WNBA Dissected 2023 Week 7: Extensions and trades and coaching changes, oh my!

We break down all the interesting and meaningful incidents in an eventful week across the WNBA

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Extended Domination?

Late last week, the Las Vegas Aces continued a successful policy from last year by signing star post A'ja Wilson to a two-year contract extension. In-season extensions signed by Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young locked them up through 2024, and now Wilson will also be part of their core through 2025. It saves any drama in the offseason, and most importantly prevents any of their key players leaving for nothing in free agency.

Just like her teammates, Wilson made concessions in signing this deal. She was eligible for the supermax, which would've been $241,984 in 2024 (and then $248,049 in 2025, slightly sub-supermax due to a weird rule that limits increases in extensions to 3% of the previous contract's final season). Instead, she agreed to $200,000 in each of 2024 and 2025. So she's giving up around $90,000 in this contract, despite being a two-time MVP and one of the most obvious supermax-worthy players in the league. She also could've played out this season without extending, forcing the Aces to almost certainly core her at the end of the year. Even if she ultimately signed the same $200,000/$200,000 deal, there's value to playing those seasons after being cored. If the rules remain the same in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, a player cannot be cored again after playing at least two years under a deal signed when cored. So she'd have removed that option from her teams for the rest of her WNBA career. Now, she could still be cored after 2025 rather than becoming a true unrestricted free agent.

However, Wilson is obviously happy in Las Vegas, as was the case with her teammates who also extended. Winning does that, along with being made very comfortable and treated well by your organisation. It's not uncommon in various American sports to see star players take a discount so that the talent around them can help them win, especially when a salary cap governs who else can join the team. Of course, the Dearica Hamby mess shows how quickly these partnerships can turn sour if the team decides they can do better without you. The team will move you out if they come to that conclusion, and call it a 'business decision'. That's why a lot of people would advise against players taking discounts. But given Wilson's level she's likely making plenty in endorsements, and that $45,000 per year is worth it to her to keep this team's core together.

For Vegas, this is a great deal. They lock up a superstar talent for another two years, don't have to core her, and will be paying her less than the max, never mind the supermax. Once Wilson agrees to that you make sure you get her signature on the dotted line within the next five minutes just in case she reconsiders. Getting her to add two years could be particularly useful because Plum, Gray, Young and Alysha Clark are only signed through 2024. The prospect of continuing to play alongside Wilson may well encourage them to tack on an extra season, maintaining this star-studded squad for another year. Signing beyond 2025 seems unlikely - the prospect of a new broadcast deal and new CBA means agents will be waiting on potentially significantly increased salary numbers - but at least one more year could be added to their window.

Wilson’s extension isn't entirely without controversy. The reigning MVP just signed up to play for less in 2024 and 2025 than she's currently playing for in 2023, which only reignites the whispers about what 'incentives' might be being offered by Las Vegas and owner Mark Davis, and whether they're entirely within the rules of the CBA. The league investigated those claims when Hamby was traded and took away their 2025 first-round pick as a result, but weren't able to substantiate any allegations around other players. Continuing the same policy either shows they weren't doing anything wrong in the first place, or they're still getting away with the same stuff, depending on your perspective. All we can do from the outside is take these deals at face value, but that won't stop the chatter both inside and outside of league circles.

On a basic level, the best team in the league just locked up their best player for two extra years, on essentially a bargain deal. It's another jackpot for the Aces.

Indiana and the Deal of Befuddlement

We had an actual trade this week! With so many teams already over the salary cap due to replacement players, I'd practically given up on anyone completing a deal, but Washington and Indiana agreed to a straight swap of centers Queen Egbo and Amanda Zahui B. Now we just have to work out why the Fever agreed to it.

After some time to consider, my stance hasn't really changed from my instinctive reaction on Twitter. Pushed out of the starting lineup by the arrival of Aliyah Boston and left with limited minutes as a backup, Egbo hasn't been able to show much this year. But we saw what was possible when she was surprisingly effective for much of her rookie season in 2022. At a minimum, she's a solid young big who can do a job in the paint, with room to grow into more. We have a lot more years of evidence of what Zahui B is at the WNBA level. She's occasionally been a serviceable rotation big, but only ever played significant minutes on bad teams. This year, she's barely been able to crack the rotation in Washington and shot very poorly when she's had the chance. She also turns 30 in a couple of months and is out of contract at the end of the season anyway. It's not an addition for the future.

Unless there's something going on behind the scenes that isn't public, this is a baffling move by Indiana (and hardly the first they've made in recent years). They gave up a young post with promise, who was under a cheap contract for the next two years, for a veteran backup having a weak season who's slightly more expensive this year and will be an unrestricted free agent when it's over. Zahui B has more range as a shooter, but has never been consistently accurate from outside. Even if, for some reason, they think Zahui B makes them better for the rest of 2023, that wouldn't be a good reason to make the deal either! As I've said many times, Indiana's preferred ceiling for this year ought to be ninth in the standings, because of the potentially huge value of another lottery pick versus a first-round playoff exit. Egbo wasn't playing enough for this to be a move to consciously get worse and improve their chances at that pick. It's just hard to find a way to make it make sense unless Egbo was dissatisfied and becoming a distraction in the locker room, or there's something else we don't know about.

