Welcome! 🎉 In an effort to stop spamming my friends with constant women’s basketball updates, I’ve created this newsletter. I know—so generous of me. No need to thank me! I’m here to keep you informed on most things WBB.

Table of Contents

• WNBA Preview

• Fred’s Power Rankings

  • Minnesota Lynx 26-5

  • Atlanta Dream 19-11

  • New York Liberty 20-10

  • Phoenix Mercury 19-11

  • Indiana Fever 18-14

  • Las Vegas Aces 17-14

  • Los Angeles Sparks 14-16

  • Seattle Storm 16-15

  • Golden State Valkyries 15-15

  • Washington Mystics 13-17

  • Dallas Wings 8-23

  • Connecticut Sun 5-24

  • Chicago Sky 8-23

• Hoops & Hype: Media Picks

  • Film Session: WBB Highlights & Insights 📽️

  • Booked & Busy: WBB Reads 👓

  • Drip Report 💧

WNBA Preview

On August 7th, the WNBA trade deadline passed — and we got the most eventful one in a while! Unlike the NBA trade deadline, which is always full of big moves, the WNBA’s is usually pretty quiet. But this year, as teams tweaked their rosters for deep playoff runs, we actually saw some action. I break down the trades in more detail in the rankings.

In other news, the standings are tight heading into the playoffs. Here’s what to watch for tomorrow (8/10):

• Lynx vs. Liberty – The Liberty are just one game ahead of both Atlanta and Phoenix. If the Liberty lose, they’ll be tied with Atlanta in the standings — but the Liberty hold the tiebreaker, having gone 2–1 in their head-to-head meetings. If the Liberty want to hold on to the No. 2 seed, tomorrow is a must-win.

• Sun vs. Aces – If the Aces win (and they should), they’ll be tied with the Fever for the No. 5 seed. The Aces own the tiebreaker, so they’d take over the spot.

• Dream vs. Mercury – These two are tied in the standings, but Atlanta currently holds the No. 2 seed because they have the tiebreaker over Phoenix. If the Mercury win, they’d leap to the No. 2 seed, since they hold the tiebreaker over the Liberty.

• Storm vs. Sparks – If the Storm lose, they’ll drop from the No. 7 seed to the No. 8 seed — the final playoff spot. The Sparks are chasing that No. 8 seed, so a win would bring them one step closer.

Bottom line for Liberty fans: We need the Liberty to win and the Dream to win!

Fred’s Power Rankings

Minnesota Lynx 26-5

The Lynx are firmly in the number one spot, and barring disaster, will most likely clinch the top seed going into the playoffs.

The Lynx have looked like a machine all year, and their record reflects it. KMac seems to be getting out of her slump and has been shooting and scoring more consistently. Bridget Carleton still has not found her shot, but she does all the little things on the court like rebounding and defending. And Phee is Phee.

They set the record for the largest blowout in WNBA history, beating the Aces by 52 points. That record previously belonged to the 2022 Aces. When this team is humming, it is damn near impossible to beat them.

Two major updates are coming out of Minnesota:

1. Phee sprained her ankle in their blowout win against the Aces (after Becky had already sat the Aces starters) and will be out for at least two weeks. We will see if the Lynx can hold it down, especially with three straight games coming up against the Liberty while Phee is sidelined.

2. With the trade deadline looming, Cheryl Reeve (coach and GM) traded their 2023 number two pick, Diamond Miller, to the Dallas Wings in exchange for 2024 Most Improved Player and First Team All-Defense honoree, DiJonai Carrington. The Lynx also included Karlie Samuelson in the trade, although she is out for the season anyway.

   With DiJonai, the Lynx secured a perimeter defender who allows KMac to focus more on offense than defense. Smart move, especially since Sabrina and Marine went off on them in the July 30th matchup. DiJonai could be one of those pieces that pushes them over the top, though she does not contribute much on offense.

Personally, I think the Lynx will be fine even without Phee because that team is just so solid. I do hate that the league scheduled five Liberty vs Lynx games all in a row. Looks like we will not get Stewie versus Phee until the playoffs.

In a sinister move, the Lynx signed former Liberty guard Jaylyn Sherrod. Not a coincidence that their only games for the next two weeks are against the Liberty, lol.

Atlanta Dream 19-11

Even without Rhyne Howard, the Dream have been playing some great basketball. Without Rhyne, they’re 5–2. Naz Hillmon has all but cemented her case for Sixth Woman of the Year, and maybe even Most Improved, and Allisha Gray has shown she can lead this team.

