Draft picks
The Washington Mystics finished 2025 with a 16-28 record and in 10th place. It was a better performance than was expected, but it still put them in the draft lottery. As a result of the lottery and some auspicious trades, the Mystics have three picks in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft — their own, No. 4 overall, Seattle’s at No. 9 and New York’s at No. 11. Washington also has an extra second-round pick from their 2024 trade of Myisha Hines-Allen, so they’ll pick No. 19 and No. 30. Lastly, they retained their own third round pick, No. 34 overall, for a total of six picks in the upcoming draft. All this is good news for a team that began overhauling itself with youth last year and is looking to continue building through the draft.
Under contract
The Washington Mystics have a lot of young, cost-controlled depth, but the crown jewels are undoubtedly 2025 WNBA All-Stars Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. After stellar rookie seasons, they are under contract for an unprotected $80,408 each. Citron could be a No. 2 option on a true contender — she broke the Mystics’ rookie season scoring record set by Chamique Holdsclaw in 1999 — and Iriafen looks like a quality big for years to come.
Georgia Amoore was Washington’s third first-round pick in 2025, picked No. 6 overall out of Kentucky, but missed the entire 2025 season after injuring her ACL on just the third day of training camp. The 5’6 point guard will be a 25-year-old rookie coming off an ACL tear, so it is hard to predict what her play will look like in 2026. She averaged 19.6 points, 6.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in her fifth and final collegiate season. If her potential as the team’s long-term point guard comes to fruition, she is under contract for only $77,156, unprotected.
Lucy Olsen was comparably picked much later in the same draft, No. 23 overall, but had some impressive moments and played well above her draft slot. The 5’10 guard averaged 4 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists in just 12.4 minutes per game with an effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. Outside of her solid performances, Olsen’s teammates and coaches praised her for staying ready, putting in extra work and continuing to support her teammates even as her minutes fluctuated throughout the season. Her $70,653 unprotected salary is the team’s cheapest contract.
The Mystics acquired second-year guard Jacy Sheldon in August via a trade that sent Aaliyah Edwards to the Connecticut Sun. This is Sheldon’s third team in two WNBA seasons, but the 25-year-old is a talented shooter and defender. Unfortunately, after playing 28 games for Connecticut — where she averaged 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 24.1 minutes per game, shooting 47.0% from the field and 41.2% from 3-point range — she played just two games for Washington, then missed the remainder of the season to injury. The Ohio State product is under contract for an unprotected $82,399.
Extension candidate
Sheldon is Washington’s only player under contract not coming off their rookie season, so, during this offseason (pending CBA changes), Washington has to make a decision about the fourth-year team option on her contract. If the team does not exercise its option, Sheldon would become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 season. The fourth-year option would pay $93,636 and be fully protected. Acquiring Sheldon at the cost of Edwards indicates that the Mystics had a firm belief in Sheldon’s potential impact. So, it is a smart move to keep her under low-cost, team control for another year.
Contracts
Jacy Sheldon – $82,399
Sonia Citron – $80,408
Kiki Iriafen – $80,408
Georgia Amoore – $77,156
Lucy Olsen – $70,653
Value of all protected contracts: $0
Value of all contracts: $391,024
Unrestricted free agents
Compared to many other teams, Washington has very few unrestricted free agents — just Stefanie Dolson, Alysha Clark and Jade Melbourne. Two experienced, accomplished veterans and one of the league’s youngest players.
Dolson, a 6’5 center who was a 2021 WNBA Champion with the Chicago Sky, had a down year. With Iriafen’s quick adjustment to the WNBA and Shakira Austin returning from injury, Dolson rarely played more than 20 minutes a game and averaged a career low 3.7 points per game, plus 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists, less than her career average of 4.4 and 1.8. As a strong big who can also stretch the floor with her 3-point shot, Dolson is a great veteran to have on your team. But now 34 years old, she may not fit into Washington’s rebuild plans and look for more playing time elsewhere.
Clark is a similar story. The league’s oldest player at 38 years old, Clark returned to Washington via a midseason trade that she requested after having signed with Seattle in free agency ahead of the 2025 season. Clark had previously played for the Mystics when she joined as a free agent in 2021, after winning the 2018 and 2020 WNBA Championships with the Seattle Storm. Following two years in Washington, she spent two years in Vegas, winning WNBA Sixth Player of the Year and another championship in 2023. Unquestionably an experienced winner, the lockdown defender was, however, overpaid in 2025 given her playing time, which did increase in Washington after a sharp decrease in Seattle. Given that a desire to play and be utilized reportedly motivated her trade request, the same desire will likely shape where she decides to sign in free agency.
