Top 10 WNBA free agent moves: Which players will have the biggest fantasy upgrade?

From the new CBA to the busiest free agency period in league history, it’s been a busy spring for the WNBA. The league has expanded from 12 teams to 15 by the end of 2024. toronto tempo And portland fire Joining this season after Golden State Valkyries Came on board last season. Then, wnba draft brought another infusion of talent to the league including dallas wings The No. 1 overall pick is being added from UConn for the second consecutive year.

With all this in mind, there are several WNBA mainstays who are fitting in with their new squads around the league. With change comes opportunity, so let’s examine some of the most significant player movements with an eye on which ones will have the biggest impact on the fantasy hoops landscape.

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angel reese till atlanta dream (Business)

reese was traded chicago sky Towards the dream in a blockbuster move. Reese has led the WNBA in scoring each of the last two seasons and the Dream has advanced brittany griner This offseason, Reese looks poised to have a great season again. Reese has also shown that she is developing into a plus scorer, and the process is helped when she plays on teams with strong backcourts that can draw defensive attention and set up Reese with good looks. She’ll be playing next to an elite backcourt raine howard And alisha gray in Atlanta, and all signs point to Reese putting up big numbers in Year 3. He is a top 10 fantasy prospect with upside in the top five.

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McNutt: Angel Reese trade benefits all parties involved

Monica McNutt joins “SportsCenter” to break down what Sky trading angel Reese’s move to the Dream means for both teams.

Satou Sabli till new york liberty

Sabally was the leading scorer for phoenix mercury He averaged 16.3 ppg last season, and then 18.3 ppg in his last two seasons with the Wings. Sabally will join a stacked lineup featuring Liberty Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu And Jonquel JonesSo his scoring average may go down further this season. But Sabally is an excellent all-around player, so I expect her to establish herself as a key creator for the Liberty. Although he may have been a top 10 fantasy prospect on a team that needed him more, Sabally is still firmly a top 20 prospect for the Liberty as long as he stays healthy.

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Nneka Ogwumike till los angeles sparks

Ogwumike returned to the Sparks this offseason after two seasons seattle storm. The Sparks drafted Ogwumike and he played the first 12 seasons of his career there, winning MVP and leading the team to a championship in 2016. ogwumike joins diorica hamby and 2024 No. 2 overall pick cameron brink In a strong frontcourt. It remains to be seen how minutes and responsibilities will be distributed between them, but Ogwumike comes in as a top-20 fantasy prospect with upside upside.

skylar diggins to the chicago sky

Diggins signed a two-year deal with the Sky this offseason, her fifth franchise in her 12th WNBA season. Diggins has been a perennial All-Star at every stage of her career, including last season with the Storm. The Sky struggled in the backcourt last season, and Diggins should be featured as the primary offense creator for the team this season. I consider him a top-20 fantasy prospect with top-10 upside.

rickia jackson to the chicago sky

In return, Jackson was traded from the Sparks to the Sky this offseason. ariel atkins. Jackson has been a plus scorer in her first two WNBA seasons, and she has a good chance to improve her production in her third season on a team that will rely on her scoring. Additionally, Jackson will play next to Diggins, who can help create good looks for him in the offense. Jackson increased his scoring last season as well, averaging 16.7 PPG over the last 21 games of the season, and has a good chance to match or surpass that average this season.

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ariel atkins To Los Angeles Sparks (trade)

Atkins was traded to the Sparks in the deal that sent Jackson to the Sky. Atkins is a plus shooter-scorer who has the all-around ability to contribute on the glass and with assists. At the Sparks, she will play next to the dynamic playmaker kelsey plum On a team with playoff aspirations. Atkins may not post big numbers, but he has scored in low-mid double figures in all eight of his seasons, and should be expected to do so again this season.

brittany griner till connecticut sun

Griner signed with the rebuilding Suns and looks like he could become their starting center. Griner was a perennial All-Star with the Mercury for most of her career before joining the Dream last season. Griner lost his starting role for the Dream, dropping his averages to 8.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.4 bpg in 16.1 mpg over his last 14 games. This season, on whatever Suns team she joins, Griner’s numbers could more closely resemble 2024, her last season with the Mercury, where she was a high-mid-teens scorer, grabbing between six and seven boards and blocking about one and a half shots per game.

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natasha howard To minnesota lynx

Howard signed for his second stint with the Lynx after one season, which represented his second stint with the indiana fever. He is an elite defender and plus rebounder from the forward position, averaging 16.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg in his three seasons before re-joining the Fever last season. On a Fever team featuring multiple All-Stars, Howard’s scoring production dropped to 11.4 ppg. Long term, the Lynx will play last season’s MVP runner-up Nafeesa CollierBut Collier is injured and is not expected to resume on-court basketball activities until June. Thus, Howard may have a larger role than usual to start the season, perhaps closer to his statistics before joining the Fever.

brittany sykes, marina mabrey for toronto tempo

This expansion is a two-for-one for Tempo, who added both Sykes and Mabrey to create a strong backcourt. Sykes averaged 15.0 ppg, 4.3 apg and 3.8 rpg over two and a half seasons. washington mystic Before being traded to the Storm to end last season. Mabrey has been a consistent 14.6 ppg scorer over her last three seasons playing for both the Sky and the Suns. Between them, they should lead the expansion tempo with numbers at the upper end of their expected averages from recent seasons.

bridget carlton for portland fire

Carlton was brought to the Expansion Fire after playing with the Lynx last season. Carlton was a role player on the Links, but projects to have a more elite profile on the Fire. Carlton set career-highs of 9.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 2.3 3ppg in 29.9 mpg in his first full season as a starter for the Lynx in 2024. As the primary scorer for the Fire he is likely to surpass all of those numbers this season.

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