WNBA Preseason Power Rankings: Liberty Start 2025 Season on Top

The 2025 WNBA season is finally here, with the league’s 29th campaign set to tip off on Friday. After a busy offseason filled with free agency acquisitions and a new expansion team preparing for its inaugural season, there are plenty of storylines to follow as action gets underway. 

Will the reigning champions, the New York Liberty, pull off a title defense? Can Caitlin Clark and a refurbished Indiana Fever team take home the hardware? What will the Golden State Valkyries look like in their debut WNBA season?

Here’s where teams stack up ahead of opening weekend.

1. New York Liberty

The Liberty may have lost veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot to free agency and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton to a long-term injury, but they still have a deep roster to support their Big Three of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu (right) and Jonquel Jones (not to mention bigtime trade acquisition Natasha Cloud). 

2. Minnesota Lynx

The Lynx shocked the league last year, narrowly missing the title after entering the season with relatively little hype. There is no reason to think Minnesota can’t go on another Finals run, especially as star Napheesa Collier is in peak form following a successful inaugural Unrivaled season. 

3. Indiana Fever 

The 2025 Fever will look quite different from last season’s group. With Stephanie White now at the helm and 15-year league veteran DeWanna Bonner injecting the roster with championship experience, expect big things from this Caitlin Clark–led team. 

4. Las Vegas Aces

How will the Aces perform with Jewell Loyd? The answer to that question could very well be scary. Loyd is an experienced guard and a threat anywhere on the floor. It may take time to build chemistry, with new faces in the building and Kelsey Plum gone to Los Angeles, but Becky Hammon’s team has all the necessary pieces for a title bid—not least among them, reigning MVP A’ja Wilson. 

5. Phoenix Mercury

After a storied 20-year career in Phoenix, Diana Taurasi retired this offseason, leaving the Mercury without their cornerstone. Fellow Phoenix mainstay Brittney Griner is gone too, having moved to Atlanta. In their stead, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally will join guard Kahleah Copper to form a potentially lethal triple threat. 

6. Seattle Storm

After a tumultuous offseason, the Storm have emerged with an impressive roster despite losing Loyd to the Aces. Veteran guard Skylar Diggins will pull the strings of a group anchored by frontcourt duo of Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. Seattle’s future looks bright after picking French phenom Dominique Malonga in the 2025 draft—a 6' 6" center with tremendous upside. 

7. Atlanta Dream

The signing of Griner, one of the best bigs in league history, immediately elevated the Dream to playoff contender status. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray are potent offensive threats, and forward Brionna Jones, a new addition by way of Connecticut, should pair nicely with Griner. 

8. Los Angeles Sparks

The Sparks will be eager to move on from the injuries that plagued them last season. The good news for Los Angeles: Cameron Brink, who has been sidelined with a torn ACL since June, will return to the floor, while Rickea Jackson should take a step forward after a successful rookie season. Expect league veterans Dearica Hamby and Plum to provide valuable experience for this young lineup. 

9. Dallas Wings

Drafting Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 pick immediately changed the Wings’ trajectory. Bueckers will slot in next to Arike Ogunbowale to form a prolific backcourt duo. It’s the dawn of a new era in Dallas, but it will probably take more than one season for first-year coach Chris Koclanes to right this ship. 

10. Chicago Sky

The Sky have exciting young talent in Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese and 2025 draftee Hailey Van Lith, but it could be another growth year in Chicago. Tyler Marsh will look to Vandersloot, who won a WNBA title with the Sky in ’21 and again last season with the Liberty, to help implement his vision for the team in his first year as coach. 

11. Washington Mystics

The Mystics needed to rebuild, and rebuild they did, selecting three players with the first six picks of the 2025 WNBA draft. Rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen join a team in transition led by versatile big Shakira Austin. Washington will need time to develop its young talent, but this could be an exciting team in a few years, especially once fellow 2025 first-round pick Georgia Amoore recovers from her preseason ACL tear. 

12. Connecticut Sun

The Sun have advanced to the Finals or semifinals in every postseason since 2019. But after getting so close to the mountaintop and repeatedly falling short, their core was dismantled this offseason. With an entirely new starting lineup, it remains to be seen what Connecticut’s identity will be, but first-round picks Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers provide a solid foundation from which to build. 

13. Golden State Valkyries

Welcome to the WNBA, Valkyries. Golden State appears keen to dip its toe in the league waters rather than cannonball into its first year. The expansion team has taken an intentional approach to building its roster, bringing on several impressive international players, including first-round pick Juste Jocyte of Lithuania