Free agent spotlight
Still just 23 years old and entering her fourth WNBA season, Melbourne is a young yet experienced point guard worth keeping around. The Australian already has a bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she was named the tournament’s Rising Star after starting all six games for Australia and averaging 7.0 points, 2.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Averaging the most playing time of her WNBA career in 2025 (23.4 minutes per game), the 5’10 guard’s averages of 5.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 40% from the field, aren’t exactly eye-popping, but they are solid. Pacey, creative and aggressive to the basket, Melbourne is likely to continue to improve and could add to the team’s young core.
Restricted and reserved free agents
Washington has two restricted free agents, Sug Sutton and Shakira Austin, and two reserved free agents, Emily Engstler and Madison Scott. Both distinctions only become official when a Qualifying Offer (QO) is sent to the player, otherwise they become an unrestricted free agent.
If a QO is extended to a restricted free agent, the player can negotiate an offer sheet with a team other than their last team. However, that player’s prior team has a “Right of First Refusal” by matching the offer sheet. If the team matches the offer sheet, which must be for a multi-year contract, the player signs a contract with their original team on the terms agreed upon with the new club. If a QO is extended to a reserved free agent, however, the player is subject to that team’s exclusive negotiating rights.
The biggest question the Mystics will have to answer is how much Austin and Sutton are worth. Austin will be the player they should be most keen on retaining as her return to something close to full health reminded everyone that she is ideally part of Washington’s future, looking at an Iriafen-Austin post pairing for years to come. However, there are injury concerns with Austin, who played just 19 games in 2023 and 12 in 2024. They may hope to avoid paying Austin too much given that history, but they might not have a choice if another team is willing to take the risk on her.
Sutton is not as big a priority, but she did have a solid year after being thrust into a much bigger role than expected before Amoore’s injury. In 2025, the 5’8 guard appeared in all but one game for Washington, averaging 7.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game shooting 42.2% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc.
Engstler should receive a reserved qualifying offer and continue to provide post depth in Washington. Though she is just 6’1, she plays bigger than she is with toughness and spaces the floor with her 3-point shooting. The No. 4 overall pick in 2022, Engslter had a winding WNBA career before finding a spot in D.C., where she has been a strong contributor and a good player to keep under team control.
There is no harm in Washington extending a reserved qualifying offer to Scott as well, as the money is unprotected, and she could be cut later. However, she only played 47 minutes across nine games. So the decision likely depends on whether they still see a potential future in the WNBA for Scott after such minimal impact as a rookie.
Analysis
After trading away Ariel Atkins and Karlie Samuelson in the preseason and later Britney Sykes midseason, for draft equity, it looked like it would be a rough rebuilding year in Washington. Instead, the new era got off to a promising start. They were fun to watch with Austin and Iriafen inside and Citron on the perimeter, and were in solid playoff contention until the final weeks of the season.
Similar to the other teams that missed the playoffs in 2025, Washington has a wealth of young talent on rookie-scale contracts and ample funds to spend in free agency, should players be interested. They don’t have quite as much top-tier talent as Dallas or Los Angeles, but they do have good depth and have been historically a more attractive destination in free agency. Plus, their young core should help attract free agents who’ll know players like Citron and Iriafen can help them win. However, playing in an arena that sits just 4,200 isn’t the most appealing; it is a margin that will likely be increasingly important as standards rise across the league.
Given the youth already on the team (and what will likely be more youth coming in through the 2026 draft unless they trade picks away), Washington general manager Jamila Wideman will want some veteran signings who can help lead the young players without limiting their growth. A veteran point guard could be particularly useful if Amoore struggles to adapt after returning from injury. And if Washington really wants to contend, they’ll be looking for a true No. 1 option in free agency or hope they get that quality with the No. 4 overall pick, which isn’t impossible, but it is unlikely. Another wing to complement Citron would be ideal, and there are plenty of strong free agent options — like Jackie Young, Allisha Gray and Kelsey Mitchell — but every team will want to sign them, and there is no guarantee they are interested in leaving their current teams.
Overall, soon-to-be second-year head coach Sydney Johnson and the Washington Mystics are in a solid spot for 2026, but can’t get ahead of themselves so early in the rebuild process.
Note: This will be updated accordingly with salary cap details and any relevant definitional changes when a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed.