Who are the top WNBA free agents? Get ready for a wild offseason after a new CBA deal

For the last three offseasons, WNBA players have been timing their contracts so that they would enter free agency in the 2026 offseason. The team-building process has been interrupted because the vast majority of players refused to sign deals that extended beyond the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

In 2020, the last time a new CBA came into effect, a minority of the league could cash in on the 30 percent increase to the salary cap. This time, everyone wanted to benefit from the massive salary increases promised by a new revenue-sharing model.

Those hopes have been realized with the WNBA and players’ union agreeing to a historic deal early Wednesday morning. The 2026 minimum salary of approximately $300,000 will exceed the 2025 maximum, and the highest-paid players (a supermax salary of $1.4 million) could make more than five times the previous supermax. The salary cap in 2026 will be $7 million, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.

A financial windfall is on the way, and now we can turn our attention to the players who will be signing the biggest contracts in WNBA history.

The pool of free agents is massive — more than 100 are unrestricted along with a strong set of restricted free agents. Front offices will have their work cut out navigating a new cap environment, re-recruiting their own players and wooing just about everyone else in the league. Teams can extend qualifying offers April 7-8 with negotiations set for April 9-11. The signing period will be April 12-18.

Here are the top 20 players to keep an eye on when the starting gun sounds on free agency, excluding A’ja Wilson, who has already announced her intentions to return to Las Vegas on a supermax contract.

1. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx, forward

Collier is still rehabbing the ankle injuries that prematurely ended her WNBA season and knocked her out of Unrivaled, but the league is no longer operating on a one-year timeline. The 29-year-old superstar and back-to-back MVP runner-up is the second-best franchise cornerstone in the league, a natural leader who gets better every season.

2. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty, forward

Stewart at her peak remains terrifying. A long-armed basketball savant disrupting everything on defense and creating great shots on offense. Nagging injuries have piled up, and her 3-point jumper is probably gone at this point, but Stewart is so good at everything else on the court and is an absolute gamer.

3. Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces, guard

Young has been winning at a high level since she entered the WNBA as an ace scorer, shooter, defender and playmaker. But she’s been a co-star to Wilson (and Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jewell Loyd) the whole time. Young, who arguably wants to branch out, could be at the peak of her powers.

4. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream, guard

If Young is the best wing in the WNBA, Allisha Gray is 1A. She’s an efficient and high-volume scorer and an excellent defender. She’s probably ideal as the second-best player on a championship team instead of the No. 1 option, but with Gray’s skill set, she can fit next to any kind of star.

5. Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury, forward

The perennial MVP candidate requires a specific team context to succeed and will never be an individual volume scorer, but few players are capable of driving success like Thomas. The main downside is that she will be 34 this season, and it might be risky to commit to a long-term deal.

6. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever, guard

The long-overlooked shooting guard finally entered MVP discussions in her eighth season. She’s a dynamic scorer with a smooth jump shot, and there might not be a faster player with the ball in her hands. Mitchell got her first extended taste of the postseason in 2025 and proved she was up to the challenge, leaving little doubt about how she could contribute on any team.

7. Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty, forward

The ideal version of Jones might be my favorite player in the league: a 6-foot-6 sweet-shooting center with guard skills who can protect the paint. At her best, Jones was the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup MVP and the 2024 Finals MVP. But she’s become maddeningly inconsistent. Another player has to set the team’s floor so Jones can provide the ceiling.

8. Satou Sabally, Phoenix Mercury, forward

Sabally’s availability is a persistent question, and her jump-shooting swings wildly year to year. Six years into her career, it sometimes seems like Sabally is still potential instead of an actualized star. But the tools are still so tantalizing, she’ll only be 28 this season, and at her best, she’s a first-team All-WNBA player.

9. Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces, guard

At 33, Gray has tons of mileage from playing overseas, for Team USA, and now with Unrivaled. She is potentially entering the load management stage of her career. But she remains a premier floor general who can defend guards and forwards, and she always gets it done on the biggest stages.

10. Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks, guard

Plum went from co-star on a championship team (Aces) to alpha on a lottery team (Sparks) that was just a few baskets away from the playoffs. Her efficiency was mostly the same as she upped her scoring usage and playmaking, though she was sometimes targeted on defense. The Sparks value Plum as a lead option; it almost doesn’t matter how the rest of the market sees her.

11. Rhyne Howard (restricted free agent), Atlanta Dream, guard

Howard has been cast as a No. 1 option in Atlanta (as most No. 1 draft picks are), but her success with Team USA in a more complementary role potentially charts a different path for her future. If she can focus on defending positions one through four and using her movement shooting beyond the arc to bend defenses, Howard could be an elite secondary star.

12. Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm, forward

Already the biggest winner of the offseason as president of the WNBPA, Ogwumike remains as efficient and consistent as ever on the court, and now she can stretch the floor. Like with Thomas, a long-term deal might not be prudent for teams since Ogwumike is 35. But over the next two years, it’s a pretty safe bet that Ogwumike will provide All-Star production.

13. Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury, guard

Injuries forced Copper to take a step back in 2025 after a career year in 2024. Considering how much her athleticism informs her dominance in the open court and as a downhill attacker, any lingering issues would be a cause for concern.

14. Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty, guard

The Liberty point guard has a rare combination of scoring and playmaking and came up big in the 2024 finals. One thing to note, however, is the steady decline of her 3-point percentage. Despite her reputation as one of the league’s best shooters, Ionescu has shot better than 33 percent from deep for only one full season in her career.

15. Jewell Loyd, Las Vegas Aces, guard

The 32-year-old had a resurgence as a sixth woman, playing a critical role in the Aces’ third title in four seasons. The question is if Loyd should go back to being a featured offensive player or reprise the role that made her so successful in Las Vegas.

16. Alanna Smith, Minnesota Lynx, forward

Smith does two things well: protect the rim and stretch the floor. Every team needs more 3-and-D players, especially at center. Her 2025 foul shooting (47.7 percent) entered Hack-a-Smith territory, but she was at about 70 percent for her career prior to last season.

17. Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries, guard

Burton finally found an opportunity that suited her in her fourth WNBA season. For the expansion team, she proved to be a superb point-of-attack defender and a disciplined playmaker. There aren’t many guards who bring as much on both ends of the floor.

18. Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks, forward

Hamby is as durable as any forward in the league; she hasn’t missed a game in three seasons despite delivering her second child two months before the 2023 tip-off. Her energy level sets the baseline for her team. Hamby is a good pick-and-roll partner with her athleticism getting to the hoop, but her jumper has fallen off, and her free-throw shooting (62.7 percent in 2025) is a concern.

19. Naz Hillmon (RFA), Atlanta Dream, guard

Nobody benefited from new coach Karl Smesko’s system more than Hillmon, so it would be surprising if she leaves Atlanta, especially since she’s is a restricted free agent. Any team would want a forward with her motor, rebounding and floor-spacing abilities, even though she’s only been a plus starter for one WNBA season.

20. Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings, guard

Ogunbowale has never been the most efficient scorer, but she can get buckets. The 2026 Unrivaled season was a chance to see her excel when she wasn’t the focal point of an offense. Some new WNBA scenery should help Ogunbowale tap into her best skills.

Also considered: Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx; Bri Jones, Atlanta Dream; NaLyssa Smith, Las Vegas Aces; Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, WNBA, Sports Business

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