2023 WNBA Mock Free Agency Podcast Summary

Details of the thid annual edition of our Mock Offseason podcast, including how you can listen or watch, and the deals that went down

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Based on last year’s calendar, which has not yet been officially modified, WNBA free agency will begin on January 1, when teams can begin to send out qualifying offers and make core decisions. Players can then start discussing deals from January 15 and sign contracts from February 1, again using last year’s dates as a guide. We here at Her Hoop Stats beat them to it. For the third time, we handed the reins of each franchise over to a group of knowledgeable WNBA writers and simulated the offseason in podcast form (with thanks for the inspiration still due to the Dunc’d On Podcast’s NBA variant). Following all the official league rules and using the accurate team and player salary data you can find on our Cap Sheets, we went through all the negotiations and haggling that you’d expect in reality - with the same mathematical constraints and hurdles that the real general managers have to struggle with. (If you have any questions about the terms used or contract varieties, check out our WNBA CBA and Salary Cap Explained page.)

Gabe Ibrahim hosted and served as the player agent, looking for the best opportunities and deals for each player; Kevin Pelton of ESPN played GM of the Seattle Storm and Dallas Wings; Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic handled the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury; Richard Cohen controlled the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever; Alford Corriette took on the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces; Aaron Barzilai managed the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun; and Bobby Mummery rounded out the group with the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx. Jacob Mox of Her Hoop Stats was also on the call as the league office to help keep track and make sure that everyone stayed within the rules.

Please note that Brittney Griner had not been released from her wrongful detainment in Russia at the time of recording, nor had she expressed her intention to play in the WNBA, specifically with Phoenix. As such, we excluded her from this exercise. At the conclusion of this activity, the Mercury do not have enough cap room to offer her the full max salary, nor do they have another veteran protected contract slot. While she might theoretically be considered a candidate to receive a Core Qualifying Offer based on her stature and demonstrated ability, she is no longer eligible to receive one because she has already played three seasons under contracts signed while her movement was restricted by the Core Qualifying Offer.

For all the twists and turns of GMs making decisions and deals, and battling each other for different players, you’ll have to listen to the podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. However, for a basic summary of the moves and contracts, you can check out the lists below. More coverage of the results of the Mock Offseason will come soon.

Core Qualifying Offers Extended

None

Unrestricted Free Agent Contracts Signed (# - Sign-and-Trade, Bold - Guaranteed Deal)

Nneka Ogwumike re-signed with Los Angeles, 2yr/$476,920 ($234,936/$241,984)

Breanna Stewart re-signed with Seattle, 1yr/$234,936

Diana Taurasi re-signed with Phoenix, 1yr/$234,936

Brionna Jones signed with New York, 3yr/$624,656 ($202,154/$208,219/$214,283)

Azurá Stevens signed with Phoenix, 3yr/$624,656 ($202,154/$208,219/$214,283)

Candace Parker re-signed with Chicago, 1yr/$205,000

Courtney Vandersloot re-signed with Chicago, 1yr/$205,000

Emma Meesseman re-signed with Chicago, 1yr/$205,000

Moriah Jefferson signed with Seattle, 2 yr/$324,800 ($160,000/$164,800)

Brittney Sykes re-signed with Los Angeles, 2 yr/$320,000 ($160,000/$160,000)

Alysha Clark signed with Seattle, 1yr/$150,000

Sami Whitcomb re-signed with New York, 1 yr/$150,000

Monique Billings re-signed with Atlanta, 2 yr/$284,200 ($140,000/$144,200)

Erica Wheeler signed with Phoenix, 2 yr/$280,000 ($140,000/$140,000)

Stephanie Talbot re-signed with Seattle, 2 yr/$284,200 ($140,000/$140,000)

Lexie Brown re-signed with Los Angeles, 2 yr/$243,600 ($120,000/$123,600)

Allie Quigley re-signed with Chicago, 1yr/$120,000

Isabelle Harrison signed with Chicago, 2 yr/$240,000 ($120,000/$120,000)

Courtney Williams re-signed with Connecticut, 3 yr/$318,270 ($103,000/$106,090/$109,180)

Tina Charles signed with Las Vegas, 1 yr/$74,305

Maya Caldwell signed with Phoenix, 1 yr/$70,000

Restricted Free Agent Contracts Signed (# - Sign-and-Trade, Bold - Guaranteed Deal)

Marina Mabrey signed with Atlanta, 3yr/$563,925 ($182,500/$187,975/$193,450)

Teaira McCowan re-signed with Dallas, 3 yr/$556,200 ($180,000/$185,400/$190,800)

Sophie Cunningham signed with Indiana, 2 yr/$324,800 ($160,000/$164,800)

Natisha Hiedeman re-signed with Connecticut, 3 yr/$432,600 ($140,000/$144,200/$148,400)

• Matched Offer Sheet from Atlanta

#Bridget Carleton signed with Los Angeles, 2 yr/$243,600 ($120,000/$123,600)

Suspended-Contract Expired Players Signed (# - Sign-and-Trade, Bold - Guaranteed Deal)

#Tiffany Hayes signed with Washington, 2yr/$370,000 ($185,000/$185,000)

#Amanda Zahui B. signed with Dallas, 1yr/$125,000

Sign-and-Trade Details

Dallas traded Amanda Zahui B. to Los Angeles for Charli Collier

Atlanta traded Tiffany Hayes to Washington for Rui Machida (Reserved Rights) and WAS’s 

2024 1st-round pick

Minnesota traded Bridget Carleton to Los Angeles for the 2023 No. 14 pick

Other Trades

Phoenix traded Skylar Diggins-Smith to Minnesota for Natalie Achonwa, the 2023 No. 12 pick, 

the 2023 No. 16 pick, the 2023 No. 24 pick, and MIN’s 2024 1st-round pick

New York traded Stefanie Dolson to Atlanta for ATL’s 2024 2nd-round pick

Chicago traded Li Yueru to Atlanta for a 2024 CHI-ATL 2nd-round pick swap (i.e. CHI 

receives the superior pick) and ATL’s 2024 3rd-round pick

Significant Players Waived

None

Qualifying Offers Not Extended

Beatrice Mompremier by Atlanta (Reserved)

Joyner Holmes by Connecticut (Reserved

Crystal Dangerfield by New York (Reserved)

Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe by New York (Reserved)

Sam Thomas by Phoenix (Reserved)

Megan Gustafson by Phoenix (Restricted)

Jazmine Jones by Washington (Reserved)

Notable Free Agents We Excluded

Brittney Griner

Gabby Williams (Prioritization Questions)

Liz Cambage

Notable Free Agents and Reserved Players We Didn’t Get To

Ezi Magbegor

Jordin Canada

Kiah Stokes

Tiffany Mitchell

Marine Johannès

Han Xu

Nia Coffey

Rebekah Gardner

Kristi Toliver

Damiris Dantas

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough

Elizabeth Williams

Maria Vadeeva

Chiney Ogwumike

Kia Nurse

Rachel Banham

Asia Durr (AD)

Crystal Dangerfield

Victoria Vivians

Megan Gustafson

Epiphanny Prince

Tianna Hawkins

Cecilia Zandalasini

Bria Hartley

Sydney Colson

Rui Machida

Astou Ndour-Fall

Angel McCoughtry

Odyssey Sims

Bernadett Határ

Khayla Pointer

(Edit. A previous version of this post accidentally misclassifed Brionna Jones as a Restricted Free Agent rather than an Unrestricted Free Agent. It also mistakenly said that Phoenix could still sign Brittney Griner to her maximum contract after completing all of the transactions described in the Mock Offseason.)

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Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.