A week ago, 2025 WNBA free agency erupted with the first trade in league history involving multiple No. 1 picks.
The wheels of free agency continued to spin wildly on Saturday, when players could officially sign contracts.
Now, former All-WNBA First Team picks, scoring champions and a perennial MVP contender -- as well as all five of last year's Connecticut Sun starters -- will be playing for new teams in 2025.
Jewell Loyd is headed to the Las Vegas Aces. Kelsey Plum has landed with the Los Angeles Sparks. Alyssa Thomas will team with Satou Sabally with the Phoenix Mercury. Brittney Griner, after 11 seasons in Phoenix, will play for the Atlanta Dream, which also signed Brionna Jones.
And on last Sunday, DeWanna Bonner signed a one-year deal with the Indiana Fever.
With a new CBA featuring massive salary bumps expected to come into effect in 2026, expect to see players sign only one-year deals. And expect the news to keep coming.
Stay here all offseason for the latest buzz, news and reports surrounding the WNBA. The 2025 season -- the league's 29th -- will tip off May 16.
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Feb. 20 updates
1:17 p.m. ET: Katie Lou Samuelson will sign with the Seattle Storm, her agent told The Associated Press. Samuelson signed a one-year deal with Seattle, which she played for in 2021. Samuelson and the Indiana Fever mutually parted ways earlier this month.
Feb. 18 updates
6:23 p.m. ET: The Connecticut Sun denied guard Marina Mabrey's request to be traded, a move that she asked for earlier this month. Mabrey arrived in Connecticut last summer after requesting a trade from the Chicago Sky prior to the All-Star break.
Feb. 17 updates
11 a.m. ET: The Indiana Fever have signed forward Brianna Turner, a two-time WNBA All-Defensive selection.
Feb. 14 updates
5 p.m. ET: The Seattle Storm have acquired Los Angeles Sparks' guard Lexie Brown and the Sparks' 2025 third-round draft pick in exchange for the Storm's 2025 and 2027 second-round picks.
Feb. 10 updates
1 p.m. ET: The Seattle Storm have re-signed Gabby Williams, a move that was previously reported by ESPN.
11 a.m. ET: The Indiana Fever and Katie Lou Samuelson have mutually parted ways. Sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou that conversations regarding buyout terms between Samuelson and Indiana had been happening over the past week. In that span, Samuelson has also been in discussion with four teams as potential next destinations. Samuelson, the No. 4 pick in the 2019 draft, will be on the waiver wire for five days and then will become a free agent. The 6-foot-3 forward played one season in Indiana, appearing in 37 games and averaging 4.3 points.
Feb. 9 updates
2:27 p.m. ET: Two-time French Olympian Gabby Williams is signing a one-year deal to return to the Seattle Storm, league sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou. Williams was cored by the Storm last month, keeping her out of unrestricted free agency. Sources said the Storm agreed to honor Williams' desire to be moved should she wish to play elsewhere, but Williams wanted to remain in Seattle.
1 p.m. ET: The Seattle Storm have signed 12-year veteran Alysha Clark, who won WNBA championships with the team in 2018 and 2020. The 2023 Sixth Player of the Year led the league in 3-point percentage in 2019 (48.1%) and 2020 (52.2%). Last season with the Las Vegas Aces, the 5-foot-11 forward played in all 40 regular-season games and started in 18. Clark won her third WNBA title with Las Vegas in 2023.
Feb. 8 updates
2:30 p.m. ET: Nneka Ogwumike has re-signed with the Seattle Storm. The former WNBA champion ranked in the top 15 in points per game (16.7), total rebounds and steals per game last season, her first with the Storm.
A storied career continues in Seattle 🤩 pic.twitter.com/j8z2qWxnJE
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) February 8, 2025
12:14 p.m. ET: Tiffany Mitchell has signed with the Las Vegas Aces. The 5-foot-9 guard has averaged 8.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 1.8 APG over nine seasons in the WNBA.
12:09 p.m. ET: The Minnesota Lynx have claimed guard Grace Berger off waivers.
