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<\/p>\nRoster construction and management arguably have never been more important in the WNBA.<\/p>\n
More money is on the line. The spotlight is bigger. The stakes are seemingly higher than ever.<\/p>\n
Building a contender has always been hard work, but the WNBA maestros really have to nail it this season to find success. Coaches are under more pressure to succeed, fine-tune the talent and create chemistry. General managers\u2019 every move is scrutinized \u2026 and rightly so, as the influx of talent in the league is supreme.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why our experts cast their votes on who has the best chance to win WNBA Coach of the Year and General Manager of the Year in 2026.<\/p>\n
Coach of the Year prediction: Becky Hammon, Las Vegas Aces<\/p>\n
Well, this was interesting. All of our voters cast a second-place ballot for Atlanta coach Karl Smesko, giving him the biggest vote of confidence, depending on how you look at it. But because Becky Hammon has two first-place votes on our ballots, that tips the voting tally in her favor.\u00a0 In an era of bigger free agency moves and more money on the line, Hammon managed to maintain a championship-caliber roster and make another run at a title.<\/p>\n
In addition to the top-vote choices listed below, these coaches received votes in our top-three process: Minnesota Lynx\u2019s Cheryl Reeve, Toronto Tempo\u2019s Sandy Brondello and Los Angeles Sparks\u2019 Lynne Roberts.<\/p>\n
Our voters\u2019 top choicesHammon, Aces<\/p>\n
Coach of the Year tends to go to the leader of a team that exceeds expectations, and most people already expect Las Vegas to be the best team, or at least near the top of the league. However, year after year of watching Becky Hammon outmaneuver every other coach in the WNBA in the postseason yields the obvious conclusion that she is the best coach alive. Perhaps this season, if the Aces boat race the rest of the field during the regular season, she will be recognized as such.\u00a0 \u2014 Sabreena Merchant<\/p>\n
Hard to vote against someone who\u2019s this good at X\u2019s and O\u2019s and has already won multiple titles in her current roster. \u2014 Chantel Jennings<\/p>\n
Lynne Roberts, Los Angeles Sparks<\/p>\n
It\u2019s funny how bringing aboard a 10-time All-Star like Nneka Ogwumike and drafting a ready-made contributor like Ta\u2019Niya Latson makes you a better coach, isn\u2019t it? But this award is usually about improvement, and the Sparks can improve vastly on last season\u2019s 21 wins. \u2014 Brian Hamilton<\/p>\n
Stephanie White, Indiana Fever<\/p>\n
Considering what White did without a healthy roster last season \u2014 coaching the Fever to a game away from the WNBA Finals \u2014 it\u2019s hard not to consider what she\u2019s capable of with Caitlin Clark and a reloaded team at full strength. The last time the Fever made it to the finals (2015), White was the coach. Eleven seasons later, I\u2019m convinced she can get this team back there.\u00a0 \u2014 Annie Costabile<\/p>\n
General Manager of the Year prediction: Curt Miller, Dallas Wings<\/p>\n
\n Curt Miller, the Dallas Wings general manager, pulled off some smart moves in free agency. (Michael Gonzales \/ NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Miller seems to have constructed a roster that might have the biggest upswing in the league. He has star players and figured out how to add teammates around them. For those savvy moves, Miller is our preseason GM pick. New York Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb and Atlanta Dream GM Dan Padover made this a close race, but Miller\u2019s two No. 1 votes gave him the nod.<\/p>\n
In addition to those top picks by our panel, the other coaches who received votes in a top-three selection process included the Los Angeles Sparks\u2019 Raegan Pebley and the Seattle Storm\u2019s Talisa Rhea.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our voters\u2019 top choicesMiller, Wings<\/p>\n
Bringing in Minnesota\u2019s front court was a free agency coup (along with re-signing Awak Kuier) that moves the Wings significantly up the WNBA ranks. Last season, they finished tied for the fewest wins in the league; now, Dallas has a roster that seems equipped to challenge the best. \u2014 Jennings<\/p>\n
While most contenders simply re-signed their stars, Miller went out and poached unrestricted free agents \u2014 most notably Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard from the Lynx \u2014and looks to have pieced together a playoff team. \u2014 Costabile<\/p>\n
Jonathan Kolb, New York Liberty<\/p>\n
The Liberty retained their star trio of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu on three-year deals, giving them an extended championship window. They added arguably the best free agent who changed teams in Satou Sabally. They brought back Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, a former All-Star and starter on their title team, for less than the average league salary. New York is loaded, deep and has all of its future draft assets to keep making moves.\u00a0 \u2014 Merchant<\/p>\n
Dan Padover, Atlanta Dream<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the Angel Reese trade that does it. It\u2019s how the Angel Reese trade complements stars like Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard, who are already on the roster, raising the ceiling for the Dream, not only in 2026, but for years to come. \u2014 Hamilton<\/p>\n