Top 5 Free Agents on the move
With a loaded FA class in 24, we see several players staying put. These 5, however, are our Top FA targets on the move
With the 2024 WNBA free agency period set to start later this month, we took at look at this loaded class and determined our Top-5 FAs we think will be on the move. Let us know in the comments who your top FA targets are.
Skylar Diggins-Smith
There should be no surprise Diggins-Smith tops our list, or anyone else's. She is the prize of this free agent class not only because of her skills, but because it’s a certainty she will be on the move. There has been absolutely zero love-loss with Phoenix management this past season and the future hall-of-famers’ time in the desert has been borrowed for the better part of two seasons. We think her addition to multiple rosters could easily vault that team to a top contender. There will be several teams in the market for Diggins-Smith, but we see her landing with a contender at this stage of her career, and what could be her final destination.
Team prediction: Minnesota Lynx
Contact size: 200k + per year
Contact length: 3 years
Bec Allen
Allen is coming off a year of firsts in Connecticut. First year playing every game. First year with over 25 starts. First year scoring over 250 total points. Allen has always been a prized role player within WNBA ball-head circles, but last year she had a bit of a coming out party for even the casual fans, culminating in a 2nd round playoff win on the road in New York where Allen dropped 18 points, 7 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals in her return to Brooklyn. The 6’2’’ 3 and D hybrid guard will be on every contender's radar.
Team prediction: New York Liberty
Contract size: 150k per year
Contract length: 3 years
Courtney Williams
Willams has bounced around these last few years but we think her last season in Chicago might have been her best season yet. She molded her game from shoot-first mid range one-v-one guard to an extremely judicious and efficient facilitator that made everyone on the court better. Her career high in assists, before last year, was the 2021 season where she averaged four dimes a game in her last season in Atlanta. This past season in Chicago, she obliterated that previous high, averaging 6.3 per game while also having a career best assist/turnover ratio. She also averaged over 10 points a game on better than 43% shooting from the field and 44% from deep. She will be a nice addition to any rotation.
Team prediction: Phoenix Mercury
Contract Value: 150k
Contract Length: 1 year
Aerial Powers
The end of the Powers/Minnesota marriage has been in the works since the beginning of last season, maybe sooner. It was very clear early in the season, Coach Cheryl Reeve was not interested in Powers’ play style, shot selection or general presence. It seemed pretty messy considering Minnesota had previously rewarded Powers with a career high contract just a few seasons ago. Regardless, Powers will definitely be on the move this offseason and she can be an instant offensive spark plug, off the bench, to several teams. We don’t think she will fetch what she is worth based on the last season in Minnesota, but we could see her making some big time contributions in the right situation.
Team prediction: Las Vegas Aces
Contract Value: 130k
Contract Length: 1 year
Rebekah Gardner
After an early season-ending injury ended Gardner’s sophomore campaign last year, we see her being a cap casualty (along with Williams) in Chicago. Now, I’m certain Sky fans will desperately want to keep the crafty defensive-minded ball hawk on the squad, but with other mouths to feed, we see Gardner fetching a more lucrative deal on the open market. She won’t break the bank on a new deal, but for the value she provides, she is definitely a prized pick-up for a team needing perimeter defense. We expect New York to pursue Gardner feverishly if they can’t land Allen.
Team Prediction: Seattle Storm
Contract Value: 120k
Contract Length: 2 years