11:01 a.m. ET: The Connecticut Sun have signed Leïla Lacan to a rookie-scale contract. The Sun drafted Lacan with the 10th overall pick in last year's draft and assumed her player-rights when she didn't participate in the 2024 season.
Feb. 7 updates
8 p.m. ET: The Phoenix Mercury have signed Alexa Held to a training camp contract and Anna Makurat to a rookie scale contract.
5:46 p.m. ET: The Las Vegas Aces have re-signed 6-foot-5 center Queen Egbo, who is averaging 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds for her career.
2 p.m. ET: The Las Vegas Aces have signed Dana Evans, a move previously reported by ESPN. The 5-foot-6 guard, who won a WNBA title in 2021, was part of a deal with Chicago that sent the Aces Nos. 16 and 22 picks in the 2025 WNBA draft to the Sky.
11:38 a.m. ET: A trade is being finalized to send Dana Evans to the Las Vegas Aces, who will send the 16th and 22nd picks in April's draft to the Chicago Sky, ESPN's Alexa Philippou has confirmed.
Feb. 6 updates
5:25 p.m. ET: Alysha Clark is returning to the Seattle Storm, her agent Jessica Holtz of CAA, told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. Clark won championships with the Storm in 2018 and 2020, then played a vital role in the Las Vegas Aces' 2023 title run.
5:15 p.m. ET: Elissa Cunane has signed a training camp contract with the Golden State Valkyries, who also claimed Laeticia Amihere off waivers.
1:31 p.m. ET: The Indiana Fever have signed guard Sydney Colson, who helped the Las Vegas Aces win back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023.
Sydney Colson and Texas A&M were crowned 2011 National Champions right here in our house at @GainbridgeFH 🏠 pic.twitter.com/Pjo6zHv4q9
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) February 6, 2025
12:39 p.m. ET: Veteran forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus has signed a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Aces.
11:30 a.m. ET: Tiffany Hayes, the 2024 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, has signed with the Golden State Valkyries. Hayes announced her retirement from the WNBA in December 2023 but opted to come back in 2024, signing midseason with the then-two-time defending champion Aces. The guard averaged 9.5 points off the bench for the Aces last season.
11:16 a.m. ET: The Connecticut Sun have signed guard Yvonne Anderson to a two-year deal.
Feb. 5 updates
6:43 p.m. ET: Guard Marina Mabrey has requested a trade from the Connecticut Sun, her agent, The Fam's Marcus Crenshaw, told ESPN's Alexa Philippou. Mabrey played the second half of the 2024 season for the Sun last year after requesting a trade from the Chicago Sky right before the All-Star break.
5 p.m. ET: The Los Angeles Sparks have signed guard Shaneice Swain to a rookie-scale contract.
2:02 p.m. ET: DeWanna Bonner has signed with the Indiana Fever, a move previously reported by ESPN.
2 p.m. ET: The Golden State Valkyries have signed Janelle Salaün, center Kyara Linskens and forward Chloe Bibby. Salaün, a 6-foot-2 forward, started for France in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Linskens, a 6-4 center, brings competes for Belgium's national team. Bibby, a 6-1 forward who played college basketball at Mississippi State and Maryland, most recently played for with Uni Girona CB in EuroCup.
12:45 p.m. ET: Holly Winterburn, a a 5-11 guard from Northampton, England, has signed a training camp contract with the Atlanta Dream.
11:30 a.m. ET: Mai Yamamoto, a 5-5 guard from Hiroshima, Japan, has signed a training camp contract with the Dallas Wings.
Feb. 4 updates
6:25 p.m. ET: Sydney Colson, who won two WNBA titles with the Las Vegas Aces, is signing a one-year deal with the Indiana Fever, her agent, LIFT Sports' Gina Paradiso, told ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
3:39 p.m. ET: Emily Engstler and Sug Sutton have signed training camp contracts with the Washington Mystics.
1:16 p.m. ET: The Chicago Sky have signed WNBA guard Kia Nurse, a move previously reported by ESPN.
11:31 a.m. ET: Forwards Mya Hollingshed and Robyn Parks have signed training camp contracts with the Connecticut Sun.
