In the midst of the NFL playoffs and NBA season, the WNBA is making its own headlines even in its offseason.
WNBA free agency commenced on Jan. 21. Front offices were finally able to communicate with free agents of all classifications — though contracts cannot be finalized or officially announced until Saturday, Feb. 1.
There are a lot of big names on the market and a lot of intriguing offseason possibilities.
It’s official ✅
— WNBA (@WNBA) January 22, 2025
Check out the full list of 2025 Unrestricted Free Agents, Core Players, Restricted Free Agents, & Reserved Players #WNBAFreeAgency ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/KGp33D4ESf
The New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart and the Connecticut Sun's Alyssa Thomas headline the stacked list of unrestricted free agents. Here is The Sporting News' WNBA free agency tracker.
MORE: Trade grades for three-team deal involving Kelsey Plum, Jewell Loyd
WNBA free agency news, updates on signings and trades
Liberty open to parting ways with 2025 first-round pick, per report
Date: Feb. 4
Source: Madeline Kenney, New York Post
Fresh off their first title in franchise history, the Liberty are looking for reinforcements. New York is willing to sacrifice its 2025 first-round selection if it can land a player in return.
According to the New York Post's Madeline Kenney, the Liberty inquired about Natasha Cloud's availability, attempting to entice the Sun with an offer of the No. 7 overall pick and a future first. Connecticut rejected the proposal.
Sydney Colson spurns Aces, inks one-year deal with Fever
Date: Feb. 4
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
Indiana continued its rebuild on Tuesday, inking longtime Aces role player Sydney Colson to a one-year contract. Colson, 35, is one of the league's brightest personalities, routinely firing off barbs about whatever feels appropriate — or inappropriate — at a given moment. She didn't play all that often in Las Vegas — Colson never averaged more than eight minutes a game during her second spell in Sin City. However, her wit and humor made her a fan favorite. Expect the Texas A&M alum to receive a similar reception in Nap Town.
Diamond DeShields signs with Sun
Date: Feb. 3
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
As Connecticut enters a new era of basketball, it has bolstered its backcourt with the signing of DeShields.
Last season, DeShields bounced back from an injury that held her out of the 2023 campaign. She started in 10 of her 32 appearances with Chicago, averaging 4.5 points in 13.8 minutes per game.
Tina Charles returns to the Sun
Date: Feb. 2
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
Tina Charles is returning to Connecticut, signing a one-year deal with the team that drafted her No. 1 overall in 2010. The eight-time WNBA All-Star spent her first four seasons in the league with the Sun, winning MVP in 2012.
Charles joins the Sun to give them a boost at the center position, joining Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Caitlin Bickle in the front court.
DeWanna Bonner, Fever agree terms to one-year contract
Date: Feb. 2
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
The Fever added another piece to what they hope is shaping into a championship core, securing the services of six-time All-Star wing DeWanna Bonner.
Bonner is a two-time WNBA champion and enjoyed a sparkling five-year spell with the Sun. At 37, she's one of the W's longest-tenured players. She's still proved fairly productive, posting averages of 15 points, six rebounds and two assists in Connecticut last season.
Bonner joins Sophie Cunningham and Natasha Howard as new additions to Indiana's roster. Gearing up for a postseason run, perhaps?
Wings ink Myisha Hines-Allen to one-year deal
Date: Feb. 1
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
Dallas continued its retool, agreeing to a one-year deal with former Lynx wing Myisha Hines-Allen. The 29-year old garnered All-WNBA second team honors in 2020 but has since settled into a complementary role in recent seasons. Hines-Allen averaged 7.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 17.7 minutes a night after arriving to Minnesota at the trade deadline.
Kia Nurse signs one-year deal in Chicago
Date: Feb. 1
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
The Sky continue to add veteran talent, the latest being the sharp-shooting Nurse. In six seasons, Nurse has played for four teams and shot 34.2 percent from deep. However, in each of her last three seasons, Nurse has produced a better three-point percentage than her career average,
Last year, Nurse played 40 games in Los Angeles, averaging 7.6 points per game and shooting 33.1 percent from deep.
Sky acquire Rebecca Allen from Sun
Date: Feb. 1
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
Chicago is sending Lindsay Allen and the rights to Nikolina Milic to the Sun in the deal. Rebecca Allen was recently traded from the Mercury to Connecticut an the Alyssa Thomas trade, but she will move to Chicago instead of rejoining the Sun, where she played 40 games in 2024.
Allen averaged 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18 games for Phoenix last year.
Michaela Onyenwere returns to Chicago
Date: Feb. 1
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
The Sky traded for Onyenwere last offseason, and the former rookie of the year found her groove in the second half. Onyenwere played in 34 games for Chicago, starting 18, and avaraged 6.6 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 2024.
Sparks re-sign Odyssey Sims
Date: Feb. 1
Source: Alexa Phillippou, ESPN
The Sparks initially acquired Sims midseason in 2024, marking Sims' second stint in Los Angeles over the course of her career. Splitting time between the Wings and the Sparks last year, Sims played in 24 games and averaged 12.6 points and 5.3 assists.
Liberty bring back Kennedy Burke
Date: Feb. 1
Source: New York Liberty
The Liberty re-signed reserve guard-forward Kennedy Burke, they announced Saturday. Burke came off the bench in all but three games last season, averaging 3.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game on New York's journey to the WNBA title.
Dream sign Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
Date: Feb. 1
Source: Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream have officially signed guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who spent the last four seasons with the Mystics. The deal is for one year.
