of the WNBA’s free agency.

WINNERS

Phoenix Mercury
If anyone was disappointed with how their season ended last year, it’s Phoenix, and a broken locker room door is evidence of that. Narrowly missing out on another WNBA title, Phoenix has made huge moves to bolster an already talented roster. Tina Charles, the centre who was one of the biggest producers for the Washington Mystics last season despite missing all of 2020, signed with Phoenix after leading the WNBA in scoring in 2021.

On top of landing Charles to add to an already talented trio or Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix retained Sophie Cunningham and Kia Nurse while trading for one of Chicago’s key players Diamond DeShields as part of a three-team deal Thursday that sent Bria Hartley to the Indiana Fever.

Connecticut Sun
Making sure Jonquel Jones stayed with the Sun was a priority, as any team would’ve snatched up the 2021 MVP, but on top of finally having both JJ and Alyssa Thomas healthy and playing together for the first time in three seasons, the Sun added Courtney Williams back into the rotation after she had a phenomenal 2021 with the Atlanta Dream.

Williams was an instrumental part of the Sun’s 2019 WNBA Finals run and, after losing Briann January, Williams will add the missing defensive element that Connecticut will need in her absence. Add the gritty rebounding guard on top of MIP Brionna Jones, Jasmine Thomas and DeWanna Bonner, and the Sun will be looking to make a Finals run once again.

Seattle Storm
Sue Bird’s farewell tour has a lot of big names coming as support acts, with Jewell Loyd returning to Seattle for two more years to play alongside the veteran, as well as Breanna Stewart signing a one-year supermax to return. January signed with her hometown team, leaving Connecticut in what is likely to be her last season in the WNBA as well.

Ensuring that the trio of Bird, Stewart and Loyd stuck together was already a power move for Seattle, creating one of the top offence’s in the league. But on top of that, adding elite defending in January will only solidify an already strong core for the Storm.

LOSERS

Indiana Fever
2021 marks the second consecutive season in which the team’s top draft pick didn’t last two full seasons with the club as Kysre Gondrezick was waived in mid-January, the team’s fourth overall pick last year. With Lauren Cox being released early last season, the third overall pick in 2020, Indiana has some work to do when it comes to their rebuild.

The Fever did acquire Bria Hartley in their end of the three-team trade with Chicago and Phoenix, while also acquiring No. 7 pick from Chicago for 2022 and a 2023 first-round pick from Chicago, as well as a second-round pick in 2022 and 2023 from Phoenix, now owning three top-10 picks in the 2022 draft. With promising veteran presence in players like guard Kelsey Mitchell, if the Fever can find a way to retain their draft picks, they can take the rebuild seriously.

Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings had one of the best benches in the league in the 2021 season, with the likes of Marina Mabrey, Allisha Gray, and Izzy Harrison coming off the bench whenever needed to contribute for the Wings at a high-level – any of the three could start for the Wings, but many prefer coming off the bench to make an impact.

The Wings aren’t losers by letting any talent go – they actually signed star guard Arike Ogunbowale to a contract extension through 2025 – but have yet to add any new talent or depth to the team. In 2021, Dallas had struggles keeping up with other teams as their starters were continually outscored despite their bench being able to take on anyone in the league. While their roster is still young with a bright future, a veteran presence could help their starting rotation struggles.

TO BE DETERMINED

Los Angeles Sparks
After losing Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray in the same off-season, the Sparks went 12-20 despite having talents like Nneka Ogwumike, Erica Wheeler, Brittney Sykes, Kristi Toliver and Te’a Cooper, to name a few.

Yet one of the biggest moves in free agency that could drastically change the way the Sparks look may still be to come.

After Liz Cambage called out the financial conditions under which WNBA players have to operate despite there being lucrative deals for coaches and general managers — like Cambage’s current team, Las Vegas, paying a pretty penny for Becky Hammon — she reportedly verbally agreed to join the Sparks, though the signing is not officially official yet.

The Aces still have an extremely talented roster led by A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, but losing Cambage would be an immense loss for Vegas — and a boon for Los Angeles.

Chicago Sky
While losing Stef Dolson and Diamond DeShields is definitely a tough hit to the reigning champions, they’ve already made moves by acquiring Julia Allemand from Indiana as well as Phoenix’s first-round pick next season in their trade for DeShields.

With a core team of Parker, Kahleah Copper, Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot, there is more than enough talent to go around when it comes to the Sky, their issue will now turn to depth on the team and how they can support their core starters.

New York Liberty
Picking up Dolson is huge for the Liberty, a team that was much smaller in comparison to a lot of the competition they faced last season, and will also have a new look with former Mercury coach Sandy Brondello in charge of New York. Bec Allen was also retained by the Liberty, however in doing so, they waived Jazmine Jones and Leaonna Odom.

While the starting core of the Liberty will be just fine with Allen, Dolson, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney and Natasha Howard, losing some key bench contributors will hurt their rotation.