We’re now a week into the 2023 WNBA free agency, and there’s already been plenty of fireworks. We have former MVPs on the move, a pair of super teams formed, and a few under-the-radar moves that could pay big dividends next season.

Here is a look at the five biggest takeaways from the past seven days.

1. Breanna Stewart is NYC bound

In the two weeks leading into the official opening of WNBA free agency on Feb. 1, Breanna Stewart had WNBA fans breaking their brains trying to decipher her cryptic tweets full of emojis and find clues as to where she would decide to play in 2023.

The biggest free agent available this offseason had the entire women’s hoops community hanging on her every emoji until the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 1.

? pic.twitter.com/6Sg28YnCPz

— Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) February 1, 2023

The magnitude of this move can’t be overstated. This is a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, one-time league MVP, four-time All-WNBA First Team selection, and reigning scoring champion changing teams in her absolute prime at 28 years old.

Stewart becomes only the fourth MVP winner to sign with another team as a free agent, joining Sheryl Swoopes (2008 to Seattle), Yolanda Griffith (2008 to Seattle), and Candace Parker (2021 to Chicago, 2023 to Las Vegas – more on that shortly). Swoopes (37) and Griffith (38) were both at the tail end of their careers when they signed with the Storm. Parker (34) still had plenty left in the tank when she joined her hometown team and led them to their first title in 2021.

Three other former MVPs have changed teams via trade: Tina Charles (Connecticut to New York in 2014), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago to Washington in 2017), and Jonquel Jones (Connecticut to New York in 2023).

That’s right; the Liberty didn’t just add one former MVP this off-season. They added two, with the 2021 MVP (Jones) joining the 2018 winner (Stewart) to give the Liberty a devastating frontline. And in case that wasn’t enough, the day after Stewart announced her decision to join Liberty, so did All-Star point guard and six-time league assist leader Courtney Vandersloot.

LFG!!!???? https://t.co/bsqCZ6VsGG

— Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) February 2, 2023

That makes three 2022 All-Stars joining the Liberty in the span of 18 days. And remember that the Liberty already have All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu getting set to begin her fourth WNBA season. With Stewart, Jones, and Ionescu, the Liberty boasts three of the ten players selected to the 2022 All-WNBA teams.

2. Candace Parker heads to Sin City

Breanna Stewart wasn’t the only former MVP to shake up the league last week. While Stewie was dropping emoji-laden tweets, Candace Parker moved more quietly until announcing on Instagram that she intended to leave her hometown Chicago Sky to join the Las Vegas Aces this summer for her 16th WNBA season.

Parker joins the defending WNBA champions Aces and gives Las Vegas a pair of two-time league MVPs on its frontline, as the 2008 and 2013 winner (Parker) joins the 2020 and 2022 winner (A’ja Wilson). Parker also reunites with former teammate Chelsea Gray, with whom she won the 2016 Los Angeles Sparks WNBA title. Gray (2022), Wilson (2020), and Parker (2016) have each won Finals MVP honors; Wilson (2022) and Parker (2020) have won two of the last three Defensive Player of the Year honors.

And don’t forget about 2022 All-Star MVP Kelsey Plum and 2022 Most Improved Player Jackie Young, all playing under the tutelage of 2022 Coach of the Year Becky Hammon. Similar to the Liberty, the Aces now have three 2022 All-WNBA selections on its roster – only Vegas’ were all First Team selections in Wilson, Plum, and Parker.

Also, similar to New York, Las Vegas wasn’t done when adding a former MVP in free agency. Along with Parker, the franchise was able to add veteran wing Alysha Clark – a two-time champion and two-time All-Defensive Team selection – as well as four-time Australian league (WNBL) champion Cayla George to the roster. Las Vegas also re-signed Sydney Colson and Kiah Stokes from last year’s championship squad.

The Aces will enter 2023 looking to accomplish something that has yet to be done in the WNBA for more than two decades: successfully defend the WNBA title. The last team to do it was the 2001 and 2002 Sparks; can the Aces join them this fall?

>> Read more on the impact of Parker’s addition to Las Vegas

3. Welcome to the WNBA super-team era

There's a new superteam era in the WNBA ?@LVAces | @nyliberty pic.twitter.com/v6lTt5f31Y

— espnW (@espnW) February 2, 2023

The WNBA has seen many dominant teams throughout its history:

• The Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles from 1997-2000 behind the big three of Cynthia Cooper, Swoopes, and Tina Thompson
• The Lisa Leslie-led, Los Angeles Sparks, won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 before falling in the Finals to Detroit
• The Detroit Shock won three titles in the span of six seasons with stars like Cash, Katie Smith, and Deanna Nolan
• The Minnesota Lynx won four championships and played in six WNBA Finals in a seven-year span from 2011-2017 behind the core of Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen, Sylvia Fowles, and Rebekkah Brunson

The Comets and Lynx both featured two MVP winners – Cooper and Swoopes in Houston; Moore and Fowles in Minnesota – but they won those MVPs while playing for those dynasties. Swoopes was the only one of the four to play for another team after winning MVP, and as discussed earlier, she did so at the end of her career.

What we’re seeing now is just different. With the most recent collective bargaining agreement allowing for additional player movement, the amount of change is growing yearly.

The Aces and Liberty have assembled rosters that have them considered – almost universally – as the co-title favorites entering 2023. Of course, these rosters are currently only on paper, and we’ll have to see how all the pieces fit together as well as we all think they will.

