After months of uncertainty that we’d even have a WNBA season, free agency has finally arrived. This will be an unprecedented free agency period, both in terms of the available free agents and the paychecks they’ll be cashing.
The WNBA and WNBPA finally reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement last month, set to run over the next seven years. Through the new CBA, the WNBA salary cap will increase from $1.5 million to $7 million — meaning the league’s spending in free agency will hit a new all-time high.
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The first big breaking news item of WNBA free agency hit on Monday, as the Chicago Sky traded All-Star Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream. The Sky received the Dream’s 2027 and 2028 first-round picks, while the Dream acquired Reese and the right to swap second-round picks with the Sky in the 2028 WNBA Draft.
As far as the players available, there’s no shortage of elite star power in free agency — though it remains to be seen how many of them will actually test the free-agent market despite being “available” to negotiate.
Breanna Stewart and Liberty teammate Sabrina Ionescu already announced their intent to re-sign with New York, and Wilson intends to re-sign with the Las Vegas Aces.
The Liberty extended a core qualifying offer to Ionescu on Tuesday — a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth the supermax, worth a reported $1.4 million under the new CBA. The Minnesota Lynx also extended a core qualifying offer to star Napheesa Collier ahead of the deadline.
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Most of the league’s vets strategically aligned their contracts to become free agents in 2026, which means the pool of talent is deep, and most team rosters could look dramatically different this year, particularly on the heels of an expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire.
Check out our team-by-team look at the top free agents from each team here.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports as WNBA free agency opens up following the league’s historic CBA negotiations:
Live53 updates
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 4:40 PM PDT
Andy Backstrom
Former Washington Mystics center Stefanie Dolson is signing with the Seattle Storm, as first reported by Khristina Williams and then confirmed by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Dolson won a WNBA championship in 2021 with the Chicago Sky.
She earned an All-Star nod in 2015 during her first stint with the Mystics and in 2017 with the Sky.
Last season, Dolson averaged just 3.7 points in 15.2 minutes per game for the Mystics.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 4:27 PM PDT
Andy Backstrom
After spending the past two seasons in New York with the Liberty, Kennedy Burke has agreed to a one-year deal with the Connecticut Sun, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, who noted that Burke recently helped Turkey clinch a spot in the World Cup.
A 2019 second-round pick out of UCLA, Burke caught on in the W with the Indiana Fever. Since, she’s bounced around the league.
She played a role on the 2024 Liberty team that won it all. She saw more action this past season, though, averaging 8.1 points per game while shooting a career-high 41.4% from deep.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 4:08 PM PDT
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 3:36 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Tyasha “Ty” Harris has agreed to a deal to join the Indiana Fever after a season with the Dallas Wings, per multiple reports. Harris rejoins Fever head coach Stephanie White, who coached her during two seasons with the Sun.
Indiana struggled mightily with injuries to point guards last season: After losing Caitlin Clark partway through the season, the Fever lost two more guards afterSydney Colson and Aari McDonald suffered season-ending injuries in the same game, and eventually had to sign Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract.
Harris, then will round out a Fever team that should see Clark’s return to the court, but will be glad to have a proven point guard on the bench.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 1:59 PM PDT
Andy Backstrom
The Portland Fire announced that they have signed Bridget Carleton.
The Fire were allowed to take one “potential unrestricted free agent” in the expansion draft, and they used that pick on Carleton, a former Minnesota Lynx forward.
She has inked a three-year deal at the max with Portland, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Carleton averaged 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 37.3% from 3 last season in Minnesota.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 1:50 PM PDT
Andy Backstrom
The Golden State Valkyries announced that they have re-signed guard Veronica Burton, the reigning WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year, to a multiyear deal.
“Veronica was the backbone of this team in our inaugural season,” Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said in the team’s release. “She started every single game, led us in nearly every statistical category and was the connective tissue between our locker room and our coaching staff. …”
Burton averaged 11.9 points and 6 assists per game while helping Golden State become the W’s first expansion team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 1:46 PM PDT
Ian Casselberry
Restricted free-agent forward Shakira Austin has signed an offer sheet with the expansion Toronto Tempo, The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant reports. The Washington Mystics have two days to decide whether or not to match the offer to the 6-foot-5 forward.
The offer sheet is for a three-year max deal starting at $1.19 million in 2026, according to Merchant.
