The 2025 WNBA season is officially upon us. Training camps open across the league Sunday and preseason games tip off May 2.
It's a quick turnaround for rookies like Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in this month's draft who helped UConn win the NCAA title three weeks ago. But it also marks a highly anticipated return for the WNBA on the heels of an eventful offseason featuring a slew of new head coaching hires, the formation of the league's latest expansion team and a host of players joining new teams in free agency.
The next few weeks will give us our first glance at how all those moves are panning out before things start to count for real when the regular season opens May 16. Between now and then, teams will cut down their rosters to 11 or 12 players; they are allowed to have 18 actively participating players at any given time during camp.
ESPN takes a look at the biggest questions facing each of the 13 WNBA teams heading into training camp.
Jump to: ATL | CHI | CON | DAL | GS |
IND | LV | LA | MIN | NY | PHO | SEA | WAS
Atlanta Dream
2024 record: 15-25 (eighth place), lost in first round of playoffs
Season opener: at Washington (May 16, 7:30 p.m. ET, ION)
Projected starting lineup: Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Brittney Griner, Rhyne Howard, Brionna Jones
How will the Dream play under new coach Karl Smesko? Coach Tanisha Wright was fired despite making the playoffs the past two seasons. The Dream went to the college ranks for her replacement: Smesko was successful with his emphasis on 3-point shooting in 22 seasons at Florida Gulf Coast. The Dream also brought in two elite post players in Griner (17.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG) and Jones (13.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG). How will Smesko use that kind of talent? Probably very well: Atlanta was last in the league in scoring average (77 PPG) and field goal percentage (40.8) last season, which Smesko should be able to help the Dream improve. -- Michael Voepel
Chicago Sky
2024 record: 13-27 (10th)
Season opener: vs. Indiana (May 17, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)
Projected starting lineup: Hailey Van Lith, Rachel Banham, Michaela Onyenwere, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso
After being named to the All-Rookie team last season, what kind of jumps will Reese and Cordoso make in Year 2? They proved to be a handful down low, but both of their rookie seasons were cut short due to injuries, and their absences played a part in the Sky falling short of the playoffs. Now healthy -- Reese spent January-March developing her scoring ability at Unrivaled -- both feel they are primed to take a step forward.
In drafting Hailey Van Lith with the 11th pick in this year's draft, the Sky have the potential pieces to build a versatile scoring-rebounding triple threat. And adding Courtney Vandersloot back into the mix gives them a reliable veteran ball handler and scorer. All of that should help Reese and Cardoso, whose combined growth will be crucial for Chicago to have a strong season. -- Kendra Andrews
Connecticut Sun
2024 record: 28-12 (third place); lost in semifinals
Season opener: vs. Washington on May 18 (1 p.m. ET)
Projected starting lineup: Lindsay Allen, Marina Mabrey, Diamond DeShields, Tina Charles, Olivia Nelson-Ododa
How quickly will the Sun's new identity forge in camp, and what will it look like? After losing coach Stephanie White to the Fever and all five 2024 starters in offseason trades/free agency, Connecticut is essentially starting from scratch with a new coach (Rachid Meziane) and new players, aside from Mabrey and Nelson-Ododa. How will these pieces -- almost all of whom were acquired after Meziane's hiring -- pair with his intended style of play?
While Connecticut brought in veterans such as Charles and DeShields, the Sun's influx of young talent (including first-round picks Jacy Sheldon, Leïla Lacan, Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers) suggests they have an eye toward building for the future. That's something to keep in mind as the franchise dwindles down its roster and once the season gets underway. -- Alexa Philippou
Dallas Wings
2024 record: 9-31 (lottery)
Season opener: vs. Minnesota (May 16, 7:30 p.m. ET, ION)
Projected starting lineup: Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, Teaira McCowan
How will Bueckers and Ogunbowale fit together in the Dallas backcourt? Point guard has been a revolving spot for the Wings since they traded Marina Mabrey to Chicago. Dallas has seen a pair of first-round picks (Veronica Burton and Jacy Sheldon) come and go while also starting journeywoman Crystal Dangerfield and international veteran Sevgi Uzun. The No. 1 pick should solve that problem long-term, particularly because her ability to play off the ball (42% career 3-point shooting in college) fits well with Ogunbowale's ability to create.
