2025 WNBA Off-Season

[cancontent]

Figured it would be best to start a separate thread for something like this.

 

[BRS24]

Not surprised. Didn't follow the team much, however some of the exit interviews were, um, interesting.

 

[cancontent]

Not surprised. Didn't follow the team much, however some of the exit interviews were, um, interesting.

You're putting it mildly. This is what I was thinking when I saw Brown and Mitchell speak.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Figured it would be best to start a separate thread for something like this.

Some of us have been calling for this for quite a while.

 

[cancontent]

Some of us have been calling for this for quite a while.

Yeah, "a while" is putting it mildly when I recall your thoughts on Quinn. 😉

Your patience with these Washington State-based teams is to be commended. Hopefully the Washington Huskies repay you for this with a great season this year.

 

[Dillon77]

Here's an ESPN article on it.
As noted, this is not a really even a mild surprise to this group, dating back to last year. (Heck, a lot of thought her being named head coach was way too early.)

In any case, new person patrolling the sidelines next year. I'll be interested to see how quickly they name a new HC to influence the return of certain free agents. Or, if they just build around a younger core and go from there.

Quinn out as coach of Storm after playoff loss

Noelle Quinn, the only Black female coach in the WNBA this season, will not return as head coach of the Storm, the team announced.

www.espn.com

 

[darrell]

I would certainly choose to build around a younger core. With them having the Sparks lottery pick, I’d look to pair Malonga & Ezi up with Olivia Miles, plus you still have Horston and another first.

Shame they gave up their third first for just a couple months (possibly) of Brittney Sykes, who averaged just over 4 points in the Vegas series.

 

[Bigboote]

You're putting it mildly. This is what I was thinking when I saw Brown and Mitchell speak.

I'm sorry, but I can't get this song out of my head after seeing your GIF. Last week I listened to all of my Tom Waits CDs. ( Note that I don't condone burning things to the ground. 😉 )

 

[Geew1992]

I would certainly choose to build around a younger core. With them having the Sparks lottery pick, I’d look to pair Malonga & Ezi up with Olivia Miles, plus you still have Horston and another first.

Shame they gave up their third first for just a couple months (possibly) of Brittney Sykes, who averaged just over 4 points in the Vegas series.

There's talks of Ezi being traded and Sykes not resigning.

 

[darrell]

There's talks of Ezi being traded and Sykes not resigning.

If Ezi does get traded, I’d love to see her in Dallas. She’s just the post defender they need, will get plenty PT and I can finally see she & Paige together (since she skipped out on UConn). Paige, Arike, Maddy, Awa Fam and Ezi could be a great group.

As for Sykes, I knew once she was traded that she’d be gone next year. She didn’t end up moving the needle at all and lowered her stock a ton going into a huge free agency.

 

[cancontent]

I'm sorry, but I can't get this song out of my head after seeing your GIF. Last week I listened to all of my Tom Waits CDs. ( Note that I don't condone burning things to the ground. 😉 )

Now Tom Waits is someone I haven't heard in a VERY LONG time. Love that the GIF prompted the thought for you.

And don't worry.........there are no urges to be a fire bug over here. 😉 The GIF was the only appropriate visual I could think of to illustrate the power of Brown and Mitchell's words to me when I heard them.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I would certainly choose to build around a younger core. With them having the Sparks lottery pick, I’d look to pair Malonga & Ezi up with Olivia Miles, plus you still have Horston and another first.

Shame they gave up their third first for just a couple months (possibly) of Brittney Sykes, who averaged just over 4 points in the Vegas series.

That was like Washington robbed the bank because the vault door was wide open and then left a thank you note on the way out. Worst mid-season trade by a mile.

 

[Dillon77]

That was like Washington robbed the bank because the vault door was wide open and then left a thank you note on the way out. Worst mid-season trade by a mile.

Mystic Mission Accomplished....and then some.

 

[JellyBean]

Figured it would be best to start a separate thread for something like this.

Coach Quinn gave it a decent run. I am sure she will get hired again and lead a team or join another coaching staff.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Who would be a good option for Seattle? It seems like a good job with good talent, good fan base, good ownership, good arena, good city.

 

[darrell]

Who would be a good option for Seattle? It seems like a good job with good talent, good fan base, good ownership, good arena, good city.