10:45 a.m. ET: The trade previously reported by ESPN sending Rebecca Allen to the Chicago Sky and Lindsay Allen and the rights to Nikolina Milić to the Connecticut Sun is official.
Feb. 3 updates
6 p.m. ET: The Las Vegas Aces have signed rookie Elizabeth Kitley. The Aces drafted the center with the 24th pick in last year's draft, but Kitley -- who suffered a torn ACL in March 2024 -- sat out the 2025 WNBA season while she rehabilitated her knee.
1:01 p.m. ET: In a move previously reported by ESPN, Natasha Howard has signed with the Indiana Fever.
10 a.m. ET: The Connecticut Sun have signed guard Diamond DeShields to a one-year deal.
10 a.m. ET: The Indiana Fever have waived Victaria Saxton.
Feb. 2 updates
5 p.m. ET: The Los Angeles Sparks have signed forwards Emma Cannon and Anneli Maley.
4:04 p.m. ET: The Chicago Sky have re-signed guard Michaela Onyenwere.
4 p.m. ET: The Dallas Wings have signed forward Myisha Hines-Allen.
3:32 p.m. ET: The Phoenix Mercury have signed guard Sami Whitcomb, a two-time WNBA champion.
2:47 p.m. ET:Three-time Olympian Tina Charles signed a one-year deal with the Connecticut Sun as a free agent, sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
12:01 p.m.: The Los Angeles Sparks re-signed guard Odyssey Sims, a move reported by ESPN on Saturday.
Noon ET: The Indiana Fever have waived Grace Berger.
11:55 a.m. ET: The Dallas Wings have signed forward Joyner Holmes, guard/forward Kaila Charles and center Luisa Geiselsöder to training camp contracts, the team announced.
10:52 a.m. ET: The Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun announced a four-team trade which consolidates the previously reported deals moving Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally to Phoenix, Sophie Cunningham to Indiana, DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith and Ty Harris to Dallas and more.
The full trade details are:
Dallas receives: DiJonai Carrington (CON), Tyasha Harris (CON), NaLyssa Smith (IND), reserved rights of Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (PHX), No. 12 Pick in 2025 Draft (PHX), right to swap 2026 Second Round Pick (CON), right to swap 2027 Third Round Pick (IND)
Phoenix receives: Satou Sabally (DAL), Kalani Brown (DAL), Sevgi Uzun (DAL), Alyssa Thomas (CON)
Indiana receives: Sophie Cunningham (PHX), No. 19 Pick in 2025 Draft (PHX), Jaelyn Brown (DAL)
Connecticut receives: Jacy Sheldon (DAL), Rebecca Allen (PHX), Natasha Cloud (PHX), No. 8 Pick in 2025 Draft (IND)
9:01 a.m. ET: DeWanna Bonner, a 15-year veteran with two titles on her résumé, is signing a one-year deal with the Indiana Fever, sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
MORE: How Indiana's offseason additions make the Fever a 2025 championship contender
The Connecticut Sun have made a roster revamp.
— espnW (@espnW) February 2, 2025
No team has lost all of its five starters from its final playoff game of one season in the following offseason. pic.twitter.com/iueJGgBwn7
Feb. 1 updates
10:19 p.m. ET: Myisha Hines-Allen agreed to a one-year deal with the Dallas Wings, sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
5:32 p.m. ET: Kia Nurse will sign a one-year deal with the Chicago Sky, her agent told ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
5:16 p.m. ET: The Chicago Sky are acquiring guard Rebecca Allen in a trade with the Connecticut Sun, who are getting guard Lindsay Allen and the rights to forward Nikolina Milic in the move, ESPN's Alexa Philippou confirmed.
3:18 p.m. ET: Michaela Onyenwere is expected to re-sign with the Chicago Sky, ESPN's Alexa Philippou confirmed.
2:47 p.m. ET: Odyssey Sims has signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks, ESPN's Alexa Philippou has confirmed.
2:43 p.m. ET: The Atlanta Dream have signed Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, the team announced Saturday. In a move reported Tuesday by ESPN, Griner heads to the Dream after spending all 11 seasons of her WNBA career with the Mercury.