Still, we saw the learning curve last season for Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell in Indiana. The sooner Bueckers and Ogunbowale can integrate their games, the better the Wings' chances of returning to the playoffs. -- Kevin Pelton
Golden State Valkyries
Season opener: vs. Los Angeles (May 16, 10 p.m. ET, ION)
Projected starting lineup: Julie Vanloo, Tiffany Hayes, Kayla Thornton, Monique Billings, Temi Fagbenle
What will be the Valkyries' identity in their inaugural season? Just days before selecting Juste Jocyte, Shyanne Sellers and Kaitlyn Chen in the draft, general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said she wasn't concerned about selecting the face of the franchise through the draft and believes that person will emerge through camp -- but how do they want to define who they are? Coach Natalie Nakase has said she wants to build a team that has a competitive fire and strong work ethic, and stylistically plays with pace and ball movement.
Nakase has spoken highly about Kate Martin's voice -- the two worked together in Las Vegas in 2024 before coming to Golden State -- so perhaps the second-year guard will be the one Nakase looks to for setting the tone. The rest of Golden State's roster is made up of veteran role players, including Tiffany Hayes, the 2024 Sixth Woman of the Year. How everything and everyone molds together will be the main focus for the Valkyries camp. -- Andrews
Indiana Fever
2024 record: 20-20 (sixth), lost in first round
Season opener: vs. Chicago (May 17, 3 p.m. ET, ABC)
Projected starting lineup: DeWanna Bonner, Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Natasha Howard, Kelsey Mitchell
Are the Fever championship contenders? They've gotten closer. With a new brain trust -- including coach Stephanie White back in Indiana -- and big offseason pickups, the Fever are set up to build on last year's return to the playoffs. Bonner and Howard are former WNBA champions who bring a huge amount of experience. Sophie Cunningham is another perimeter scoring threat. Clark and Boston, the last two WNBA Rookie of the Year award winners, clicked well last season with each other and veteran guard Mitchell and should be even better in 2025. A championship is an exceedingly high expectation, but sticking around for a while in the playoffs is not. -- Voepel
Las Vegas Aces
2024 record: 27-13 (fourth), lost in semifinals
Season opener: at New York (May 17, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)
Projected starting lineup: Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Kiah Stokes, A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young
How will Loyd fit in with Las Vegas? The Aces' WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023 were fueled by the chemistry between the foursome of Gray, Wilson, Young and Kelsey Plum. With Plum now in Los Angeles, Loyd steps into that role. Loyd was the No. 1 draft pick in 2015, Plum in 2017; both are also past Olympians. For their careers, Loyd has averaged 16.9 PPG in 10 seasons with Seattle, and Plum 14.3 in seven with San Antonio/Las Vegas.
Wilson is coming off her third MVP season. But the Aces also have lost a lot of veteran experience with Alysha Clark (Seattle), Sydney Colson (Indiana) and Tiffany Hayes (Golden State) moving on. -- Voepel
Los Angeles Sparks
2024 record: 8-32 (12th)
Season opener: vs. Golden State (May 16, 10 p.m. ET, ION)
Projected starting lineup: Kelsey Plum, Rickea Jackson, Dearica Hamby, Odyssey Sims, Azura Stevens
What kind of impact will Kelsey Plum have in Los Angeles? The Sparks are trying to move past a season in which they struggled with offensive consistency. Plum, who averaged 17.8 PPG and 4.2 APG for the Aces in 2024 and had a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, should help with some of that. Also, her availability -- starting all 38 of last season's games and averaging 34 MPG -- will be important to Los Angeles, which started nine different guards through the course of last season. But will Plum single-handedly be able to turn around the Sparks?