This strong play without Rhyne has also vaulted them to the third seed, and they are only one game back from the number two spot, which they have a very real shot at clinching.

Now let’s talk about Naz mf Hillmon. I mentioned a while back that Naz is the daughter of NaSheema Hillmon, who played for the Nashville Noise of the former ABL. Naz was drafted by the Dream in 2022 and had a minimal role until this year. With Rhyne out and at times BG, our girl Naz has stepped up BIG time.

In their win against Dallas, Naz not only dropped a career-high 21 points, she also hit a career-best five threes on 5 of 7 shooting. Before this season, she had only taken three threes ever. Her defense, shooting, and tenacity have been everything for the Dream. She is their X factor.

Allisha Gray is firmly in the MVP conversation. She probably will not win, but she deserves to be First Team All-WNBA. Period.

Controversial opinion: I know Dream fans keep saying BG does not do that much, but I would argue she is the perfect player to have on your roster. When you need her for something specific, she comes through. Like when Atlanta beat the Liberty. JJ was out, and BG punished us inside. She just needs to stop getting ejected or hit with techs for yelling at refs lol.

@wnba

Ran it. Called it. Won it. Naz Hillmon drills the go-ahead triple with 2.8 seconds left to seal the win. Dream 88, Wings 85 📈 Career-high... See more

New York Liberty 20-10

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning!!!!!!

Last time we were here, I was so young, so joyful, so naive! When I thought we were at full health with Emma on the way, Stewie exited the July 26th game against the Sparks with 6 minutes left in the quarter. And it has been downhill since then.

Just so we are up to date, here is a list of our troubles:

• Breanna Stewart – Escaped disaster (aka a torn ACL or meniscus) but was left with a bone bruise. She’ll be out until the end of August.

• Kennedy Burke – Left the Sparks game with what looked like a calf cramp, but it turned out to be a calf strain. She's expected to return sometime between August 12–16. ( I’m pro keeping KB out bc that calf can turn into a torn Achilles real quick)

• Nyara Sabally – Her lingering right knee issue is rearing its ugly head again. She’s out as a precaution and is expected back between August 10–17.

The Libs reverted to 2022 Liberty form when Sabrina had to drop 30-plus and post triple doubles just for us to win the damn game. We went on a NASTY losing streak, including a buzzer-beater loss to the Sparks and racking up TWO losses to the worst two teams in the league.

The July 28 game against Dallas? The most disgusting and embarrassing display of basketball I’ve seen from the Liberty since the start of the superteam era in 2023. Hell, maybe since 2020. Getting SPANKED by the Wings on PRIME TIME NATIONAL TV? UGH (let me not crash out again).

Luckily for the fans, the Liberty were just as disgusted as we were. They called an immediate team meeting after the game to watch film and regroup. Hopefully, Sandy and Stewie cussed them out.

We followed the Dallas game with a respectable loss to the Lynx. At least we played with some mfing pride. But whatever relief that brought was erased with an ass-whupping from the 4 and 22 Connecticut Sun.

When Sunday rolled around, I wasn’t expecting much from this team, but I was hopeful because Emma was getting her first start of the year. Sabrina proceeded to go nuclear with 36 points (one shy of her career high and only one three), 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. Emma gave JJ some much-needed help in the paint, added 11 points, and finished with a +6. This was an encouraging win, especially since Emma looks like she’ll give us the support we need to get through this next stretch of games.

The unfortunate part of dropping those easy games is that now we’re only one game ahead of Atlanta, instead of what should’ve been a four-game cushion. We should be able to hold onto the number two spot with the next few games coming up, but chile, who knows.

The Liberty also had to say goodbye to Jaylyn Sherrod, a beloved part of the team,to make space for Emma, especially since Stephenie Talbot fills in the gaps we need (rebounding). We need more roster spots ASAP; it’s not fair that we can’t develop these players.

With that being said, Emma is literally Lady Joker in three games. She has been outstanding! She is exactly what we needed to weather this period without Stewie, Nyara, and Kennedy.

Phoenix Mercury 19-11

The Mercury have been going through a bit of a rough patch. They’ve lost 4 of their last 7 games and have looked out of sorts. While Kahleeh has slowly gotten back into form, putting up 19, 25, and 15 points in their last few games, Satou, on the other hand, has looked out of sorts with low scoring outputs and eventually got benched in their July 30th game against the Fever. After that, she took a personal day or two, which ignited speculation that the acquisition of DeWanna Bonner destroyed the team’s chemistry. This, of course, was a bunch of BS (mostly due to Fever fans thinking DB is toxic for how she left their team). Satou returned, putting up 23 and 6, then 15 and 8. I think they just need to get used to playing together again after many of their pieces (Satou, Kah, Lexi, and Monique) have all been working their way back from injury.

