The 2026 offseason was one of the most impactful in WNBA history. With a new collective bargaining agreement in place, player salaries saw drastic and overdue increases. Media rights deals secured more nationally broadcast and available games on TV than ever before and, two new teams were added to the mix.
There were also numerous free agent deals and trades that forced teams to calibrate their present and future. We saw transactions that have bolstered championship contenders, reset rebuilds and given young upstart teams a reason not to be overlooked.
Here are the biggest trades and signings this offseason that could change the course of a handful of franchises.
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Major WNBA Trades in 2026
The 2026 WNBA offseason was a monumental one for the league, featuring some transactional fireworks that altered the landscape of both conferences.
Chicago Sky trade Angel Reese to Atlanta Dream for 2027 and 2028 first round picks
The biggest trade of the offseason was the Chicago Sky sending Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream for a pair of first-round picks in 2027 and 2028.
Chicago with Reese and Kamilla Cardoso had two very good players who played very much the same way and found themselves needing to move one of them in order to flesh out the rest of the team.
Reese in her two seasons in Chicago averaged 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds (including a ridiculous 4.6 offensive rebounds) and 1.4 steals per game.
She now joins an Atlanta Dream team fresh off their best regular season in franchise history despite the disappointment of a first-round exit from the playoffs. Last year, the Dream were a top five scoring team and the best rebounding team, and now they add one of the best rebounders in the league who gives her offense more second chances than any player in the league.
This is a great addition for the Dream as they look to get over the hump and get deeper into the playoffs. And it’s a good chance for the Sky to build some future capital as they continue to find their core.
Chicago Sky trade Ariel Atkins to Los Angeles Sparks for Rickea Jackson
No one had a more eventful offseason than the Chicago Sky, who in addition to a pair of trades, made a handful of signings to completely reshape their roster. Most notable was trading Angel Reese for a pair of first-round picks, but the chaser to that shot was acquiring Rickea Jackson from Los Angeles, who finished ninth in MVP voting a year ago thanks to a second-half scoring surge.
The second year forward averaged 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 35% shooting from three. The former all-rookie team member in 2024 gives the Sky a building block as they look to the future.
For Los Angeles, getting a five-time WNBA all-defense selection, two-time all-star and WNBA champion to a relatively young squad trying to shock the Western Conference is an excellent addition. Atkins provides excellent shooting, defense and playmaking ability.
Washington Mystics trade Jacy Sheldon to Chicago Sky for 2028 first round pick
After picking up a first-round pick in their trade for Angel Reese, the Chicago Sky were fine with moving it in a trade for Jacy Sheldon with the Mystics.
The second-year guard and fifth overall pick in 2024 hasn’t quite found her mark, remaining largely in a rotation role, but she shot nearly 40% from three a year ago and averaged 7.5 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 24 minutes.
Washington is looking to amass a slew of young talent as they figure out which combination will be their core for a playoff run.
Golden State Valkyries trade draft rights of Flau’jae Johnson to Seattle Storm for Marta Suarez and second-round pick
The Golden State Valkyries shocked the WNBA world with a playoff appearance in their first season as a franchise. And with a top 10 pick, they had a chance to add a dynamic player who was ready to help them now.
With the eighth overall pick, they drafted Flau’jae Johnson but sent her to Seattle for Marta Suarez and a second-round pick.
Suarez averaged 17 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and more than a steal per game at TCU a year ago. Suarez joins an interior that could use rebounding help as they look to improve on their impressive debut season.
For the Storm, they get a dynamic scorer in Johnson, who averaged 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and more than a steal per game in her senior season at LSU while shooting a career-best 39% from three. Johnson might establish herself as a core member of this Storm team trying to bounce back from two straight seasons of first round exits to the Aces.
Key WNBA Signings 2026
Gabby Williams – Golden State Valkyries (Three-year deal)
The Valkyries finished as the fourth overall defense in their first season as a franchise and in the offseason added last year’s steals champion, a two-time all-defensive player and third-place finisher in the defensive player of the year award in Gabby Williams.
Williams had 30 more steals than the second-place finisher as one of the best defenders in the league. The Valkyries have no interest in waiting their turn to climb to the top of the Western Conference, and they’re going to smother opponents while doing it.
Alanna Smith – Dallas Wings (Three-year deal)
For the third straight year, Alanna Smith put together a career season. She finished third in most improved player of the year in 2023, second team all-defense in 2024, and in 2025 she shared the defensive player of the year award with A’ja Wilson and was named first team all-defense, averaging 1.3 steals and nearly two blocks per game.
She also helps extend the floor, shooting a respectable 33% last year after 40% in 2024. The Dallas Wings have two rookie contract windows to keep in mind in Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, and Alanna Smith gives them a playoff-tested veteran who could help them chart new waters.
Azurá Stevens – Chicago Sky (Three-year deal)
Chicago essentially completed a roster overhaul during the offseason, and part of that was bringing in Azurá Stevens for her second stint with the team.
In her final year in Chicago back in 2021, she finished second in Sixth Player of the Year award, and as she returns, she’s fresh off career highs of 12.8 points per game, eight rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals on 38% shooting from three.
Chicago wanted to prioritize shooting and spacing, and Stevens, who won a championship with Chicago back in 2021, fits the bill and now she’s in a familiar home.
Satou Sabally – New York Liberty (Two-year deal)
Sabally put together her third career all-star campaign in 2025, finishing with 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She gives an already scary New York Liberty team even more offensive juice and a great two-way wing. This might quietly be one of the most impactful signings of the offseason with New York clinging to their championship window.
Skylar Diggins – Chicago Sky (Three-year deal)
After an all-star season in Seattle where she averaged 15.5 points, six assists and 1.2 steals per game on 36% shooting from three, Diggins joins a Chicago team that got a complete makeover from a year ago.
But for the six-time all-WNBA point guard, a new team is nothing new. Diggins made the transition from the Tulsa Shock to the Dallas Wings, played a three-year stint in Phoenix and then a two-year stint in Seattle. All she does, no matter where she goes, is score and make plays.
Natasha Howard – Minnesota Lynx (Two-year deal)
Howard set a career high with 44 games played in 2025 with the Fever, averaging 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
A two-time all-star and 2019 defensive player of the year, she will try to help make up for the loss of Alanna Smith, who helped anchor the Minnesota Lynx interior and was a huge part of their recent success.
A three-time champion and two-time all-defensive player, Howard knows what it takes to see a championship fulfilled, and she will attempt to do just that in her new home in Minnesota.
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