WNBA Free Agency 2023: Top Rumors on Contracts, Trades Before Official Start Date

Although the WNBA offseason is in full swing, fans continue to wait for the biggest free-agent domino to fall.

Teams were permitted to begin negotiating deals with free agents on Jan. 21. Contracts can be officially signed starting Feb. 1.

Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot and Nneka Ogwumike headline the 2023 free-agent class. Of the four, Parker is the only one who has selected a team, so plenty of twists remain.

Here's a look at the biggest storylines so far.

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Stewart Keeps Everyone Waiting

This has been a somewhat tame free-agency period so far, which might be because Stewart is still undecided on her next stop. Winsidr's Rachel Galligan and ESPN's M.A. Voepel reported the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty are her two finalists.

There could be a lot of moving pieces surrounding the 2018 MVP.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported on Jan. 22 that Stewart "has made charter air travel a key factor in her free agency." Earlier that day, she started a conversation on the WNBA's travel accommodations when she said she was willing to play an active role in the matter.

It's unclear how Stewart could leverage her free agency toward chartered air travel since the issue is collectively bargained between players and the league. But it doesn't hurt to try.

From a more practical standpoint, re-signing Stewart will require a number of accompanying moves for the Storm.

Seattle has only two players under contract for 2023, Jewell Loyd and Mercedes Russell. Even if the Storm add Stewie and Vandersloot to the mix, general manager Talisa Rhea would have a lot of work ahead to fill out the roster.

The longer this saga drags out, the more the Storm will continue to watch players who would otherwise be great targets come off the board.

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Aces Load Up for Championship Defense

The Las Vegas Aces return most of the key players from a squad that posted the league's second-highest net rating (7.7) in the regular season, per WNBA.com, before winning last year's title.

Nonetheless, the front office is leaving nothing to chance by agreeing to a deal with Parker. The seven-time All-Star announced on Instagram she's signing with the Aces.

Parker continues to perform at a high level. She averaged 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Chicago Sky and was a first-team All-WNBA selection in 2022.

The 36-year-old's ability to stretch the floor—she's a 33.3 percent career three-point shooter—makes her a great fit in the frontcourt alongside A'ja Wilson.

Las Vegas' projected starting five of Parker, Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum has more talent than any other in the league.

Depth is always a concern with such a top-heavy roster, but the Aces addressed that to an extent by agreeing to a two-year contract with veteran wing Alysha Clark, per Andy Yamashita of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Clark's play fell off a bit in 2022, and she turns 36 in July. In theory, she's exactly the kind of three-and-D wing who can play off the ball and complement Las Vegas' coterie of stars.

While the Aces are having a great offseason from an on-court perspective, a massive cloud hangs over the organization in the wake of allegations leveled by Dearica Hamby.

The Aces announced on Jan. 21 they traded Hamby and a 2024 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Sparks for Amanda Zahui B. and a 2024 second-rounder.

Hours later, Hamby said on social media she had been "lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against" by the team. The 29-year-old alleged her pregnancy was used against her to question her commitment and thus justify her trade to L.A.

Hamby revealed at Las Vegas' championship celebration in September she was pregnant with her second child, raising questions about her status for the 2023 season.

Neither the Aces nor the WNBA have issued a formal statement in response to her allegations.

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Liberty Lay Groundwork for Another NY Superteam

Whether the Liberty land Stewart or not, they've already brought a former league MVP to the Big Apple. In a three-team trade with the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings, New York acquired Jonquel Jones and Kayla Thornton.

Jones is a four-time All-Star and one of the WNBA's best players. In six years with the Sun, she averaged 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and shot 51.1 percent from the field.

The Liberty got her for pennies on the dollar, losing Natasha Howard, Rebecca Allen, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 draft and the reserve rights to Crystal Dangerfield as part of the swap.

The trade was a clear signal of intent from a franchise that has yet to win a WNBA title. New York is a top-four team as presently constructed and would become a serious threat to the Aces if it can snag Stewart and Vandersloot as well.

For the Sun, losing Jones represents the end of an era.

Connecticut reached the playoffs in all but one of Curt Miller's seven seasons as head coach, advancing to the WNBA Finals twice. Following last year's Finals defeat to Las Vegas in four games, a reshuffle of some kind was required. Miller took the team as far as he could.

When the 54-year-old left in October to fill the Sparks' coaching vacancy, it looked like the Sun might still have an open championship window by running it back under new leadership.

Jones' departure takes that off the table, and trading Jasmine Thomas to Los Angeles cemented a changing of the guard in Uncasville.

Rather than rebuilding and getting into a good position for what could be a loaded 2024 WNBA draft class, it appears Connecticut is still pushing for the playoffs. The Sun applied the core designation to Brionna Jones, which could guarantee her a $234,936 supermax salary while leaving the door open for a long-term extension.

A roster built around Jones, Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner may not have a high ceiling, though.