The real highlight of the Mercury is the MVP case that Alyssa Thomas is building for herself. She just became the first WNBA player in history to put up back-to-back-to-back triple-doubles! She has the most triple doubles in WNBA history with 19 (Sabrina is next with 4). She has been the engine behind the Mercury this season and is impacting the game in every aspect. If Phee is out a bit longer, AT might be able to snag that MVP.

AT’s third triple-double came in the most eventful blowout game I’ve ever seen in my life, lmfao. DB was COOKING her former team and talking cash shit to Lexi Hull of all people. She and her boo thang (AT is her fiancé) showed everyone why they had Connecticut in the Semis or Finals for the last 5 years. It’s always a joy watching a Fever beatdown <3

@brwsports

Nobody has more fun being a bully than AT 😂 #wnba #wbb #alyssathomas #phoenixmercury

Indiana Fever 18-14

Welp.

The Fever went on an inspired 5-game winning streak and, for a moment, it really looked like they’d be in a prime playoff position awaiting Caitlin’s return.

Then they lost to the Sparks. Which, fine, okay. With their size in the frontcourt — Azurá, Dearica, and Cam Brink — the Sparks are always going to have the Fever’s number.

But disaster struck in the high-emotion game in Phoenix. This was Sophie Cunningham’s first time back in the arena that made her. She was drafted by the Mercury in 2019, was a fan favorite, and even worked for the Suns in the offseason. They opened with a cute welcome-back video, and then the beatdown began.

Sophie was the only Fever player who decided to show up that day, finishing with 18 points. Aliyah had a horrible game, ending with 4/9/3. Kelsey Mitchell went 4/17. But the worst part was the season-ending injuries to Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald.

Syd tore her ACL after entering the game for only 2 minutes. This is a HUGE blow, especially since it was the day after her 36th birthday. Which begs the question, is this not only season-ending, but career-ending?

Aari McDonald landed awkwardly and broke a bone in her foot, ending her season. I feel so bad for her. She was out of the league and proved that she belonged, and now faces a long recovery. At least bones heal quicker than soft tissue and ACL’s etc (idk if this is even true lmfaooooo not me making shit up)

Now all three point guards for the Fever are injured, and Caitlin is the only one with a slight chance of returning. This also means the Fever only have Kelsey, Sophie, and Lexi in their backcourt. For context, in her last three games, Lexi Hull has gone 1-17 from the floor and 0-12 from three. The Fever are going to need her to step up BIG time.

They will be in the playoffs this year for sure. But if CC doesn’t come back, they’ll be getting swept. It’ll be interesting to see who they sign for a hardship contract.

If I’m them, I’m calling Crystal Dangerfield, Odyssey Sims, Deja Kelly, and Ariel Powers ASAP — anyone with working limbs who can bring the ball up the floor.

Las Vegas Aces 17-14

If the Aces finish the season as a top-5 seed, is A’ja Wilson in the MVP conversation?

The Aces have looked a lot better since their loss to the Lynx and have started to look like a semblance of a functioning team. One big reason for this is Jewel Lloyd coming off the bench for the first time since 2019. Since coming off the bench, Jewel has scored 12, 27, 14, and 10 points! This is amazing because her ass was giving NOTHING as a starter. Steady, consistent scoring from Jewel has been essential for them.

Nalyssa Smith has settled in perfectly next to A’ja and has been providing much-needed rebounding, scoring, and screening! Bless her heart, but Meg Gustafson gives nothing, and you can see the clear drop-off when Lyss goes to the bench. Speaking of the bench, Aaliyah Nye has hit her rookie wall HARD. She looks so out of sorts every time she’s in the game. Can’t dribble, slow decision-making, and her shooting is off again.

This is a first-round exit team, IMO, but they are making encouraging strides.

Los Angeles Sparks 14-16

The Sparks!!!!!! They are so good now, omg! It’s wild what a fully healthy team will do for you.

The Sparks are 8-2 in their last 10 games, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down. They’ve shown that when games get close in the fourth, they can finally close out teams instead of giving up like they did earlier in the season. There are a couple reasons I believe they’ve been able to turn their season around.

Rickea Jackson started the season slowly and missed a few games due to injury and personal reasons. But lately, she’s been on an absolute tear and, in my opinion, the best player on this team. Over the last 10 games, she’s averaging 18 points and 4 rebounds and has hit multiple game winners. Her last three games were 20, 25, and 27!

