2022 WNBA Free Agency List
A complete list of everyone who could be on the move in the WNBA in 2022 free agency, along with explanations of the categories they fall into
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The end of the WNBA's regular season on Sunday was an important point in the league's year for obvious reasons. The long grind is now over, and the excitement of the postseason gets underway on Thursday night. However, Sunday also marked the last point at which contract extensions could be signed until 2022, so we now have a more finalized concept of the upcoming free agent class. The WNBA releases its official list in January but our constantly updated cap sheets allow us to collate the information long before they're likely to confirm it.
The league waits until January because most of the statuses below don’t become absolutely official until then. From January 1 to January 14, teams are required to send out qualifying offers to make applicable players restricted or reserved (terms explained below). However, the vast majority of eligible players will receive those qualifying offers, because it’s non-guaranteed money that teams can cut at a later date if they want to. So the list below assumes each relevant player will have a qualifying offer extended. If they do not, we will update the list and cap sheets on the site at the appropriate time. The status of impending unrestricted free agents won't change, outside of a few core designations. Players are included on our lists if they received qualifying offers this year or were involved in some way in the 2021 season.
As with everything in the cap sheets, all the information in this list has been carefully gathered and checked via multiple league sources. However, in such a long list it is possible that mistakes can be made. For any issues, questions or corrections please contact us at Her Hoop Stats or @RichardCohen1.
The WNBA players that are free agents and/or out-of-contract heading into the 2021 season essentially fall into four categories: Unrestricted Free Agent, Restricted Free Agent, Reserved Player, and Suspended - Contract Expired.
Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA): Players who have just completed a contract need a minimum of five years of service in the WNBA to gain this status. Players can also become a UFA if they are cut by a team and pass through waivers without being claimed. UFAs are free to discuss terms and sign a contract with any team of their choice, unless cored (explained below).
Restricted Free Agent (RFA): This applies to players with four years of service in the WNBA. Most commonly, players fall into this category when they have just completed their rookie scale contract. They can talk to and sign with any team they like, but their previous team has the “right of first refusal” to match any deal they sign with another team and thereby retain the player.
Reserved Player: If a player is out of contract but has three or fewer years of service in the WNBA, they become “reserved”. That means that they can only negotiate with their previous team and are not allowed to discuss terms or sign with anyone else (unless released).
Suspended - Contract Expired: This status came to the fore last year, because of how many players skipped the 2020 bubble season and therefore fell into this category. If a player's contract expires while they are suspended they are deemed to have been "withholding services" in the language of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Their previous team then retains their rights and the player is not allowed to talk to or sign with any other team. In practice, it's very similar to the reserved status described above, although no qualifying offer is necessary. The list is shorter this year because the 2021 season was more normal, but some players still fall into this group.
In order to make a player restricted or reserved, their previous team has to send out the relevant qualifying offer sometime from January 1 to January 14. If they don't, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. Players can then talk to teams from January 15 onwards and begin signing on February 1. Some players may immediately sign those qualifying offers, which is why we saw players being signed even before January 15 this year. That's the only type of deal you'll see before February 1.
Each team also has their core designation, which can be used on one UFA to prevent them from becoming a true free agent. The tag blocks the player from negotiating with anyone else, but comes with a one-year supermax contract as the core qualifying offer. The team and player are free to negotiate a contract that lasts longer and/or costs a different amount, but the tag sticks to that player for the length of the contract unless the player is traded, waived or retires. Phoenix (Brittney Griner) and Los Angeles (Nneka Ogwumike) currently have their core spots occupied, so could not core anyone this offseason. Any other team could use it on any of their UFA/RFAs, although as teams already have control of RFAs it is virtually always used on UFAs. The limit of total seasons a player can be cored for is now down to two, which means that Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Candice Dupree, Sylvia Fowles and Angel McCoughtry cannot be cored anymore. Prime candidates this season, unless their existing franchises are 100% sure that they won't leave, are Breanna Stewart (or Jewell Loyd if Seattle is certain on Stewart), Jonquel Jones, Liz Cambage, Courtney Williams and Courtney Vandersloot.