Photo Credit: Chris Poss

From Washington's perspective, this is a slam dunk. I thought they probably overpaid when they gave up two second-round picks for Zahui B's rights in the offseason, but I could at least see the logic behind it given the general lack of value in second-round selections. She hasn't really worked out in Washington, either as a short-minute backup or when asked to play more in recent games due to injuries to Shakira Austin and Elena Delle Donne. The Mystics get a younger post to fill in for Austin, who's more comfortable playing in the paint as a pure defender/rebounder, and who's also a cheap insurance big for the next year or two afterwards. Even if Austin was healthy, I'd have happily done this deal if I were Mike Thibault. Considering her injury, he has to be delighted to get this done.

For those interested in the minutiae, it was a trade that was actually incredibly close to being impossible - indicating that someone in Washington has been keeping a very close eye on the maths involved. In order for a trade to be legal, both teams have to finish the deal under the salary cap. That's a key part of why in-season trades have been so rare in recent years in the WNBA, because so many teams are right against the cap or already over it due to additional replacement players counting on their cap sheet. At the start of Tuesday, Washington's sheet technically said they were $61,798 over the cap. That's because hardship signings Abby Meyers and Linnae Harper counted as 'Rest-of-Season' contracts while signed, at a price that assumes they'll be there all year. They were both released from those hardship deals, reducing their cost to their actual earned salaries of $6,093 (Meyers) and $2,031 (Harper). Even then, the Mystics were left $6,553 over the cap. However, Zahui B is on the veteran minimum of $74,305 this year, while Egbo's salary on the second year of her rookie-scale contract is $67,634. That's a $6,671 difference (and under WNBA rules, the entire figures swap teams when players are traded, even though the season is nearly half-complete). So the Mystics could make the swap and finish at a legal state, all of $118 under the cap. One extra day of Harper or Meyers (or anyone else), and there would've been no way to complete the deal legally, without involving other pieces or teams and making everything far more complicated.

All of the above makes the trade even stranger from Indiana's side. Washington were clearly the team who would've wanted this done now. They're the ones higher up the standings, hoping to contend. They have an injured center out for weeks, at a minimum. Their cap sheet was getting tighter by the day. Indiana couldn't, at an absolute bare minimum, have gotten Washington to throw a draft pick into this deal to get it done? It's not like the Mystics hold onto their picks particularly tightly; they're happy to throw them around to get deals completed when necessary. It's wild that Indiana just did this deal straight up and gave up on yet another recent first-round pick, adding Egbo to a long list (Emily Engstler, Kysre Gondrezick, Lauren Cox, Teaira McCowan...). Sorry, Fever fans, I'd offer an explanation if I could. It's just very hard to find one.

Waving goodbye to Wade

Another week, another coaching change in the WNBA, albeit this time not by the team's choice. On Saturday, James Wade chose to leave his position as head coach and general manager of the Chicago Sky, moving to the NBA's Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach. Sky assistant Emre Vatansever slid over to take on both roles in Chicago on an interim basis.

The move seemed to come out of the blue but maybe shouldn't have been a complete surprise. Wade has always been ambitious, always looked far and wide for the next opportunity to improve himself as a coach or further his career. There was no particular reason to believe that running a WNBA team would necessarily be his end point. You also have to wonder if he felt this was a good time to jump ship, even if he's said it wasn't about any fear of losing his job. Right now he's coming off two years where he won a title and then led a star-studded squad to the brink of another Finals appearance. His stock is probably at its peak. If he waited another year or two, battling with a potentially middle-of-the-road squad (or even pushed into a full rebuild), the same opportunities might not have been on offer to him at the end of it. So maybe, for him, it was the right time to go.

However, for the Sky, it leaves them in an awkward situation. Vatansever has been a WNBA assistant for several years, so can likely slide over without too much disruption this season (although you never know how good an assistant will be in the lead chair, and he lasted only a few months in a recent opportunity with Çukurova in Turkey). But what about their future? The Sky lost a host of stars in the recent offseason, including Courtney Vandersloot, Candace Parker, Emma Meesseman and Azurá Stevens. They traded away their first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, and swap rights to their pick in 2025, in the deal for Marina Mabrey. Kahleah Copper will become an uncoreable unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, so could leave for nothing if she chooses. The team are still 'exploring locations' for a new practice facility, trying to keep up with other franchises around the league. This could be a tough job for whoever takes over long term, whether it's Vatansever or someone else.