The 29-year-old Walker-Kimbrough came off the bench in 2024, averaging 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game and finishing third in Sixth Woman of the Year award voting.
Wings trading for DiJonai Carrington in draft pick swap
Date: Feb. 1
Source: Rachel Galligan, Winsidr
The Wings are finalizing a deal for guard DiJonai Carrington and the No. 12 pick, sending guard Jacy Sheldon and the No. 8 pick to the Sun.
Carrington averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in 2024, earning Most Improved Player honors. Sheldon averaged 5.4 points per game in her rookie season, and she's someone Connecticut will look to mold into a long-term building block after being selected fifth overall in 2024.
Mercury land Satou Sabally in three-team deal
Date: Jan. 31
Source: Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou, ESPN
The Mercury acquired Satou Sabally in a three-team trade on Friday night, sending Ty Harris and the rights to Kiki Herbert Harrigan to the Wings. Dallas is also acquiring NaLyssa Smith from the Fever in the deal, while Indiana is landing Sophie Cunningham, Kalani Brown, the No. 19 pick and the rights to Sevgi Uzun.
A sign-and-trade because Sabally was a designated core player for Dallas, the Mercury make another major addition after acquiring Alyssa Thomas earlier in the week. Sabally averaged 17.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game with the Wings in 2024.
Natasha Howard to sign with Fever
Date: Jan. 31
Source: Alexa Philippou, ESPN
The Fever remain active in free agency by adding a two-time All-Star in Howard, who returns to the franchise that selected her fifth overall in the 2014 draft. Howard spent the first two seasons of her career in Indiana and ascended to stardom in her fifth year, which was spent in Seattle.
Last season, Howard averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and a career-high 2.9 assists over 27 games with the Dallas Wings.
Brionna Jones agrees to join Dream
Date: Jan. 30
Source: Alexa Philippou, ESPN
Free agent Brionna Jones center Brionna Jones is headed to Atlanta, joining the Dream after eight seasons with the Sun.
Jones, a Maryland alum, earned three All-Star appearances during her tenure with Connecticut. She took home Most Improved Player and All-Defense second team honors in 2021 and added a Sixth Player of the Year Award and an All-Defensive first team n 2022.
Jones averaged 13.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks across her final four seasons with the Sun.
Indiana Fever re-sign Kelsey Mitchell
Date: Jan. 29
Source: Alexa Philippou, ESPN
Kelsey Mitchell is returning to the Indiana Fever on a one-year deal. Mitchell's agent, Allison Galer, informed ESPN sources that she is signing a one-year deal with a guaranteed supermax salary of $249,244.
Playing alongside rookie sensation Caitlin Clark in 2024, Mitchell had the best statistical season of her seven-year career. Starting 38 of 40 games, Mitchell averaged 19.2 points shooting 46.8% from the field and 40.2% from beyond the arc.
Courtney Vandersloot signs with the Chicago Sky
Date: Jan. 29
Source: Ramona Shelburne, ESPN
Free agent guard Courtney Vandersloot is returning to the Chicago Sky on a one-year deal.
Drafted by the Sky in 2011, Vandersloot won a championship with the team in 2021 but spent the past two seasons with the Liberty and helped them win their first WNBA title in 2024. She is a five-time All-Star and five-time All-WNBA pick but took a reduced role with New York, coming off the bench during the teams' championship run.
Vandersloot will join a young team featuring second-year post players Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
Brittney Griner signs with the Atlanta Dream
Date: Jan. 28
Source: Alexa Philippou, ESPN
After being drafted No. 1 overall in 2013 by the Phoenix Mercury, 10-time All-Star Brittney Griner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Dream. ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou described the move as one of the most stunning free agency signings in league history, as Griner was widely expected to stay in Phoenix.
Griner averaged 17.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 2024. She joins 2022 first-overall pick Rhyne Howard and former rookie of the year Allisha Grey in Atlanta.
Phoenix Mercury acquire Alyssa Thomas in blockbuster trade
Date: Jan. 28
Source: Alexa Philippou, ESPN
The Phoenix Mercury finalized a trade to acquire five-time All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun, according to ESPN sources.
The Sun will receive Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the 2025 No. 12 overall pick from the Mercury. Ty Harris is headed to Phoenix along with Thomas.
The transaction is a sign-and-trade and will not be made official until Feb. 1. Thomas was an unrestricted free agent but the Sun "cored" her, meaning in order to leave the team she would have to be traded.
| Team | Receiving |
| Mercury | Alyssa Thomas, Ty Harris |
| Sun | Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen, No. 12 overall pick |
Sparks, Storm, Aces make massive three-way trade
Date: Jan. 26
Source: Alexa Philippou, ESPN
After an initial quiet, WNBA free agency kicked off with a huge trade. The Las Vegas Aces are acquiring Jewell Loyd from the Seattle Storm and sending Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Storm are acquiring the No. 2 pick in the upcoming 2025 WNBA draft and forward Li Yueru from the Sparks, as well as Las Vegas' 2026 first-round pick.
Los Angeles receives the No. 9 pick in 2025 and a second-round pick from Seattle and the Aces will get the No. 13 pick from the Sparks.
The deal will not become official until Feb. 1 since it involves a sign-and-trade for Plum.
Loyd had requested a trade previously after her allegations of harassment and bullying against Seattle's coaching staff.
| Team | Receiving |
| Storm | Li Yueru, 2025 No. 2 overall pick, Aces 2026 first-round pick |
| Sparks | Kelsey Plum, No. 9 overall pick, Storm second-round pick |
| Aces | Jewell Loyd, No. 13 overall pick |