Jones is a three-time All-Star whose move was reported Thursday by ESPN. Veteran guard Walker-Kimbrough finished third in Sixth Player of the Year voting in 2024.
1:15 p.m. ET: The three-team trade sending Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks -- first reported Sunday by ESPN -- is official as all three teams announced the moves Saturday.
The Aces also received the No. 13 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, while the Sparks received the No. 9 pick in the 2025 draft and a second-round pick in 2026. The Seattle Storm picked up Li Yueru, the No. 2 pick in this year's draft and a 2026 first-round pick.
12:47 p.m. ET: The New York Liberty have re-signed guard/forward Kennedy Burke, who started three games during last year's WNBA championship run, the team announced Saturday.
11:14 a.m. ET: The Minnesota Lynx have re-signed guard Natisha Hiedeman and signed Marième Badiane, a center on the French Olympic team, the team said in a statement.
11:13 p.m. ET: The Dallas Wings are acquiring DiJonai Carrington, the No. 12 pick in April's draft and the rights to swap 2026 second-round picks, while the Connecticut Sun get Jacy Sheldon and the No. 8 pick in the 2025 draft in the trade, ESPN's Alexa Philippou confirmed.
10 a.m. ET: The Chicago Sky have signed point guard Courtney Vandersloot, a move previously confirmed Wednesday by ESPN.
Look back at some of Satou Sabally's best plays of 2024 for the Wings, who have traded her to the Mercury.
Jan. 31 updates
6:49 p.m. ET: The Phoenix Mercury are acquiring Satou Sabally from the Dallas Wings in a three-team trade, sources told ESPN's Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou. The move comes 22 days after the forward said she had played her last game for the Wings.
Dallas will receive point guard Tyasha Harris and the rights to Kiki Herbert Harrigan from Phoenix, as well as 2022 No. 2 overall pick NaLyssa Smith and the 2025 No. 8 pick from the Indiana Fever.
Indiana will acquire guard Sophie Cunningham and the 2025 No. 19 pick from Phoenix, which will also receive center Kalani Brown and the rights to point guard Sevgi Uzun from Dallas.
Because Dallas gave her the core player designation, Sabally's exit had to be via a trade. As it involves a sign-and-trade, the transaction can't become official until Saturday.
MORE: Trade grades: Why Mercury's move for Sabally might be more about future than present
Chiney Ogwumike breaks the news that her older sister, nine-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, is re-signing with the Seattle Storm
6:34 p.m. ET: Nine-time All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike is re-signing with the Seattle Storm as an unrestricted free agent, her sister, ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike, reported on "SportsCenter."
10:04 a.m. ET: Natasha Howard will sign with the Indiana Fever as a free agent, sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou. The 6-foot-2 forward and three-time WNBA champion returns to the franchise that drafted her fifth overall in 2014.
I joined Sportscenter to talk about the impact @THoward_6 could have on the @IndianaFever . pic.twitter.com/OaID9VBZos
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) January 31, 2025
Jan. 30 update
2:45 p.m. ET: Brionna Jones is signing with the Atlanta Dream, her agent, Boris Lelchitski, told ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
Jones, a three-time All-Star, spent her entire career with the Connecticut Sun, where she was selected No. 8 in 2017. She emerged as a critical frontcourt presence amid their run of six consecutive semifinal berths, along the way earning the 2021 Most Improved Player and 2022 Sixth Player of the Year awards.
Jan. 29 updates
4:54 p.m. ET: Free agent Courtney Vandersloot is expected to sign with the Chicago Sky on a one-year deal when contracts can be executed on Saturday, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne confirmed.
11 a.m. ET: Guard Kelsey Mitchell will return to the Indiana Fever for 2025, the team announced Wednesday. Mitchell has played all eight of her WNBA seasons in Indiana since being drafted No. 2 in 2018. She averaged a career-best 19.2 points per game and shot a season-high 46.8% from the field in 2024.
Alexa Philippou explains the circumstances that led Brittney Griner to sign with the Dream.
Jan. 28 updates
8:33 p.m. ET: Brittney Griner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream, ESPN's Alexa Philippou and Shams Charania reported. Griner has spent her entire 11-year WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury.
