Chicago invested a crazy amount of long-term money and traded a valuable future first-round pick last offseason with the hope of making the playoffs for the first time since 2023. But, well, that didn’t happen.
Rickea Jackson suffered a torn ACL just four games into the season, Azurá Stevens’ shot disappeared, Skylar Diggins wasn’t a great fit and there were plenty of other issues with the roster construction beyond that.
On the bright side, Sydney Taylor was an absolute steal in undrafted free agency. She averaged 13.6 points on 42.5 percent shooting from the field and should be on her way to an All-Rookie selection.
11. Los Angeles Sparks (16-27)
Similar to Chicago, Los Angeles made all-in moves last offseason with the goal of making the playoffs, but they were very far away from that and eventually traded Kelsey Plum to Phoenix at the deadline.
We’ll see what direction they take after this season, but more likely than not, the Sparks will look to reset and accumulate more young talent.
10. Phoenix Mercury (16-27)
After making the WNBA Finals just a year ago, the Phoenix Mercury missed the playoffs entirely in 2026. They ranked No. 11 in both offensive and defensive rating, and traded their own 2026 first-round pick for five games of Plum, who is now set to enter unrestricted free agency.
Alyssa Thomas will be 35 next season, while Kahleah Copper just turned 32. Even if Plum returns, what exactly is the ceiling of this team when they don’t have many young players or draft picks, either?
Portland entered the season projected to win under 10 games, and almost everyone outside of Oregon assumed they would be the worst team in the league. Instead, they won 17 games and look like a really dangerous team for the future.
Carla Leite is completely unstoppable in ball screens, Bridget Carleton is a very good starting wing, Sarah Ashlee Barker made a massive Year 2 leap before tearing her ACL, Emily Engstler is a legit two-way player and Iyana Martín is coming to the WNBA next season. They also have Alex Sarama, the youngest coach in the league, along with a lottery pick and more cap space than anyone else this offseason.