Teams make plans and then the so-called basketball gods have other ideas.
What might seem like a good fit on paper doesn’t always work out, and through about a dozen WNBA games this season, we’ve seen some acquisitions that aren’t working out. Whether it was a team overpaying for a free agent, reaching in the draft or just mismanaging their draft capital or lineups, some of these players simply haven’t fit or aren’t living up to their billing.
Advertisement
Who are the worst offseason acquisitions for each team? USA TODAY Sports breaks it all down in this week’s WNBA power rankings.
The Minnesota Lynx retain the top spot after stretching their winning streak to seven games. The Dallas Wings rose, Portland Fire tumbled, but the bottom remains the same with the Connecticut Sun at No. 15 in USA TODAY Sports power rankings, released every Tuesday this season.
1. Minnesota Lynx (9-2)
Previous rank: 1 (⬌)
Worst acquisition: G Maya Caldwell
The Lynx gave up a 2028 third round draft pick to get Caldwell from the Portland Fire. And while that’s not a high price, it feels like Minnesota should be getting more from the player who is sixth on the team in minutes played. Caldwell, who turned pro in 2021 after playing college ball at Georgia, is averaging 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game this season. By comparison, the sixth player on the Lynx last season was Jessica Shepard, who is now putting up career-high numbers for the Dallas Wings.
Advertisement
2. Dallas Wings (7-3)
Previous rank: 3 (⬆1)
Worst acquisition: C Alanna Smith
It was worth taking a swing in free agency at Smith, who was the WNBA’s co-Defensive Player of the Year last season, considering the holes Dallas had to fill in the front court. But the Wings signed her to a three-year max deal with $3.7 million and she hasn’t made much of an impact, averaging 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 17.8 minutes per game. Luckily for Jose Fernandez’s side, they’ve been able to find success without having to rely on Smith in big moments.
Previous rank: 4 (⬆1)
Worst acquisition: F Kierstan Bell
Advertisement
Bell has been with the Aces since she was drafted out of Florida Gulf Coast in 2022, but she was a free agent this offseason. The Aces brought her back on a one-year deal, but Bell isn’t really helping the team on the court this season, playing just 12.4 minutes per game and shooting a career-worst 11.1% from the floor.
Previous rank: 2 (⬇2)
Worst acquisition: F Brionna Jones
Jones was a free agent this offseason and the Atlanta Dream didn’t have to bring her back, but they did, signing her to a three-year deal worth $3.1 million. Jones tore her meniscus playing overseas in February, had surgery and has yet to appear in a game. When she does return, how she fits in with a crowded frontcourt that already includes Angel Reese and Naz Hillmon will be worth watching.
Advertisement
Previous rank: 7 (⬆2)
Worst acquisition: F Satou Sabally
A three-time All-Star, Sabally has played in six of the Liberty’s 11 games so far. Of those six games, she started in three losses — topping the 20-point mark once — and has come off the bench in three wins. She’s averaging 9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. That’s probably not the kind of production the Liberty had in mind when they made her the fourth-highest paid player on the team.
Previous rank: 8 (⬆2)
Worst acquisition: F Temi Fagbenle
Fagbenle was the Tempo’s big free agency signing, joining the team on a one-year deal worth $1 million. She’s played one game so far after spraining the AC joint in her right shoulder — a game in which she had two points, one rebound, one assist and four turnovers. It remains to be seen when Fagbenle will return to the court, but she has a ways to go to live up to the size of her contract.
Advertisement
Previous rank: 5 (⬇2)
Worst acquisition: F Marta Suarez
WNBA fans should never let the Valkyries’ front office forget how badly they mismanaged draft capital, giving up the eighth overall pick in exchange for the pick they used on Suarez — who they then waived — and a second-rounder. That eighth overall pick turned out to be Flau’Jae Johnson, who is averaging 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Seattle Storm this season.
Previous rank: 9 (⬆1)
Worst acquisition: C Damiris Dantas
The Fever re-signed Dantas to an unprotected two-year deal. She hasn’t played all that much this season, averaging 9.4 minutes per game over four appearances off the bench. This doesn’t seem like the right fit for either side and the money and roster spot could’ve been spent better.
Advertisement
Previous rank: 10 (⬆1)
Worst acquisition: G Ariel Atkins
In a blockbuster deal this offseason, the Sparks sent Rickea Jackson to the Chicago Sky to acquire Atkins, who they then signed to a three-year deal worth about $3.4 million, making her the second-highest paid player on the Sparks roster. So far, it looks like LA lost that deal. Jackson was having a stellar year before suffering a season-ending injury, while Atkins is averaging a career-low 9.7 points per game and shooting a career-worst 35.7% from the floor.
10. Portland Fire (6-7)
Previous rank: 6 (⬇4)
Worst acquisition: F Luisa Geiselsöder
Advertisement
Geiselsöder was the third player the Fire selected in the expansion draft and is the team’s fourth-highest paid player. She’s scored in double figures once this season and has been relegated to an off-the-bench role in each of the last four games.
Previous rank: 11 (⬌)
Worst acquisition: C Lauren Betts
Obviously there’s still a lot of time for Betts to prove herself in the WNBA, but for all of the pre-draft talk about how she was pro-ready, the Washington Mystics don’t seem to believe that is the case. Betts is playing 13.8 minutes per game, averaging 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds. The Mystics are getting more playing time and production out of the likes of Cassandre Prosper and Cotie McMahon.
Advertisement
Previous rank: 14 (⬆2)
Worst acquisition: F Valériane Ayayi
The two-time Olympic medalist from France is the fourth-highest-paid player on the team and is playing 8.7 minutes per game. She hasn’t helped the Mercury replace the production that they lost in the offseason.
13. Chicago Sky (4-7)
Previous rank: 12 (⬇1)
Worst acquisition: F Azura Stevens
On a three-year deal worth about $3.1 million, Stevens is the highest-paid player on the Sky and hasn’t been able to provide the production that’s worth that price tag. She missed the first few games of the year with a knee injury and is averaging 9.7 points across five starts.
Advertisement
14. Seattle Storm (3-10)
Previous rank: 13 (⬇1)
Worst acquisition: C Stefanie Dolson
The veteran post is the Storm’s third-highest paid player on a one-year deal worth $750,000. Through 12 games, all of them starts, she’s averaging 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. As Seattle has dealt with injuries in the frontcourt to Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor, Dolson has had the chance to make an impact, but hasn’t done so yet.
15. Connecticut Sun (2-11)
Previous rank: 15 (⬌)
Worst acquisition: G Kennedy Burke
Burke is making $1 million from the Sun this season as its second-highest paid player, but is tied for sixth in scoring with 7.1 points per game while shooting a career-worst 35% from the floor. She’s also averaging a career-high 2.3 turnovers per game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA power rankings: Worst 2026 offseason additions, including Satou Sabally
