The 2025 WNBA season tips off Friday, about seven months after the New York Liberty won their first championship in franchise history.
There was a constant stream of roster and coaching upheaval in the offseason, as seven teams changed coaches and multiple All-Stars switched teams. And on top of that, a 13th franchise was added to the league, as the Golden State Valkyries will make their WNBA debut this season.
As the new year gets underway, here are five storylines to keep an eye on before a champion is crowned this fall.
Are the Indiana Fever title contenders?
Thanks in large part to a stellar rookie campaign by Caitlin Clark, the Fever made the playoffs for the first time since 2016. And this winter, the front office wasted no time in trying to build a more experienced team around Clark in her second season.
The team first parted ways with head coach Christie Sides in the offseason, replacing her with 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year Stephanie White.
Then a roster overhaul began, with guard Sydney Colson and guard/forward DeWanna Bonner signing deals with Indiana in free agency, while guard Sophie Cunningham was acquired via trade. Both Colson and Bonner are two-time champions, and they should help relieve some of the pressure on Clark, who was the target of some physical defense in her first season.
If Clark takes another leap — plus Aliyah Boston continues her All-Star play in the front court — the Fever should be a tough out.
Former champs are loading up
The Las Vegas Aces won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, but were bumped in the second round of the playoffs in 2024 by the eventual champion Liberty. With center A’ja Wilson coming off her best season as a pro (and her third MVP), the Aces made a big splash this winter and acquired a new running mate for Wilson — trading for two-time champ and six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd.
Las Vegas had to part ways with franchise stalwart Kelsey Plum (who was sent to the Los Angeles Sparks) in the deal, but Loyd should be able to form her own potent partnership with Wilson.
Meanwhile, New York didn’t rest after winning its first ring. With a big three of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones already in tow, the Liberty traded two first-round picks for guard Natasha Cloud, who led the league in assists in 2022.
Napheesa Collier is out for revenge
Collier is coming off a historic playoff run in which she became the first player in WNBA history to lead the entire postseason field in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Collier also broke Diana Taurasi’s record for most points in a single playoffs.
Collier’s efforts ended in heartbreak, however, as the Lynx fell in a tightly contested five-game series to the Liberty. Collier also wasn’t shy about expressing her disappointment with the officiating in that series, posting an Instagram with photos of missed calls after the final game.
While much of the league underwent change, Minnesota kept its roster largely intact headed into this season. Collier was already playing at an MVP level, but now she’ll be playing with the added motivation of last season’s bitter finish.
The Paige Bueckers era begins
The Dallas Wings took former Connecticut Huskies star Paige Bueckers with the first overall pick in April’s draft, and Bueckers will now be tasked with turning around the Wings less than two months after leading the Huskies to a national championship.
Since moving to Dallas in 2016, the Wings have won only one playoff series and zero second-round games.
Bueckers won’t be flying solo, though, as Dallas added solid role players in Dijonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith in the offseason, and All-Star Arike Ogunbowale is coming off arguably her best year as a pro.
Business is booming
All of this season’s action will take place under looming changes for a league that continues to explode in popularity. While the Valkyries will lace up this year, two more expansion teams will join the W in 2026, the Toronto Tempo and the yet-to-be-named Portland team.
The collective bargaining agreement between the players union and the league is also set to expire next year — as are many star players’ contracts. Expect the players to look for a bigger (and more fair) piece of the growing pie next year, and for stars to be looking to cash in on the upcoming transformation.
