Impending free-agency overhaul adds more value to WNBA draft lottery
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Sky will look very different next year.
That reality is helping keep players in the present as they focus on one last attempt at securing the franchise’s sixth consecutive playoff berth.
“We’re trying to win,” guard Rachel Banham said. “Just as competitors. I don’t really care about the draft.”
“Respectfully, we’re worried about right now,” forward Brianna Turner interjected. “These 12, we're not going to ever play together, probably on the same team. We’re in the present and trying to get work done this season.”
The work the Sky have left to do is beat the Sun on Thursday, but that alone won’t clinch a playoff spot. They also need the Dream and Mystics to lose.
It’s not an improbable scenario given the Dream are playing the Liberty on the road and the Mystics are hosting the Fever.
But since the Wings (who could wind up with the Sky’s first-round draft pick because of the Marina Mabrey trade) began showing signs that they wouldn’t be a playoff team, the question has been: What value does making the playoffs hold for the Sky?
For starters, the experience matters for this young group.
“We have rookies that have not experienced the postseason,” guard Dana Evans said this month. “It’s different. It’s a different atmosphere and level. Everything is different. Even the officiating is different.”
Evans and guard Chennedy Carter will be restricted free agents, giving the Sky the right of first refusal. Forwards Isabelle Harrison and Turner, center Elizabeth Williams and shooting guard Diamond DeShields will be unrestricted free agents.
The Sky are going to make a strong effort to keep Williams. But the reality is, regardless of whom the Sky are able to sign in free agency for 2025, their roster will once again look drastically different in 2026.
Every team will experience roster restructuring because almost every veteran is set to hit free agency in some form or another in 2026. According to herhoopstats.com, Sparks guard Lexie Brown and Wings center Kalani Brown are the only veterans signed to protected contracts through that season.
The WNBA also will add three expansion teams by 2026. The Golden State Valkyries will begin play in 2025, and the Toronto and Portland teams will start in 2026. The league hasn’t announced rules for the expansion draft, but that guarantees more changes.
The league announced an 11-year media-rights deal with Disney, Amazon and NBCUniversal in July. According to reports, it’s valued at $200 million a year beginning in 2026 with an option to revisit in three years, giving the WNBA a chance to pursue more money.
The collective-bargaining agreement runs through the 2027 season, but players can opt out by November — they’re expected to — moving up the expiration to the end of 2025. This makes it highly unlikely any player will sign more than a one-year deal in the upcoming free-agency period.
While Sky players focus on the present, the not-so-distant future reinforces the value of a lottery pick and having a top rookie under contract over making the playoffs.