![\"Aliyah](\"https:\/\/platform.swishappeal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/154\/2026\/10\/gettyimages-2297602086.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAliyah Boston signed a 6.3 million dollar contract in the offseason, the biggest in league history. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n
One of the most effective, or at least easiest, team-building strategies in the WNBA ha been through young stars.<\/p>\n
Rookie contracts are downscaled despite the amount of young talent entering the league, so teams led by players on rookie deals have greater flexibility to surround them with big contracts.<\/p>\n
The Indiana Fever demonstrate this strategy well.<\/p>\n
Aliyah Boston signed an EPIC extension that slotted her onto supermax-structured deal this past offseason, paying her 20 percent of the Fever\u2019s total cap allowance each year from 2027 and 2029, in addition to a base one million dollar salary in 2026. Caitlin Clark will assuredly walk into her own high-dollar EPIC extension at the end of 2027, meaning that the Fever will have 40 percent (or more) of their salary cap tied up into two players. That makes it virtually impossible for them to roster an experienced talent like Kelsey Mitchell, who they\u2019re paying $1.4 million this season. If they felt like a third star was conducive to playoff success, they would forfeit their ability to roster serviceable or desirable role players. Mitchell has already indicated that she\u2019ll be exploring options as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and it feels unlikely that she\u2019ll be in Indianapolis at the end of Clark\u2019s rookie deal.<\/p>\n
But, this isn\u2019t about the specificities of the Fever\u2019s future. This is more about the fact that the Fever\u2019s current roster building only works because Clark is on a rookie contract. Without that financial break, they wouldn\u2019t be able to have such an excess of talent.<\/p>\n
Opposite the Fever\u2019s situation is a team like the Aces.<\/p>\n
The Aces cap is severely top-heavy, with three players making more than $1 million and Jewell Loyd trailing closely over at over $800,000. With 62 percent of their salaray cap allotted to four players, Las Vegas has both limited their ability to employ impactful role players and tied up money in relatively untraceable contracts. Chelsea Gray earned her money, no doubt. But a $1.1 million payout to a 14-year veteran in 2028 will be hard to work around, even if Gray maintains her 12-point and seven-assist averages. Age and production considered, that\u2019s an almost impossible contract to move if Las Vegas wants to go in a different direction.<\/p>\n
A similar story could be told about Loyd. Loyd is a 12-year veteran averaging eight points per game on below average shooting splits who will be making over $800,000 until the end of 2028. If the Aces core production around A\u2019ja starts to falter, their front office has made it extremely difficult to become younger without sacrificing contention. If they had more tradable contracts or overall flexibility, they could have potentially moved off of Loyd in the next couple of seasons and recieved a return of younger or better role players.<\/p>\n
Such a top-heavy approach to team building is great while everyone is performing, and obviously the Aces won the championship last year, so they\u2019ve reaped the rewards of those contracts.<\/p>\n
But if there was a way to build a more sustainable team while still contending for championships, wouldn\u2019t that be more attractive?<\/p>\n
The Valkyries are charting a new, sustainable team-building vision<\/p>\n