Brink is Back! The No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft returned to play 13 months after suffering an ACL and meniscus tear. Man, I forgot just how good Brink is—it’s ridiculous. Yes, there’s room for growth offensively, but what she does defensively almost makes up for it all. She’s an elite rim protector, registering 11 blocks in her 4 games back. She also provides elite one-on-one defense, locking up smaller guards like Kelsey Mitchell. The paint protection on this team is nuts. Once you get past Azurá and Dearica, you’ve got big-ass Brink in the back blocking your shot.

Julie Allemand — When Odyssey Sims was released from the Sparks, it made little sense. She’s a great PG who can give you so much scoring-wise. But when Julie joined the Sparks after playing for Belgium in EuroBasket, it all started to click. Julie’s game management and pass-first mentality have stabilized the Sparks’ offense and allowed KP to be off the ball and focus more on scoring. She also recorded her first triple-double against the Sun!

Overall, this team has come together nicely, and they have the roster personnel to throw multiple different looks. They can score on all three levels, give you a small-ball lineup, or go all bigs. Their versatility is their biggest weapon. The Sparks will be stealing someone’s spot in the playoffs — the question is, whose?

@brwsports

CAMERON BRINK BLOCK PARTY 🤯 #wnba #wbb #lasparks #cameronbrink

Seattle Storm 16-15

The Storm haven’t gotten better since the last time I talked to y’all. They’re such a confusing team. They lose the games they most definitely should win, then throw a fraud-ass fourth-quarter push and still can’t close the game. The most clutch player in the league, Skylar, is no longer so clutch. They can’t get outside shooting, Ezi is still MEH, and Nneka is playing out of her mind with no help. And it still feels like we’re never going to see the French Olympic team Gabby in the US. She’s so good, but often leaves so much to be desired.

In a push for some increased offensive output, the Storm traded Alyesha Clark, Zia Cooke, and a first-round pick swap for veteran Brittney Sykes. This shows the Storm are still making a play for the championship. Will it work? I’m not so sure. They couldn’t even beat a Phee-less Lynx (let me not do too much - the Liberty play them Sunday 8/9).

On a brighter note, Dominique Malonga, the 6’7”, 19-year-old phenom, put up 22 and 12 in their loss against A’ja Wilson and the Aces. The more she plays, the better she looks—she might even snatch Ezi’s starting spot soon.

Golden State Valkyries 15-15

The Valkyries have had such a hard time lately with injuries. It’s unfortunate that their stellar start to the season is most likely going to end with them out of the playoffs.

After a beautiful All-Star weekend celebrating the first person to be an All-Star in the first year of an expansion team, Kayla Thornton suffered a knee injury that will keep her out for the remainder of the season. Such an unfortunate blow for both the Valks and KT. — Horrible side note: from the 2024 Champs, three players (Sloot, Betnijah, KT) have suffered season-ending injuries, and Nyara, KB, Stewie, and JJ have all been sidelined with lower leg injuries at some point this season.

Additionally, Monique Billings has been out with an ankle injury (she came back and reinjured it, too), and Zandelisini and Tiff Hayes have also been in and out of the lineup.

This inconsistency has affected the Valkyries’ ability to win games, suffering some blowouts and almost wins.

They’ll continue to be fun to watch, but they’re nowhere near as good as they were in the beginning. But hey, it’s an expansion team! At least it’s been fun!

Washington Mystics 13-17

This week, the Mystics officially signaled they are committing to a full rebuild.

At the trade deadline, they made two important moves:

At her request, they traded Brittney Sykes to the Storm for Alyesha Clark, Zia Cooke, and a first-round pick swap. While they decided to keep vet Alyesha Clark, they waived Zia Cooke. At 31, Sykes wanted the opportunity to play for a championship and not a rebuild. (That would make sense if she hadn’t gone to the Storm.)

In another move, they traded their 2024 #6 draft pick, Aaliyah Edwards, to the Connecticut Sun for Jacey Sheldon and the right to a first-round pick swap in 2026. If you were paying attention to the Mystics, this comes as no surprise. We saw Edwards’ minutes dwindle as Kiki and Sonia have performed way above expectations, and Shakira Austin is finally healthy and playing at a dominant level. There was just too much in the frontcourt, and AE was the odd woman out. Bringing in Jacey allowed them to replace her.