It's unfortunate for the Sky and the league as a whole to lose Wade. He was argumentative and prickly at times, but only in defense of his players and what he believed was right. He was one of the assistants who stepped up and proved he was good at the job in the primary seat, and losing proven quality coaches is something this league needs to avoid whenever possible. I don't blame him for leaving, but it's a shame. The timing is also awkward, and a little strange. Did the Raptors need him right now, deep in the NBA offseason? Maybe once he'd made the decision, everyone involved wanted him to move on as quickly as possible so that it wasn't hanging over the team. But he could've at least hung around until the All-Star break to create a little more room for the switchover. If the Raptors really wanted him, maybe he could even have negotiated being able to finish out the season.

Regardless, good luck to him, and to the Sky in handling his absence. If the WNBA ever does get around to announcing expansion, and Toronto is one of the cities involved, expect his name to come right back into discussions for a return to the league with the new team. The NBA may seem like greener pastures for now, but that may not last forever.

What have you been watching?

As has become something of a yearly tradition, I recorded an edition of the Her Hoop Stats podcast last week with Kevin Pelton of ESPN where we picked our All-Star teams (Apple/Spotify). As is usually the case, we agreed on most, argued over our chosen candidates on the edges of the teams, and generally had a good time. The players who tend to be glossed over in these discussions are the ones who have been too good to even be worthy of debate. They're such obvious all-stars that their names are mentioned as part of the list and we move on. It's the fringe candidates where the debates get interesting.

Then the league announced the All-Star reserves and I figured we should've altered our discussion topics a little. Leaving Brionna Jones off the list is one of the most egregious 'snubs' in years. I say that as someone who doesn't generally make a big deal about the players on the end of these rosters. As we said on the podcast, there's usually a whole tier of players at a similar level and you can make an argument for several of them. For example, Kevin picked Brittney Sykes, I chose Natasha Cloud, and we both agreed that there could be a case made for Ariel Atkins - and the coaches collectively chose none of them - and that's just from the Washington perimeter starters. However, Jones has been the second-best player on one of the top-three teams in the league. She's shot 57% from the field, averaging 15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and a sixth-in-the-league 1.8 steals per game. She played nearly 32 minutes per game at center in the middle of the third-best defense in the league. She's a dead cert All-Star and should've been selected as such.

Some of you will be yelling at me "But she's injured!" Yes, she is. I don't care. Neither should the coaches when voting for the reserves. If she'd played three games and got hurt, then obviously she wouldn't get in. But she played 13. She'd only missed three games when the reserves were announced, so that was the maximum she'd missed when the coaches were asked to vote (it might've been even less). There's no way that's enough to knock her out. You vote her in, give her the deserved recognition, and allow the league to replace her on the roster. Easy as that.

For what it's worth, I also had Jordin Canada on my roster (along with Cloud and Jones), over Kahleah Copper, DeWanna Bonner and Kelsey Mitchell when compared to the official rosters. Listen to the podcast for plenty more detail and debate on the choices. I just really wanted to make the point on Jones.

A Saga Complete?

I wrote about the Gabby Williams saga earlier this season, so you can go back there to read about her tangled negotiation of this year's WNBA Prioritization rules. Ultimately, the league decided she was eligible to play this year (or were forced to decide that by the wording of their own CBA and the arguments of Williams's agent), and Williams finally signed with Seattle this week on a Rest-of-Season deal for $100,000.

Given the wording of the Prioritization rules and Williams ending her deal in France slightly early, it's the right ruling to allow her to play. It's also ultimately the path of least resistance for the league, given only one player was creating any kind of issue and the rules are different for next year. This shouldn't dig any kind of hole for them in terms of creating a precedent for future seasons. For Williams and her agent, this is perfect. She's earning close to the pro-rated maximum salary (the max drops by an applicable fraction for every day of the regular season, so it was down to $123,050 by the time she signed), and she gets to count this season as a Year of Service in the WNBA. As it's her fifth, unless she's cored by the Storm (which is relatively unlikely, given the accompanying maximum contract), she'll become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

For Seattle, I'm less convinced by how positive this move is. Williams will improve the team, and maybe they want to make a basic effort to make themselves more watchable for the Storm fans, but this is a rebuild. Winning an extra couple of games - maybe even sneaking into that No. 8 playoff seed - isn't really a positive outcome for Seattle. They need that lottery pick, ideally with the best odds possible. If nothing else, I'd have happily offered Williams the pro-rated veteran minimum and seen if she was willing to show up for about $45,000. Or if there were any teams with cap space willing to sign her to a restricted free agent offer sheet, a move that was still legal up until July 1 passed on Saturday. But maybe Williams can help teach players like Jordan Horston and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu a thing or two. That could outweigh the potential benefit of holding on to Williams's rights for next year, especially as there will likely be more Prioritization issues with Williams if she continues to play in France as expected.

From a league and fan perspective, why not add another talented and entertaining player? Williams has never managed to develop the jumpshot that could potentially make her a star-level prospect, but she has an Alyssa Thomas-light kind of game that can be fun to watch and very effective on the right night. France certainly missed her in the recent Women's EuroBasket tournament. Now we get to see how much difference she can make for the struggling Storm.

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