These are the WNBA's top 10 free agents

WNBA’s free agency started this week, and while players can’t sign until Feb. 1, teams are allowed to be in conversation with them. Here are the top 10 players who are eligible free agents and some scenarios around what would happen if they re-sign or go somewhere else.

Position: G

Last Team: Washington Mystics

2023 Stats: 12.7 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game, 6.2 assists per game

Cloud has long been a strong distributing point guard, leading the WNBA with 7 assists per game in 2022. However, injuries across the Mystics roster forced Cloud to take on a more prominent role. While her average assists fell to 6.2, she also posted career-highs in points per game (12.7), rebounds (3.7), blocks (0.3), and free throw percentage (90 percent). Cloud is also a proven defender, locking up an All-Defensive first-team placement in 2022.

The 31-year-old point guard also played the best game of her career the last time she was on the court. Cloud took over in her team’s Game 2 loss to the New York Liberty during the first round, putting up nine assists, six rebounds, and a franchise record 33 points on 12-for-22 from the field and 5-for-7 from behind the arc.

Position: F/C

Last Team: Chicago Sky

2023 Stats: 9.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.3 blocks, 1.3 steals

Smith is arguably the least-proven player on this list, starting just one game in her first four seasons (64 total games). However, the 27-year-old big is coming off a breakout season with the Chicago Sky. Smith set career highs in just about every counting metric, and even that doesn’t tell the full story. The forward/center also led the WNBA shooting 62.6 percent from the field and was seventh in the WNBA in blocks per game.

It’s obviously a risk to bet on one season of production, especially when it comes on a team as weak as the Sky. But Smith’s one-year breakout was rare. Only two other players in the W were able to average at least 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game last season: the two MVP frontrunners, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. Add that to her scoring efficiency, and the right situation could propel Smith to stardom.

Position: F

Last Team: Dallas Wings

2023 Stats: 18.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 4.4 apg

Sabally is likely going to be the most highly sought-after restricted free agent on the market. While the Wings can match any offer made for the 25-year-old forward, Sabally is worth vying for despite her injury history. She set career-highs across the board – points (18.6), rebounds (8.1), assists (4.4), steals (1.8), field goal percentage (43.5), and three-point percentage (36.1 percent) – all while playing in a career-high 38 games. The burst was enough to earn Sabally a Most Improved Player award and a slot on the First-Team All-WNBA team. At 25, Sabally is just getting started.

Position: C

Last Team: Connecticut Sun

2023 Stats: 15.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.5 bpg

Jones has made lists like this before. She was one of the top free agents in last year’s class before re-signing with the Sun on a one-year deal. However, an Achilles rupture sidelined her for the remainder of the 2023 season. The 28-year-old forward is still worth the long-term investment, even if her recovery eats into the 2024 season. Jones made All-Star teams the last two years she was fully healthy. Before her injury, Jones was putting up career numbers in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

Position: G

Last Team: Phoenix Mercury

2023 Stats: 16.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5 apg

Diggins-Smith was unavailable for the entirety of 2023 after giving birth to her second child, and the Phoenix Mercury allegedly barred her from practicing in their building while on maternity leave. That being said, the last time we saw Diggins-Smith, she had just made her fourth First-Team All-WNBA team; her first time doing it in back-to-back seasons.

If Diggins-Smith has played her final game with the Mercury, she ended the three-year run with a bang. She finished the 2022 season third in the WNBA in points per game and seventh in assists per game while leading the league in minutes played.

Position: Center

Last Team: Phoenix Mercury

2023 Stats: 17.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.2 apg

For Griner to return to the WNBA after her detainment in Russia and play as well as she did was a feat in itself. No one knew how she would respond after those 10 months, but to put up 17.5 points and perform like she never took time off was something no one could have predicted.

As for moving on from Phoenix, it doesn’t seem likely.

“Phoenix is home,” Griner said after the season ended to ESPN. “Me and my wife literally just got a place [here]. This is it.”

Position: Forward/Center

Last Team: Las Vegas Aces

2023 Stats: 9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.7 apg

Parker missed the back half of the Aces championship game due to injury. While she was healthy though, the Aces were 16-2.

The veteran is expecting to return for her 17th season, assuming no more injuries arise. She is a great playmaker and good at getting the ball to her teammates. If she can’t resign with the Aces, perhaps a return to Chicago, where they need the veteran presence and someone who can be dependable to make plays. Plus, she knows the system very well, playing there for two seasons before moving to Las Vegas.

Position: Forward

Last Team: Washington Mystics

2023 Stats: 16.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.1 apg

Delle Donne has been in and out of lineups in the past due to injuries. She is this high on the list assuming she stays healthy. She is unbelievable from the free-throw line. Shoots the ball like Steph Curry and is a solid defender. What team wouldn’t want a package like that?

The Delaware product’s four-year contract with the Mystics expired at the end of last season and she did not get the core designation and is expected to sign with a new team.

“I just want to win,” the two-time WNBA champion told Just Women’s Sports. “That’s truly what I care about most. It’s been my whole career, but especially coming back from all the back stuff and feeling like I’m really the strongest I’ve ever been. I’m in great shape. I feel like I have a lot more basketball to play, and I want to win.”

If she wants to win, the easiest choices are to move to a team like the Liberty, the Aces, or even the Connecticut Sun. Those teams are all in the running for the top team next season, and with their rosters all relatively untouched, adding Delle Donne just brings in another talented player who knows what it takes to win a championship.

Position: Center

Last Team: New York Liberty

2023 Stats: 11.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.8 apg

JJ made the move to New York last season after playing with the Connecticut Sun and was a huge reason why the Liberty made their way to the league finals. Her biggest asset is her ability to corral rebounds, in addition to being an MVP-level player (she won the award in 2021). She has been nursing a foot injury for a few seasons now, but if she is in tip-top shape, Wherever she goes will be getting a player who can be relied on heavily.

While she does not have a core designation, Jones has expressed wanting to stay in New York. If she doesn’t stick around with the Liberty, a team that could really use her size and talents are the Washington Mystics or the Phoenix Mercury, who had the two worst rebounding percentages in the league last year, according to the WNBA’s site. A Mercury move could put Jones on the same roster as Diana Taurasi, which would instantly improve their offensive struggles.

Position: Forward

Last Team: New York Liberty

2023 Stats: 34.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 3.8 apg

The UConn product moved from Seattle back home to New York last season and was the push the Liberty needed to make the jump into an elite team. They lost to the Aces in the championship, but Stewart was their best player on the court consistently. She is the total package — great at getting into position, sees the court better than anybody else, is a good shooter, and a great passer. It’s no wonder that she was the MVP of the league.

The good news for Liberty fans is that Stewie has a core designation, meaning she will be under a one-year, supermax deal. She is not leaving the Big Apple for at least another year.