Sports
WNBA free-agency chaos: Why did so many All-Stars move for one-year contracts?
Executives around the WNBA largely expected this offseason’s market to serve as a tune-up for next winter. At the start of the offseason, only two non-rookie contract players had deals that extended past 2025. Seismic change loomed.
But after an avalanche of moves, significant shifts have come an offseason early as a hectic week of free agency is reshaping the upcoming season.
In six days, 10 multi-time All-Stars — Satou Sabally, Brittney Griner, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Brionna Jones, DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Tina Charles and Courtney Vandersloot — changed teams via trade or the open market.
Veterans who had only played for one team, including Griner (11 years in Phoenix), Thomas (11 years in Connecticut) and Loyd (10 years in Seattle), are with different franchises. Plum had spent her career only with the Aces, and Sabally was a five-year mainstay in Dallas.
Yet, they’ll all be wearing new uniforms in 2025. And maybe only for 2025.
All of the star players so far in free agency have signed one-year deals, which means they’ll be back on the market next year. The short-term contracts allow them to maximize their long-term earning potential.
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An economic windfall is expected to hit the league in 2026. Assuming there isn’t a work stoppage, a new collective bargaining agreement will almost assuredly feature higher player salaries and a league salary-cap spike. A new media rights deal that will pay the WNBA an average of $200 million a season over the next 11 years is expected to be a key economic driver. A season from now, players likely will return to inking multiyear deals at higher rates.
But by changing teams in 2025, they can get a sense for their new franchises and see how front offices tailor rosters to their strengths before committing long-term. No situation is entirely predictable, but the decision to try out new situations now, and not in the first year of a multiyear agreement, should help players make more informed decisions in 12 months.
In the short term, stars on new teams can gather information on their new teams this season while also maintaining future leverage.
These bold moves indicate a new era for WNBA players, who have more agency than ever in their decisions to play at their preferred destinations. Historically, stars were largely tethered to the teams that drafted them. Trade requests were relatively rare. Stars like Chelsea Gray and Candace Parker changed teams in recent seasons, but no multi-time All-Stars were traded in 2021 and 2022. In the last three seasons, including this offseason, seven multi-time All-Stars have been dealt.
“That’s just the evolution of the league and where we’re seeing basketball and women’s sports going,” Loyd said. “There’s definitely a lot more freedom and things happening.”
Certainly, teams that took big swings — Phoenix, Atlanta and Los Angeles especially — hope they can build on the foundation they laid this past week.
But the short-term contracts mean teams took risks with these transactions.
The Dream, who haven’t had a winning record since 2018, hope adding Jones and Griner will provide them not only a shot at a top-four playoff seed this season, but also with a significant advantage next winter in talks. The Mercury surely want their big three of Sabally, Thomas and Kahleah Copper — potentially Big Four if Diana Taurasi returns for the 2025 season— to be intact for years to come. Led by Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever already have title aspirations, and the veteran additions of Howard and Bonner could serve as missing pieces to the puzzle.
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The benefits of incumbency could give teams a head-start in negotiations next offseason. But even franchises like the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings, who aren’t expected to be in title contention, made moves (Chicago added Vandersloot, Kia Nurse and Bec Allen, while the Wings acquired DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith and Ty Harris) that could help them become a more appealing destination for free agents in 2026.
More madness is bound to strike next January. More coupling, and recoupling, of stars will occur. Unrivaled, the new winter 3×3 professional winter league, was an epicenter for WNBA gossip and deal-making. It will be a hub next year, too, with almost every Unrivaled player in the inaugural season hitting the market.
This offseason was a reminder there should be no surprises when a franchise centerpiece looks elsewhere.
Change, even from players who have historically avoided it, is on the table for everyone.
(Photo of Satou Sabally and Brittney Griner: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
Martin Dugard is a prolific author and writer. He’s also an assistant cross-country coach at Santa Margarita after being head coach at JSerra for 15 years.
His newest book is “The Long Run,” which discusses the 1970s running boom and is a narrative history of four who sparked the marathon boom: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz.
He’s going to have a book signing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 26751 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo.
Don’t be surprised if he tries to run from Rancho Santa Margarita to his book signing.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.
He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
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