Kristi Toliver is the Associate HC for the Mercury, I think she’s worth an interview at least. Her time as an assistant also includes 5 years in the NBA.

 

[JellyBean]

I am curious to see how this whole Angel Reese and Chicago Sky situation plays out over the off season. I will be honest, I don't see how she comes back to the team unless the front office just blows up the roster and builds around Angel and Kamilla. This off season is going to be pretty intense with the players CBA and roster moves.

 

[visitingcock]

I am curious to see how this whole Angel Reese and Chicago Sky situation plays out over the off season. I will be honest, I don't see how she comes back to the team unless the front office just blows up the roster and builds around Angel and Kamilla. This off season is going to be pretty intense with the players CBA and roster moves.

Free Kamilla!

 

[bballnut90]

I am curious to see how this whole Angel Reese and Chicago Sky situation plays out over the off season. I will be honest, I don't see how she comes back to the team unless the front office just blows up the roster and builds around Angel and Kamilla. This off season is going to be pretty intense with the players CBA and roster moves.

To be fair, aside from those 2 they don’t have anyone else worth building around or keeping on the roster aside from Ariel Atkins.

 

[GamecockFam]

To be fair, aside from those 2 they don’t have anyone else worth building around or keeping on the roster aside from Ariel Atkins.

Honestly I don't mind a lot of their roster pieces but I think they were missing some key players to fill in starter roles that were messing up the feng shui of the whole roster. Only Atkins, Reece and Cardoso are starter material. The rest of the team is bench material with exception of a few that I don't think have the athleticism to make it in the W (Van Lith and Nurse, mostly). Even then, I sometimes wonder if Reece and Cardoso have too many overlapping skills. Reece probably needs to become more of a threat shooting 3s and 15 footers for that combo to make sense. She also needs to get better at defending away from the basket.

 

[cancontent]

Honestly I don't mind a lot of their roster pieces but I think they were missing some key players to fill in starter roles that were messing up the feng shui of the whole roster. Only Atkins, Reece and Cardoso are starter material. The rest of the team is bench material with exception of a few that I don't think have the athleticism to make it in the W (Van Lith and Nurse, mostly). Even then, I sometimes wonder if Reece and Cardoso have too many overlapping skills. Reece probably needs to become more of a threat shooting 3s and 15 footers for that combo to make sense. She also needs to get better at defending away from the basket.

To be fair, Nurse hasn't been the same since her ACL injury when she played for Phoenix. In some chats I've had with friends here, we're not sure why. Some have wondered whether her decision to work for TSN for the Raptors games during the off-season was a good idea. I had hoped her time playing with Athletes Unlimited this year would have helped with this WNBA season, but that wasn't the case.

 

[Dillon77]

Seattle GM Talisa Rhea reviews the decision to move on from Coach Noelle Quinn and team personnel going forward.

Storm yearn for 'a new identity' with next coach

A day after announcing Noelle Quinn won't return for 2026, Seattle Storm general manager Talisa Rhea told reporters "we had a talented roster," and "our hope was that we'd finish better in the regular season and try to make a deep run in the postseason."

www.espn.com

 

[Dillon77]

Honestly I don't mind a lot of their roster pieces but I think they were missing some key players to fill in starter roles that were messing up the feng shui of the whole roster. Only Atkins, Reece and Cardoso are starter material. The rest of the team is bench material with exception of a few that I don't think have the athleticism to make it in the W (Van Lith and Nurse, mostly). Even then, I sometimes wonder if Reece and Cardoso have too many overlapping skills. Reece probably needs to become more of a threat shooting 3s and 15 footers for that combo to make sense. She also needs to get better at defending away from the basket.

I've thought along the same lines, too. Maddy Westbeld was severely limited in minutes most of the season because she played behind -- guess who -- Angel Reese. Once Reese was injured/suspended/???, Westbeld got to stay on court for extended stays (everyone needs minutes) and had a 20+ game in the season ender. The younger Westbeld isn't the prolific rebounder Reese is (who is?), but she can defend away from the basket and, yes, she can shoot. Well.

Ballsy move, but if some team is willing to move very good young players and/or top notch draft picks, it could be worth listening to.
For some reason, I have my doubts that Reese will deviate from her very single-minded approach to her career. That's her choice/right, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of room for "we" from what I've seen over the years.

 

[cancontent]

 

[Geew1992]

I have so many questions about this... Yet, Dallas is keeping their coach.