I, like many of you, have been obsessively refreshing social media for the most up-to-date WNBA Free Agency news. This season’s top free agents seemed to hone in on a theme song: “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb. The 2024 season will see reunions of former college teammates, teammates turned player-coach relationships, and a 12-year veteran player reunited with the league — and it feels so, so good. 

Let’s break down the winners of WNBA free agency so far. 

Atlanta Dream

The Dream have been building something special, making for a desirable free-agent landing spot. Despite last year’s first playoff appearance since 2018, they were still a few pieces away from getting over the hump. Now, with the arrivals of guards Jordin Canada and Aerial Powers, and former league MVP Tina Charles, Atlanta has become a juggernaut. 

The point guard position has been an issue for the Dream, and I can’t imagine a better point guard-coach pair than Jordin Canada and Tanisha Wright. Canada, who last season was a front-runner for Most Improved Player of the Year, is a quick, springy defensive specialist. She led the league in steals per game in 2023 (2.3), while notching 13.3 points and six assists. She’ll also up the tempo of their offense, and with All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray running the lanes on the fast break? Whew. 

“Canada’s defensive prowess is a trait I’ve admired from a distance since she entered the league,” Wright said after the trade. “You simply can’t teach the level of skill she brings to her position.”

Tina Charles’ signing came as a shocking surprise to some. The 12-year vet most recently competed in the league in 2022 for the Seattle Storm and averages 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds for her career. Charles brings a veteran presence to a young, gritty team, and can be a vital asset to Cheyenne Parker in the paint. Plus, Charles and Coach Wright have a history.  When asked who in her life has made the biggest impact on her in her career:  “I’m going to say, Tanisha Wright,” Charles said on The Players’ Pod with Kelley O’Hara in 2021. “I played with her for three seasons with the New York Liberty, and she definitely changed my mindset, my approach, what I needed to do, the accountability piece.” 

Aerial Powers is coming off a career-low in points and minutes with the Minnesota Lynx last season, and the Dream may be the perfect team to re-ignite her. She brings championship pedigree to a franchise still on the hunt for their first banner. With her length and creative shot-making ability, Powers adds the depth they’ll need for a deep playoff run. 

Jordin Canada

Seattle Storm 

The Storm jumped at the opportunity to sign unrestricted free-agent forward Nneka Ogwumike once she announced she was not returning to Los Angeles for her 13th season. Ogwumike, a 2016 WNBA Champion and MVP, is aging like fine wine. Last season, at age 32, she finished sixth in scoring (19.1 PPG) and rebounds (8.8 RPG). Seattle needs all of it; Ogwumike brings exceptional leadership and finishing skills around the rim — the Storm ranked near the bottom of the league in field goal percentage inside five feet. Adding Ogwumike to this growing roster will give the roaring fans at Climate Pledge Arena something to cheer about again. 

The Storm also desperately needed a point guard, and went out and grabbed the best scoring PG on the market in Skylar Diggins-Smith. In 2022, her latest season, Diggins-Smith finished third in league scoring and ranked 7th in assists per game. Seattle finished 12th in team assists last season. Having a dynamic guard, who has an impressive layup package and a lethal outside stroke, spearheading Noelle Quinn’s offense is an immediate upgrade. 

To top it off, she’ll be playing alongside her Notre Dame teammate again, Jewell Loyd. The two played one season together for the Fighting Irish and made it to the Final Four in 2013. Loyd had to do so much last year in the Storm’s first season without having Breanna Stewart or Sue Bird in Seattle for the first time in 21 years. She was called on to be the primary ball handler and the go-to bucketgetter, but the team continued to fall short. Loyd had double-digit 30-point games and one 41-point eye-popping performance, but I’m sure she’d like to have a few more tallies in the win column instead. Moving Loyd off-ball, and the option of All-Stars Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor in the paint, Diggins-Smith’s assists should rack up in no time. 

Last season, Seattle missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015. With four championships under their franchise’s belt, they wanted to turn the tides expeditiously. They traded their number 4 draft pick to open loads of cap space. By signing Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike, it puts Seattle back in the winner’s circle.

Nneka Ogwumike

Phoenix Mercury

The three-time champions were unrecognizable last season, finishing dead last in the standings at 9-31. So this free agency, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. By signing free agent Natasha Cloud, they immediately get better; Cloud is coming off a career-best season, averaging 12.7 points and 6.2 assists — one of just seven players last season to average 10+ PPG and 5+ APG. Her toughness and killer instinct is what Phoenix is missing. Her tenacious rebounding from the guard — 3.7 RPG — is desperately needed in the Valley, too. 

Cloud also reconnects with former teammate Kristi Toliver, who is now the associate head coach for the Mercury.

The Mercury also received Rebecca Allen in a sign-and-trade deal with the Connecticut Sun, which added one of the most versatile role players in the league to their roster. The eight-year vet earned a starting spot last season after Brionna Jones went down with an Achilles injury. Throughout the season, Allen’s length on the perimeter proved to be a problem for opponents defensively (team-high 1.3 blocks per game) and offensively (34.8 percent from three). I expect her to fit in seamlessly with new head coach Nate Tibbetts’ game plan. 

They still needed one more piece to be contenders. Enter 2021 Finals MVP, Kahleah Copper. In a shocking move, Copper heads to Phoenix from Chicago via trade where she’ll reunite with her Team USA teammate Diana Taurasi. Copper ranked seventh in scoring last season at 18.7 PPG while knocking down over 40 percent from beyond the arc. This is a perfect addition to a team that finished 10th in 3-point percentage. Copper also brings a swagger to the Valley that can’t be found in the box score. She’s still very much at the top of her game — she led the Sky to a championship a mere three years ago — and now the Mercury will reap the benefits.      

Kahleah Copper

Los Angeles Sparks…for the future

It’s hard to imagine the Sparks still earning a spot on this list after their 12-year starter and former MVP, Nneka Ogwumike, announced that she won’t return to the Sparks and instead will be signing with the Seattle Storm. But new GM Raegan Pebley has been busy and is going full rebuild. 

As of this writing, the Sparks have first-round picks number 2, 4 (via Seattle), and 8 (via Atlanta) in the potentially fully loaded 2024 draft. They received Kia Nurse via trade, Aari McDonald via sign-and-trade, and re-signed Layshia Clarendon and Rae Burrell. Plus, with rookie standout Zia Cooke returning and Lexie Brown back healthy, Los Angeles has the building blocks for future success. 

The future is bright for not only the winners of this free agency period but the upcoming 2024 WNBA season altogether.

Aari McDonald

WNBA reporter Jordan Robinson writes columns on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @HeyJordanR. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.