January Note: Kahleah Copper (CHI), Jonquel Jones (CON) and Jewell Loyd (SEA) were cored by their respective teams in January, retaining their exclusive negotiating rights. Other rights situations that changed due to teams choosing not to extend qualifying offers are indicated below.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Rebecca Allen (NYL)
Jillian Alleyne
Kristine Anigwe
Rachel Banham (MIN)
Sue Bird (SEA)
Brittany Boyd-Jones
Jessica Breland (IND)
Kalani Brown
Cierra Burdick (SEA)
Liz Cambage (LVA)
Sierra Campisano
Emma Cannon
Tina Charles (WAS)
Karima Christmas-Kelly
Layshia Clarendon (MIN)
Nia Coffey (LAS)
Marie Conde
Kahleah Copper (CHI) (subsequently cored by Chicago)
Sophie Cunningham (PHO)
Blake Dietrick (ATL)
Stefanie Dolson (CHI)
Candice Dupree (ATL)
Sylvia Fowles (MIN)
Aleah Goodman
Haley Gorecki
Reshanda Gray (NYL)
Linnae Harper
Tiffany Hayes (ATL)
Shyla Heal
Bria Holmes
Joyner Holmes
Briann January (CON)
Stella Johnson
Jonquel Jones (CON) (subsequently cored by Connecticut)
N'dea Jones
Kiara Leslie
Jewell Loyd (SEA) (subsequently cored by Seattle)
Natasha Mack
Angel McCoughtry (LVA)
Emma Meesseman
Leilani Mitchell (WAS)
Astou Ndour-Fall (CHI)
Theresa Plaisance (WAS)
Allie Quigley (CHI)
Odyssey Sims (ATL)
Alanna Smith (PHO)
Breanna Stewart (SEA)
Kiah Stokes (LVA)
Shekinna Stricklen (ATL)
Courtney Vandersloot (CHI)
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (WAS)
Stephanie Watts
Courtney Williams (ATL)
Elizabeth Williams (ATL)
Kiana Williams
Riquna Williams (LVA)
Shavonte Zellous (WAS)
Restricted Free Agents
Lindsay Allen (IND)
Monique Billings (ATL)
Lexie Brown (CHI)
Jordin Canada (SEA)
Diamond DeShields (CHI)
Myisha Hines-Allen (WAS)
Kia Nurse (PHO)
Mercedes Russell (SEA)
Stephanie Talbot (SEA)
A'ja Wilson (LVA)
Reserved Players
Jaylyn Agnew (ATL)
Crystal Bradford (ATL) (did not receive qualifying offer, becomes an unrestricted free agent)
Bridget Carleton (MIN)
Te'a Cooper (LAS)
Lauren Cox (LAS)
Anna Cruz (MIN)
Temi Fagbenle (IND)
Megan Gustafson (WAS)
Bernadett Határ (IND)
Natisha Hiedeman (CON)
Stephanie Jones (CON)
Paris Kea (NYL)
Beatrice Mompremier (CON)
JiSu Park (LVA)
Shey Peddy (PHO)
Chelsey Perry (IND)
Sonja Petrovic (PHO) (did not receive qualifying offer, becomes an unrestricted free agent)
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (NYL)
Karlie Samuelson (SEA) (did not receive qualifying offer, becomes an unrestricted free agent)
Marianna Tolo (LAS) (rights subsequently renounced, becomes an unrestricted free agent)
Victoria Vivians (IND)
Suspended - Contract Expired Players
Marine Johannès (NYL)
LeeSeul Kang (WAS)
Klara Lundquist (WAS)
Maya Moore (MIN)
Maria Vadeeva (LAS)
Cecilia Zandalasini (MIN)
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