WNBA 2026

[TerpWomenFan]

Crazy how much value Diamond has lost over the years. Is it just injury related? She was a can't miss prospect a few years ago.

She was the #2 overall pick. Sometimes it's a bad fit for the player. I think she would do great for the Mystics. I believe there is no interest on their part.

 

[GamecockFam]

I actually love this move for Chicago. I think Jackson's a better (and younger) player with more upside. I could see her being an 18-20 ppg scorer this season for Chicago.

I was thinking the same thing and it'll allow Cardoso to have more space in the paint because Rickea will demand attention, so it'll be harder to crowd the paint. Now they just need a PG to get them the ball. Maybe they're looking to draft Raven and reunite her with Cardoso? That would be some instant chemistry on the floor with all of their history playing together in high school and college.

Edit: Any word of Vandersloot coming back and healthy? She would make a great mentor for Raven.

 

[Iluvacc2]

I actually love this move for Chicago. I think Jackson's a better (and younger) player with more upside. I could see her being an 18-20 ppg scorer this season for Chicago.

I think Jackson is an upgrade, I was more so referring to the initial trade that brought Atkins there in the first place.

 

[Iluvacc2]

I was thinking the same thing and it'll allow Cardoso to have more space in the paint because Rickea will demand attention, so it'll be harder to crowd the paint. Now they just need a PG to get them the ball. Maybe they're looking to draft Raven and reunite her with Cardoso? That would be some instant chemistry on the floor with all of their history playing together in high school and college.

There’s talk of them signing Diggins.

 

[cancontent]

Meh. Any experts think they needed to sign her so there's stated value in a trade?

If it's a multi-year deal, not sure how it provides value from a trade perspective.

 

[Dillon77]

Well, I definitely didn't have that on my bingo card. If they draft Azzi, will a big on their roster get more than 2-3 touches a game?!

Huh? I'd just heard about a possible three-way deal that would include one Arike Ogunbowale. For some reason, how/why would that include a multi-year deal? And Awak Kuier is coming back? Are we sure Curt Miller is A.O.K.? Next steps will sure be interesting.

 

[Dillon77]

There’s talk of them signing Diggins.

So we she and 'Sloot each play half a game and trade war stories?

 

[Iluvacc2]

So we she and 'Sloot each play half a game and trade war stories?

I haven’t heard anything about Sloot’s recovery.

 

[cancontent]

Dallas has been busy today 🤣

 

[Dillon77]

BTW, Tucked at the bottom of the ESPN article on the Ogunbowale signing is a news item that makes this even more interesting:

"Jessica Shepard, Ogunbowale's college teammate with whom she won a national championship, has also agreed to join the Wings on a multi-year deal, sources told ESPN.

Shepard previously played five seasons in the WNBA with the Minnesota Lynx, who drafted her in the second round in 2019.
The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 assist per game off the bench in 2025."

Kuier. Shepard. Ogunbowale. Is Miller collecting pieces for a stew in Dallas or individual items that can be used for further development? And how will it affect the draft? On one hand, bringing in experienced bigs might allow them to draft Fam and let her learn in spurts, then play for Spain. On the other, it could ....oh, who the heck knows.

 

[Dillon77]

Dallas has been busy today 🤣

Owe you a beer...I was writing a comment on this.

 

[bbsamjj]

She was the #2 overall pick. Sometimes it's a bad fit for the player. I think she would do great for the Mystics. I believe there is no interest on their part.

She had a really good rookie season but hasn't seemed to be able to regain that form since several injuries. Hopefully she can stay healthy and make an impact again.

 

[GoChips20]

Meh. Any experts think they needed to sign her so there's stated value in a trade?

To Arike’s credit, she’s largely been loyal to Dallas despite the franchise being up and down (mostly down) since she was drafted there in 2019. She’s had a few All-W appearances and could’ve secured a contract on a much better team several times now.

That said…Arike as a player is who she is at this point. Can go dynamite and win you a game, can shoot you out of it before halftime. Her game doesn’t fit well with Paige and if they’re drafting Fudd as suspected this makes even less sense

 

[BannerTown]

I was thinking the same thing and it'll allow Cardoso to have more space in the paint because Rickea will demand attention, so it'll be harder to crowd the paint. Now they just need a PG to get them the ball. Maybe they're looking to draft Raven and reunite her with Cardoso? That would be some instant chemistry on the floor with all of their history playing together in high school and college.

Count me among those who think Rickea was a terrific pickup for the Chicago Sky. The basketball case comes first, obviously: she is a great young player, and that is what matters most. But there is also meaningful commercial upside as the league grows and Chicago tries to recover from years of poor management and put fans in the seats. She brings a large and growing social media following, plus a strong portfolio of endorsements. And if, as you mention, they could get Raven too, Rickea, Raven, and Kamilla would give them a terrific young core to build around.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Sparks going for the win now approach. Once the Atkins trade goes through, and if reserved player Rae Burell returns. They have a solid starting five on paper. Does Plum at PG full time work?

Plum
Burrell
Atkins
Ogwumike
Brink

That's the question. She put up good assist numbers last year, but they didn't start winning games until Allemand came back from EuroBasket and got in a groove...as the PG. I previously thought Plum would be fine as a full time PG, but now I'm not so sure.

 

[cancontent]

I think we can consider Chelsea's son a valid source right? 😍

 

[Iluvacc2]

 

[Dillon77]

Count me among those who think Rickea was a terrific pickup for the Chicago Sky. The basketball case comes first, obviously: she is a great young player, and that is what matters most. But there is also meaningful commercial upside as the league grows and Chicago tries to recover from years of poor management and put fans in the seats. She brings a large and growing social media following, plus a strong portfolio of endorsements. And if, as you mention, they could get Raven too, Rickea, Raven, and Kamilla would give them a terrific young core to build around.

I actually think it was, too. Rickea, a Michigan native, is going to love this because she's close to her family and they can visit.

There's one other player who can benefit from this and that's Maddy Westbeld, who could slot into the power forward role, which she did at the tail end of the season. Westbeld is a solid 6'3", can rebound, pass, and shoot. Well. I think she'll play off Kardoso really well. Westbeld isn't as dynamic a rebounder as Reese (who is?) but she's a very good shooter and understands ball movement. Another good young player for the Sky.