Overall, the Mystics have one of the best front offices in the league, PERIOD. Since last season, they have:

• Hired Sydney Johnson, who has proven to be an amazing coach

• Traded Karlie Samuelson to the Lynx for a 2026 first-round pick

• Trade Ariel Atkins to Chicago for their 2025 third overall pick in the WNBA draft, along with the right to swap 2027 first-round picks and Chicago's 2027 second-round pick.

• That 3rd pick turned into Kiki Irifean. They also drafted Sonia Cintron and Georgia Amoore.

• Now they have turned Sykes into another First Round Pick

• AE into a 2026 First round Pick swap

This team is showing you how to tank and rebuild ethically! They are a competitive team, allowing their rookies to show off but losing enough games to have a good draft position next year — all while collecting so many draft assets that will allow them to draft well OR trade the picks for other players. 10/10 no notes, DC.

Dallas Wings 8-23

The Dallas Wings are another team slowly but surely committing to the rebuild. This past week, they traded away DiJonai Carrington to the Minnesota Lynx — and she has not missed a single chance to tell us how happy she is, lmfao.

In return, they got back Karlie Samuelson, Diamond Miller, and Minnesota’s 2027 second-round draft pick. They waived Karlie, who is out for the season with a foot injury, but will be helping her rehab. Diamond Miller will finally get an opportunity to play freely. The Lynx, like most championship-level teams, have little patience for developing players — she wasn’t allowed to play through mistakes there. In Dallas, she’ll be able to do that.

An additional byproduct of this trade was the waiving of Teaira McCowan. Arike and Maddy are now the only ones left from the 2024 team. Rebuild in full effect.

Aside from the trade, they handed the Liberty an epic beatdown, which briefly got their hopes up. HOWEVER… they haven’t won a thing since — including getting beat by the Liberty twice. This isn’t really a flex, because this team is supposed to suck! Their front office is finally realizing they need to stop building around Arike and instead build around Paige.

Although these moves won’t necessarily turn their season around, at least they’re moving in the right direction.

One thing I do want to highlight is the constant booing and cyberbullying of their coach. Now, I think coaches should and can be criticized, and fans are allowed to be displeased. However, there’s a point where it goes too far. When away arenas are booing him (thanks to Paige fans being everywhere lol), and grown adults are wearing “We Want Nola” (assistant coach) shirts to the point where players have to address it — it’s too much. Too many new fans are cults of personality; they’re Paige fans before they’re Wings fans, and most importantly, before they’re basketball fans.

Anyway, shoutout to MHA for checking folks.

@brwsports

Myisha Hines-Allen had her coach’s back 🫡 (Via @Wnba 🏆) #wnba #womensbasketball #dallaswings

Connecticut Sun 5-24

As the season has gone on, the Sun have looked better and better. Sure, it hasn’t always translated into wins, but it’s definitely more cohesive basketball. A huge reason for that is the arrival of Leïla Lacan. The French rookie is averaging 9 points and 2.3 steals per game (!!!) and has a reliable three-point shot.

Tina Charles is playing her ass off, but she looks absolutely wiped after every game — LOL, I love her so much. She really deserves a ring, but for now, she’s a phenomenal vet presence for a team full of rookies. Especially after adding Aaliyah Edward,s who will finally get some more playing time after a lackluster (due to sitting out from injury) sophomore season.

Saniya’s offensive output has slowed a bit since her boo-thang Marina came back, but she’s still a defensive menace. Future DPOY candidate for sure.

This is a team that’s going to put up a fight… but they’re 9/10 not gonna win shit.

Chicago Sky 8-23

The Sky are another team plagued by injuries, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Angel Reese has been ruled out indefinitely with a back injury, and it’s looking like she’s done for the season. Ariel Atkins has been in and out of the lineup with a leg injury, same for Michaela and Haley Van Lith. Short-handed, they’ve shown valiant effort… but they just suck.

Their guards are f*cking horrible — unathletic, inefficient, and boneheaded at times. Rachael Banham has had a decent stretch of games, but if you’re relying on Rachael Banham, you’re not going anywhere. And why tf is Kia Nurse still on anybody’s roster, let alone making $145,000?! It is literally painful to watch her play basketball.

I said back in the winter during Athletes Unlimited that I might have to apologize to her because she looked halfway decent — but she needs to apologize to ME! To ALL OF US! Retire!!

Angel has two more years left on her rookie contract after this season, and just like Elena Delle Donne, she’s going to be high-tailing it out of this horrible organization.

Hoops & Hype: Media Picks

Check out some of the cool podcasts, videos, reads, and fashion I saw this week.

Film Session: WBB Highlights & Insights 📽️

Booked & Busy: WBB Reads 👓

Drip Report 💧