Last season, the 25-year-old Austin averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 12:34 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
The Dream are running it back, announcing Saturday that they have officially re-signed all of last year’s starters for the upcoming season.
After extending a qualifying offer to star Rhyne Howard, Atlanta agreed to deals this week with Brionna Jones, Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada and reigning sixth player of the year Naz Hillmon, who is set to take an even bigger role with the team this year.
The only key player lost in free agency was Brittney Griner, who is heading to the Connecticut Sun after only one year with the team. But the Dream are gaining another exciting center after acquiring Angel Reese in a trade with the Sky last week.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 10:34 AM PDT
Andy Backstrom
The New York Liberty are finalizing a multi-year deal, on which they’re bringing back center Jonquel Jones, according to the New York Post’s Madeline Kenney.
Jones is a five-time All-Star and one-time WNBA MVP who also earned WNBA Finals MVP honors when the Liberty won it all in 2024.
She’s part of a tantalizing core that now reportedly includes former Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 10:17 AM PDT
Ian Casselberry
Skylar Diggins has signed with the Chicago Sky, the team announced on Saturday. The veteran guard has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract, according to ESPN’s Alexa Phillipou.
Read more here.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 10:09 AM PDT
Andy Backstrom
Former Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally is reportedly signing a multi-year deal with the New York Liberty, according to multiple ESPN reports.
Sabally is a three-time All-Star and helped the Mercury reach the WNBA Finals last season.
Before last year, she spent the 2020-24 seasons with the Dallas Wings, who drafted her No. 2 overall.
The Oregon product is a New York native and is now returning to the Big Apple to play for a stacked Liberty team.
Read more here.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 9:33 AM PDT
Andy Backstrom
The Indiana Fever aren’t just retaining during free agency. They’re reportedly adding, too.
The Fever are signing former Golden State Valkyries forward Monique Billings, according to multiple reports.
She’s coming to Indiana on a multi-year deal, per IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson. Billings averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for Golden State last season after being selected in the expansion draft.
Notably, the 2018 second-round pick, who spent the first six seasons of her WNBA career with the Atlanta Dream, played with Kelsey Mitchell in Unrivaled and with Caitlin Clark at the FIBA Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico back in March.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 9:13 AM PDT
Hamby, 32, joined LA in 2023 via a trade with the Aces. She averaged a career-high 18.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals in 44 games last season with the Sparks.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 8:59 AM PDT
Sheldon, the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft, is now on her fourth team. After beginning her career with the Wings, she moved on to the Sun and Mystics last year. Now she’ll get a chance to stick with the Sky.
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 8:13 AM PDT
Sat, April 11, 2026 at 7:09 AM PDT
Fri, April 10, 2026 at 7:45 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
Nine-time All-Star Brittney Griner is moving on from the Atlanta Dream after one season, signing a seven-figure deal with the Connecticut Sun, per multiple reports.
Griner joined Atlanta ahead of last year, signing a one-year deal with the team. She played an average of 20:46 minutes per game while sharing time at center with Brionna Jones, averaging 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game across the season.
Notably, Griner was born and raised in Houston — where the Sun are set to be relocated in the 2027 season after being sold to the Fertitta family last month.
Read more about the trade here.
Fri, April 10, 2026 at 2:52 PM PDT
Kari Anderson
The Las Vegas Aces have secured another key piece of their core, reportedly re-signing Chelsea Gray to a three-year, multi-million dollar deal, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Callie Fin.
Gray, who has been with the Aces since 2021, hinted at the move with a video on Instagram of her son, Lennox, saying “Mommy to Vegas!”
Gray has been a crucial part of the Aces’ dynasty, helping lead Las Vegas to three championships in four years alongside A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young. Wilson has said that she does not plan to test free agency, leaving the Aces open to sign her to a supermax deal in the coming days. Young, meanwhile, has finalized a one-year max deal to stay with Las Vegas.
Fri, April 10, 2026 at 1:03 PM PDT
The Dallas Wings are reportedly signing forward Jessica Shepard to a multi-year deal, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. Shepard joins Dallas after five seasons as a key bench player with the Lynx.
Fri, April 10, 2026 at 12:59 PM PDT
Guard Natisha Hiedeman — one half of the Lynx’s notorious “Stud Budz” duo — is joining the Seattle Storm on a two-year deal, per multiple reports.