WNBA Opening Night 2026
Well, friends, we’ve made it. How fortunate are we to have women’s basketball on the calendar nearly year round? Unrivaled, NCAA & March Madness, and now - the W is back!
While we anxiously await Detroit to welcome back our own team in 2029, we say hello to this year’s newest franchises in the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo. By 2030, the WNBA will have 18 teams - up from 13 last season! What a time to be alive and a women’s sports fan.
What is in the new CBA agreement?
And it’s not just expansion that’s new this year (and next year, and the year after that, and then another, and then one more…) - this offseason also saw a historic CBA agreement that has been a long time coming. Some quick bullet points:
Salary Cap: Up from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026
Minimum salaries start at $270,000 to a Supermax contract of $1.4 Million (last year’s Supermax was less than this year’s minimum!)
Napheesa Collier, Kelsey Mitchell & A’Ja Wilson have already signed Supermax contracts as of this writing
Improved working conditions including league-wide charter planes, and enhancements in child care and mental health services
More generous 401k contributions
Players will receive approximately 20% of league revenue
Roster sizes now mandated to 12 players, as well as the allowance of two developmental players
With continually rising viewership, expansion, and more player leverage than ever before, we are so glad to see the athletes of the W getting a taste of what they deserve.
And to say this offseason has seen a reshuffling of rosters would be a gross understatement - this year’s free agent class was the largest we’ve seen in years. The combination of expiring contracts and the new CBA - which is allowing players to get p-a-i-d - has us making flashcards to help us keep up with all the movement. We hope these updates will help you remember!
Who got drafted in the WNBA Expansion Draft?
Portland Fire: Bridget Carleton, Carla Leite, Luisa Geiselsöder, Emily Engstler, Maya Caldwell, Chloe Bibby, Haley Jones, Nyadiew Puoch, Sarah Ashlee Barker, Sug Sutton
Toronto Tempo: Julie Allemand, Nyara Sabally, Marina Mabrey, Aaliyah Nye, Lexi Held, María Conde, Maria Kliundikova, Adja Kane, Nikolina Milić, Kitija Laksa, Kristy Wallace, Nika Mühl
After much intrigue around this year’s WNBA draft, Azzi Fudd was selected first overall and should be an immediate roster solution for the Dallas Wings. Other NCAA standouts Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx), Kiki Rice (Toronto Tempo)& Raven Johnson (Indiana Fever)should all be heavy contributors as well.
We also had some history with all six(!) of UCLA’s National Championship seniors getting drafted - the most ever by any one school - and three international players selected in the first round, including number three pick Awa Fam Thiam (Seattle Storm). Draft night provided some fireworks, too, when fan favorite Flau'jae Johnson was traded to the Storm after getting picked by the Golden State Valkyries at number eight.
Rookies are coming into the W more and more polished - if these players can find a fit and carve out a role early, the ceiling is high for these talented year ones. And now we move on to the teams and rosters we thought we knew…
Who got traded to a different team?
Looking to maintain their “superteam” status, the New York Liberty added Satou Sabally, while the defending champion Las Vegas Aces smartly locked in A'ja Wilson on a supermax deal, re-signed Jackie Young, and added guard depth in Chennedy Carter.
The Atlanta Dream is also very close to doubling down on their roster from last year, keeping the majority of their starters with one glaring exception - Brittney Griner, who signed with the Connecticut Sun (with a move to Houston on the horizon for the 2027 season for the Sun, wouldn’t it be lovely for BG to play her latter years in her home town?). Don’t be too sad for Atlanta, though, as Angel Reese joins the Dream and should fit in nicely with the team’s style of play.
As for other big moves this offseason, Skylar Diggins has signed with the Chicago Sky - as has Rickea Jackson (Detroit native - hope to see you here in 2029, Rickea!). Nevada native Gabby Williams won’t be far from home after signing with the Golden State Valkyries. And while Nneka Ogwumike isn’t from California, she returns to the team where she played for 11 seasons, signing this offseason once again with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Additionally, this free agency saw Alanna Smith head to the Dallas Wings, Azura Stevens to the Sky, Brittney Sikes to join our Canadian friends with the Toronto Tempo, and sadly for fans of the StudBudz, Natisha Hiedeman to the Seattle Storm.
With more talent, more interest, more revenue - this year’s WNBA season is sure to be full of the excitement we’ve come to know and love, with even more storylines and rivalries.
See you on opening night at Third Street Bar! We’ll be there on May 8th starting at 7:30pm to tip off the season - join us to celebrate the start of the league’s 30th season!