MORE: How Griner fits in Atlanta and the legacy she leaves behind in Phoenix
MORE: How trades will impact fantasy women's basketball
Kendra Andrews joins "SportsCenter" to break the news that Alyssa Thomas is being traded from the Connecticut Sun to the Phoenix Mercury.
5:44 p.m. ET: Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 pick in the 2025 draft are headed to the Connecticut Sun in return for Alyssa Thomas, ESPN's Alexa Philippou confirmed. Tyasha Harris is also headed to Phoenix in the trade.
2:03 p.m. ET: The Phoenix Mercury are finalizing a trade to acquire five-time All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun, sources told ESPN's Alexa Philippou on Tuesday.
MORE: Trade grades: Alyssa Thomas an unlikely star for Phoenix -- but here's why the trade makes sense
Kendra Andrews reacts to the three-team trade that saw Jewell Loyd go to the Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Sparks.
Jan. 26 update
8:21 p.m. ET: In the first trade in league history involving multiple former No. 1 draft picks, the Las Vegas Aces acquired Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd while sending Aces guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, Alexa Philippou, Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews.
In the three-team trade, the Storm are also acquiring the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and forward Li Yueru from the Sparks, as well as Las Vegas' 2026 first-round pick, sources told ESPN. Los Angeles receives the 2025 No. 9 pick and a 2026 second-round pick from Seattle. The Aces receive the 2025 No. 13 pick from the Sparks.
The deal will be made official Feb. 1, sources said.
MORE: Fantasy Basketball: Plum, Loyd set to shine on new teams
Blockbuster WNBA deal: The Seattle Storm are trading six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in a multi-team move that sends three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources tell me, @ramonashelburne, @alexaphilippou, @kendra__andrews. pic.twitter.com/OlRb37RKIA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 27, 2025
Jan. 20 update
Brittney Griner, who has spent 11 seasons in Phoenix since the Mercury drafted her No. 1 in 2013, is testing the free agent market for the first time in her career, according to The Associated Press. The center is meeting with multiple teams while in Miami competing for Unrivaled, according to Griner's agent.
Jan. 17 update
The Connecticut Sun extended a core qualifying offer to Alyssa Thomas.
Jan. 16 update
The Indiana Fever extended a core qualifying offer to Kelsey Mitchell.
Jan. 14 update
The Seattle Storm designated Gabby Williams as their core player, meaning she will not become an unrestricted free agent, ESPN's Kevin Pelton reported.
Williams joins Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings) and Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) as players with the core designation, which allows them to sign the one-year qualifying offer at the WNBA's highest possible salary ($249,244) but prevents them from signing with another team as a free agent.
Jan. 9 update
Unrestricted free agent Satou Sabally will be moving on from the Dallas Wings after spending the first five years of her career there, she told reporters Thursday from Miami.
"I'm working with (the Wings) and finding a next home for me," Sabally said. "I've already played my last game in Dallas."
What is the WNBA's core system?
The WNBA's core player designation is akin to the NFL franchise tag. A team can "core" a player to prevent them from becoming an unrestricted free agent by retaining their exclusive rights.
A core qualifying offer is a guaranteed one-year contract at the supermax, but the team and player can negotiate different terms to a deal. Each team can core only one player, and the 2020 CBA reduced the number of times players can be cored in their career gradually from four to three and, as of 2022, to two, a major change that opened up free agency movement throughout the league.
Six players -- Sabally, Plum, Stewart, Mitchell, Thomas and Williams -- have been cored so far in 2025, the most in one offseason under this current CBA. But that doesn't mean those players will return to the teams that cored them. Sabally has already said she's moving on from Dallas. With the Wings coring her -- which they likely did to ensure they'd get some return for Sabally leaving -- the only way for her to change teams is via trade.
According to tracking via Across the Timeline, the last time multiple players were cored and traded in one offseason was 2020 (Tina Charles and Skylar Diggins-Smith), but expect other big names to join Sabally in departing their franchises this free agency via that mechanism. And that doesn't even include a trade that's suspected to come when Seattle parts with Loyd, as the star requested out in December. -- Alexa Philippou