Los Angeles is also awaiting the return of 2024 No. 2 draft pick Cameron Brink, who is still making her way back from a torn ACL suffered last June. With Plum and eventually Brink on the floor, Jackson -- who is already an elite scorer -- should get more open looks with opposing defenses needing to give her teammates equal attention. -- Andrews
Minnesota Lynx
2024 record: 30-10 (second), lost in WNBA Finals
Season opener: at Dallas (May 16, 7:30 p.m. ET, ION)
Projected starting lineup: Bridget Carleton, Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Alanna Smith, Courtney Williams
Can Minnesota return to the Finals? The Lynx have their starting five back from a team that lost the decisive Game 5 of the 2024 Finals in overtime. That's how close they were to winning the franchise's fifth title. Collier made a push for MVP consideration last season and is expected to be in the running again this year. McBride averaged a career-high 2.7 3-pointers per game, while Smith (10.1 PPG) and Carleton (9.6) had their career bests in scoring average.
The Lynx were strong defensively last season, holding opponents to just 75.6 PPG. If they can do that again, they could be playing for the title again. -- Voepel
New York Liberty
2024 record: 32-8 (first place); WNBA champion
Season opener: vs. Las Vegas (May 17, 1 p.m. ET, ABC)
Projected starting lineup: Natasha Cloud, Sabrina Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones
How do the new pieces mesh and how much will offseason departures be missed in New York's effort to repeat? Courtney Vandersloot is gone, Kayla Thornton was lost in the expansion draft and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is sidelined for much of the regular season rehabbing a meniscus injury. But the rich still managed to get richer with New York signing Marine Johannes and trading for Natasha Cloud to shore up the backcourt.
How will those two guards integrate with Ionescu and the rest of the Liberty core? Will players such as Rebekah Gardner (who is coming off an Achilles injury), Kennedy Burke and second-year Marquesha Davis be able to make up for the absence of Laney-Hamilton? -- Philippou
Phoenix Mercury
2024 record: 19-21 (seventh)
Season opener: vs. Seattle (May 17, 9 p.m. ET)
Projected starting lineup: Satou Sabally, Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, Sami Whitcomb, Celeste Taylor
Who will usher the Mercury into a new era with no Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner? The Mercury's roster looks wildly different than from a year ago: playing without Taurasi for the first time in 20 years after she retired in February, and Griner going to Atlanta. But Phoenix has a lot of options as to who could now carry the torch. Copper returns after being traded to the Mercury last season. Phoenix also landed Sabally and Thomas during free agency, forming a new big three.
Time will tell if Copper, Sabally and Thomas will be as successful next to each other as general manager Nick U'Ren hopes, but if his big swings pay off, the Mercury could be in as good a position as any team moving on from two former franchise players. -- Andrews
Seattle Storm
2024 record: 25-15; lost in first round
Season opener: at PHO (May 17, 10 p.m. ET)
Projected starting lineup: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Alysha Clark, Gabby Williams, Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor
What will Williams provide over a full season? The last time Williams was with the Storm for training camp was 2022. She re-signed with the team midseason each of the past two years after recovering from a serious concussion in 2023 and taking part in the Olympics last summer, playing just 22 total WNBA games.
Williams will be around from Day 1 this year, and her scoring prowess could be key to replacing the departed Jewell Loyd's production. Williams averaged 15.3 PPG as Seattle went 2-1 without Loyd during the past three games of the regular season, albeit with both wins against lottery teams, then averaged a team-high 17.0 PPG with Loyd struggling in the team's first-round loss to Las Vegas. -- Pelton
Andraya Carter explains why she is such a big fan of the Washington Mystics' three first-round picks in the 2025 WNBA draft.
Washington Mystics
2024 record: 14-26 (lottery)
Season opener: vs. ATL (May 16, 7:30 p.m. ET, ION)
Projected starting lineup: Georgia Amoore, Brittney Sykes, Sonia Citron, Aaliyah Edwards, Shakira Austin
How big a role will Washington's three first-round draft picks play this season? No. 3 pick Citron seems a lock to start, but could be joined by either of the team's other two top rookies. Amoore will battle fellow Aussie Jade Melbourne at point guard, with the possibility of Brittney Sykes sliding over from the wing if the Mystics start a bigger lineup. Meanwhile, No. 4 pick Kiki Iriafen is competing with 2024 first-round pick Edwards and veteran Stefanie Dolson in the frontcourt. However new Washington coach Sydney Johnson opts to go, all three first-round picks should be key parts of the team's rotation from Day 1 of what looks like a rebuilding year. -- Pelton