With that being said, go ahead and circle these dates on your WNBA calendars now and get your popcorn ready.

• Thursday, June 29, 10 ET: New York at Las Vegas
• Sunday, Aug. 6, 3 ET: Las Vegas at New York
• Thursday, Aug. 17, 10 ET: New York at Las Vegas
• Monday, Aug. 28, 7 ET: Las Vegas at New York

4. Storm, Sky, and Sun bolster rosters after losing MVPs

There were five former league MVPs on the free agent market this season: Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, and Nneka Ogwumike. So far, two of those five have changed teams, with Stewart leaving Seattle for New York and Parker leaving Chicago for Las Vegas, while the other three remain unsigned. And, just prior to free agency tipping off, we saw another former MVP on the move as Jonquel Jones was traded from Connecticut to New York.

That leaves the Storm, Sky, and Sun with the unenviable task of trying to replace a former MVP.

In Chicago, the Sky not only lost Parker but also lost their starting backcourt of Courtney Vandersloot (also to NY) and Allie Quigley (taking the season off) along with forward/center Azurá Stevens — that’s four of their top six players in minutes played. The Sky have started to rebuild their roster through free agency, signing Elizabeth Williams (from Washington) and Isabelle Harrison (from Dallas) on the frontline and Courtney Williams (from Connecticut) in the backcourt. The Sky still have 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper under contract, while 2019 Finals MVP Emma Meesseman remains an unrestricted free agent.

In Seattle, the Storm re-signed Ezi Magbegor, who finished second in the WNBA in blocks last season (1.8 per game) and was named to the All-Defensive Second Team following her third season in Seattle. The Storm brought Sami Whitcomb back to the Pacific Northwest; the former University of Washington star played her first four WNBA seasons in Seattle before playing the last two in New York. Whitcomb ranked 14th in 3-pointers made (59) last season. Seattle also signed former Phoenix guards Kia Nurse and Yvonne Turner. Nurse missed all of last season due to a torn ACL but ranked 10th in 3-pointers made (59) in 2021.

In Connecticut, the Sun not only lost Jones but longtime starting point guard Jasmine Thomas, who was traded to Los Angeles to join former Sun coach Curt Miller. While Thomas was out last season, Natisha Hiedeman stepped up to fill the void at the point. The Sun have re-signed Hiedeman, which has been their lone key move in free agency so far.

5. More moves to keep an eye on

Washington: The Mystics opened free agency by adding the top wing defender on the open market in Brittney Sykes, who’s led the WNBA in steals the past two seasons and is a three-time All-Defensive team selection. Washington also brings back veteran point guard Kristi Toliver, who has two WNBA titles on her resume, including one in Washington in 2019. The Mystics also made a trade with Las Vegas to acquire the negotiating rights with versatile center Amanda Zahui B, who they signed two days later to a one-year deal.

Los Angeles: This is an offseason of major change in Los Angeles, with a new coach in Curt Miller and two key additions via trade: point guard Jasmine Thomas from Connecticut and wing Dearica Hamby from Las Vegas. As mentioned above, the Sparks added versatile forward Azurá Stevens from Chicago as well as Stephanie Talbot from Seattle as free agents. Los Angeles also brought back guards Jordin Canada (who led L.A. in assists at 5.5 per game, 8th in WNBA) and Lexie Brown. With Brown (39.8%) and Talbot (39.7%), the Sparks have the ninth and 10th-ranked 3-point shooters from last season.

Dallas: The Wings opened free agency by re-signing center Teaira McCowan, who was a breakout star for Dallas in the second half of the 2022 season. In addition to locking down their center, the Wings also signed guard Crystal Dangerfield – whose reserved rights they acquired as part of the three-team trade with New York and Connecticut last month – to a multi-year deal.

Indiana: The Fever brought back guard Erica Wheeler – who played in Indiana from 2016 to 2019, winning All-Star Game MVP honors in her final season with the Fever before signing with Los Angeles in 2021 and playing last season in Atlanta. The Fever also signed Maya Caldwell, who the Fever drafted 33rd overall in 2021, but played last season in Atlanta. Keep in mind the Fever also hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft this April.

Phoenix: The Mercury have re-signed guards Sophie Cunningham and Jennie Simms, while guards Kia Nurse (a full-time starter for the Mercury in 2021 but missed all of 2022 due to an ACL tear) and Yvonne Turner both signed with Seattle as free agents. However, there is one legendary guard that remains an unrestricted free agent — Diana Taurasi — who has spent her entire 18-year career in Phoenix.

Atlanta: The Dream has re-signed forwards Monique Billings and Nia Coffey and guard AD Durr. Both Coffey and Durr missed more than half of last season due to injuries but worked with the Dream’s medical team on rehab this offseason. The free-agent signings come after the Dream acquired Allisha Gray and Danielle Robinson in a pair of trades last month.

Minnesota: The Lynx signed free agent guard Tiffany Mitchell, who spent the first seven seasons of her WNBA career with the Indiana Fever and brings career averages of 9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. The Lynx also re-signed four players: forwards Bridget Carleton, Damiris Dantas, Nikolina Milic, and guard Lindsay Allen.

>> Free Agent Tracker: Follow all the latest moves

Longtime WNBA reporter Brian Martin writes articles on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.