The WNBA offseason gave us blockbuster trades, franchise shakeups, and a rookie class loaded with intrigue. With so many moving pieces, fresh storylines, and an expansion team, the 2025 season is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable yet.
New teams. New stars. New drama. From breakout candidates to surprising playoff contenders, here are seven predictions for the 2025 WNBA season.
The Wings Make the Playoffs
This isn’t recency bias, given that the Dallas Wings won the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes. This team is a legitimate threat to make the postseason in 2025 after finishing with the second-worst record in the WNBA last season (9-31).
Bueckers is a true franchise cornerstone. Her natural two-way ability adds serious juice to Dallas’ backcourt. She can slot in as the primary ball-handler and let All-WNBA selection Arike Ogunbowale play her natural position and focus on getting buckets. Adding Bueckers and electric former NC State guard Aziaha James was just the cherry on top for a solid offseason for the Wings.
Dallas moved on from Satou Sabally, but they added NaLyssa Smith, 2024 Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, and Myisha Hines-Allen. Carrington, specifically, elevates the defensive profile of this team. Factor in a rising Maddy Siegrist and a double-double threat in Teaira McCowan, and you have a team that’s ready to turn things around in 2025.
Caitlin Clark Averages a Double-Double
Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly one of the faces of the league. The 2024 Rookie of the Year earned All-Star and All-WNBA First Team honors in her first WNBA season. The former Iowa Hawkeyes star also led the league in assists (8.4 per game) and three-pointers made (122).
Clark is a prolific scorer, as evidenced by her legendary collegiate career and her 19.2 points per game in Year 1 with the Indiana Fever. She’s a legitimate three-level scorer who can get a bucket from anywhere on the floor. But that’s not all she does. Clark is also an elite offensive playmaker, not just for herself, but for her teammates as well. She set the record for most double-doubles by a rookie guard (14).
Indiana put together a strong offseason and enters this season with high expectations. They added veteran bigs Natasha Howard and DeWanna Bonner, as well as backcourt depth in Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson. A strong frontcourt rotation of Bonner, Howard, Aliyah Boston, and 2025 draftee Makayla Timpson has to be music to Clark’s ears. Clark had a 27.7% usage rate in 2024, and she’ll continue to have more assist opportunities with the upgraded talent on this roster.
Napheesa Collier Wins WNBA MVP
Napheesa Collier comes from a long line of WNBA stars who played under Geno Auriemma at UConn. She quickly established herself as a player to be reckoned with in the league, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2019. The Minnesota Lynx star has gone on to rack up four All-Star selections, three All-WNBA nods, three All-Defense selections, and a Defensive Player of the Year award since then.
Collier finished second in MVP voting a season ago, behind only A’ja Wilson. She averaged 20.4 points, 9.7 rebounds (career high), and 3.4 assists (career high) per game in 2024 while shooting 49.2% from the field. Her impact was felt on the defensive end as well, recording 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks (career high) per game.
Collier gets better year after year, and she’s on a bit of a run right now after winning MVP honors for the inaugural season of the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league. She led the league in points, rebounds, and steals. Collier plays the game with a chip on her shoulder, so falling just short of winning MVP and a WNBA title will fuel her.
Paige Bueckers Wins Unanimous Rookie of the Year
Paige Bueckers was the clear-cut top prospect in the 2025 WNBA Draft class. The UConn product is a dynamic playmaker on both ends of the court. She put together an impressive run during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, averaging 24.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on the road to winning the national championship. Now, she brings that winning mentality to a team that finished near the bottom of the league last season.
Unlike many No. 1 overall picks, Bueckers landed in a great situation. The Dallas Wings had a rough 2024 campaign, but the front office locked in this offseason, making quality moves to improve this roster. Bueckers will get to share a backcourt with Arike Ogunbowale, one of the game’s premier scorers (22.2 PPG in 2024). DiJonai Carrington is an elite wing defender, which will take some pressure off Bueckers on that end of the floor.
Bueckers comes with plenty of experience against high-level competition. Don’t expect there to be a significant learning curve. She’s ready-made for the WNBA, and she’s certainly not lacking in the confidence department. Leading the Wings to the postseason would be a notable notch on her belt to help her case to be the unanimous Rookie of the Year.
Aaliyah Edwards Enjoys a Breakout Season
Yes, we’re talking about yet another former UConn Huskies standout. That school just breeds talent, and Aaliyah Edwards is no exception. Edwards showed some flashes in her first season with the lowly Washington Mystics despite having an inconsistent role. She played 21.8 minutes per game and averaged 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds on 49% shooting.
Looking at the numbers alone might leave some wondering why she’s suddenly going to break out in 2025. Edwards had a hot summer after turning heads during the Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament. The Canada native skunked 2-time MVP Breanna Stewart in the first round en route to a championship round matchup against Napheesa Collier. While she fell short, Edwards showed that she belonged and could hang with the best of the best.
There’s a lot to like about Edwards’ game. She’s a high-level athlete with a solid combination of strength and quickness. She hasn’t proven to be a threat on the perimeter, but her bag was on full display during the one-on-one tourney. New Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson must unlock Edwards’ potential because the signs are evident. Adding steady NBA-ready guards Sonia Citron and Georgia Amoore can only benefit Edwards heading into Year 2.
The Lynx Win the WNBA Finals
The Minnesota Lynx lost the WNBA Finals by a razor-thin margin (3-2 loss to the New York Liberty). Losing a series you believe you should have won has a way of motivating teams heading into the next season. That’s exactly why the Lynx should be one of the favorites to win it all in 2025.
FanDuel has three teams with better betting odds than Minnesota to win the WNBA title this season — the Liberty, Las Vegas Aces, and Indiana Fever. While each team has a case, especially the defending champions, don’t underestimate the valuable experience the Lynx gained in 2024. They were one of the best teams in the league all season, and they were efficient on both ends of the floor. Minnesota finished with an 8.0 net rating, third-best in the WNBA.
Cheryl Reeve’s squad wasn’t super active in free agency, and their 2025 draft haul left much to be desired. However, they did trade for a solid perimeter shooter in Karlie Samuelson before the draft. The Lynx have one of the most complete cores in the league, led by Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams. Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton, and Diamond Miller are talented role players. Many teams have a lot of new pieces, but Minnesota is running it back with basically the same squad from last year.
Angel Reese Makes All-WNBA and All-Defensive Teams
After a dominant college career, Angel Reese made her presence felt early and often during her rookie season with the Chicago Sky. She averaged 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on the year. Reese led the league in rebounds (446 total), and she passed Tina Charles for the most double-doubles by a rookie in WNBA history (23).
Reese was dominant in the paint on both ends of the court, leading to her first All-Star selection and All-Rookie Team honors. While she was a force, she wasn’t the most efficient scorer. Reese shot just over 39% from the field and 73% from the free-throw line. There’s reason for optimism that she’ll improve in that department in 2025. She’s been working with Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie in the offseason, particularly on her inconsistency finishing around the rim.
Leslie’s tutelage seemed to have an impact, as Reese showed tremendous strides in her game during the Unrivaled season. The talent is undeniable. She has the size, length, and athleticism to be one of the best two-way bigs in the WNBA. Playing next to Kamilla Cardoso for a full season and getting looks from guards Ariel Atkins, Courtney Vandersloot, and Hailey Van Lith should help propel her to take the next step in her development.