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After the trade deadline wrapped up on Sunday, the WNBA landscape didn’t feel all that shifted. The largest trade from this year was the Los Angeles Sparks’ decision to part ways with Kelsey Plum amid an extremely disappointing 2026 campaign, sending her to the Phoenix Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani and draft compensation. 
This shakes up the postseason picture a bit, with Phoenix now with extra help on offense to try and boost their chances of getting into the top-8 of the league standings with just over a month and some change left in the regular season. Aside from that move, the league stayed relatively firmly set, and we still got some fantastic basketball out of the week despite that silence on the trade front. 
These were five moments from Week 10 of the WNBA season that stood out to me as the deadline came and went. 
<hr />
<h2>Miles and Collier’s Two-Man Game Heating Up</h2>
As if the Minnesota Lynx, the top-seeded team in the league through ten weeks, needed any more help, it looks like the two-man game between Miles and Collier is beginning to really gel. That’s terrifying. 
Miles has been on a tear as of late, averaging 22.7 points per game along with 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds over her last three games. Collier has also begun to pick things up since returning from her ankle injury, posting 16.3 points per game along with 6.3 rebounds, four assists, 1.3 blocks, and 50 percent shooting from three. 
In their back-and-forth win against the Indiana Fever on August 2, the two players were constantly leveraging their own gravity to assist the other. Miles could constantly drive to the basket with Collier trailing, and defenders would have to essentially pick their poison between two players with very efficient rim-finishing numbers. They’re also both respected away from the rim, adding more of an issue for defenses trying to get the ball out of either player&#8217;s hands. 
Double-teaming is not enough to slow the Lynx down with Collier healthy. Even if you can shut both of their waters off, you still have to deal with a potent guard in Courtney Williams, or a sharpshooter in Kayla McBride, or a veteran forward in Natasha Howard who has been thriving as Collier’s running mate in the frontcourt so far since her return. 
It’s just becoming unfair, in the best sense of the word.
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<h2>Sydney Taylor’s Loud All-Rookie Push</h2>
<div id="attachment_268057" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-268057" class="wp-image-268057 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Sydney Taylor #12 of the Chicago Sky celebrates after scoring the game winning basket against the Las Vegas Aces</div>
While Miles might have ROTY wrapped up after helping to keep a contender like the Lynx afloat during Collier’s absence, Taylor is trying to squeeze her way into that conversation regardless. The Chicago Sky undrafted rookie has been sensational for the squad up to this point, averaging 21.5 points, four assists, a steal, and a block over her last two games with the Sky. And, of course, she really helped to shake the table this past week with a huge game-winning three against the Las Vegas Aces. 
What really speaks to how grounded she is for a rookie is the fact that veteran Natasha Cloud actually ran up to Taylor to celebrate her game-winner, while Taylor was trying to focus on stopping Las Vegas from getting off one final shot at the buzzer. She didn’t celebrate until that whistle blew. 
Taylor has been collecting these moments all season long, giving Chicago something to root for as they’ve struggled to find their footing due to injuries and a very tough schedule. At 11-19, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that they can make a push for that final 8 seed by the end of the season, but Taylor has to be a huge part of that. The Sky have been desperately missing a shooter and driver of her caliber, and if they don’t emphasize her role in this offense, they’re looking at another lost season. 
She’s beginning to feel like a shoo-in for All-Rookie, as well.
<hr />
<h2>Potent Mystics Frontcourt Shocks Wings</h2>
While the Dallas Wings have been sensational this year, one aspect of their team that fans might’ve hoped to have seen addressed at the trade deadline was their lack of rim protection. Jessica Shepard and Awak Kuier are really solid frontcourt players on offense, but they don’t provide a ton of help defensively at the rim. 
The Washington Mystics fully exposed that issue in their win over the Wings from over the weekend. Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen were dominant over Dallas, finishing up with 22 and 28 points, respectively, along with a combined 19 rebounds. Only Shepard came close to matching Washington’s production on the boards with six rebounds, and that’s quite underwhelming for her amid a career-best season. 
The Mystics have now won four in a row and are staving off late-year pushes from a few teams under them trying to kick them out of the 8 seed. If you have any doubts about your frontcourt depth or defense headed into the postseason, you do not want to deal with this young Mystics team.
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<h2>Aces Snag Huge Win Over Liberty</h2>
<div id="attachment_268058" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-268058" class="wp-image-268058 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces looks to pass under pressure from Marine Fauthoux #4 of the New York Liberty</div>
Ahead of Rivals Week, which kicks off on August 8, we got a taste of one rivalry between Las Vegas and New York. It was a battle between these two teams, who were meeting for the first time since their Commissioner’s Cup game. New York won that championship, but they dropped this game to the Aces behind a monstrous performance from A’ja Wilson. She and Breanna Stewart were clashing in this one, leading their teams in scoring and rebounding overall. It was simply impossible for the Liberty to stop the Aces’ core three of Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young from catching fire, which led to a fourth-quarter collapse. Young did a good job of hitting clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the game for Las Vegas, while New York struggled to generate turnovers or stop Young from charging to the basket in clutch time. 
These two teams meet again on Sunday, August 9, as part of Rivals Week. While both are in vastly different positions in the current standings &#8211; the Aces are nipping at the Lynx’s heels, while the Liberty are just trying to find their footing again as they sit as the 7 seed &#8211; they’re still contenders with a lot of overlap in talent. These games offer a good glimpse into how they’ll manage their rosters and lineups in the postseason, with a potential meeting in the first round getting set up.
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<h2>Dream Storm Back Against Wings</h2>
This entire column was not devised to hit back against the Wings’ ascension, I promise, but they did have a tough week in the WNBA. Before losing against the Mystics, they also dropped the ball in a big way against the Dream, who they had a double-digit lead against on July 29 before completely collapsing. A game-winning shot from Allisha Gray was the dagger for Atlanta after they overcame that deficit. 
The Dream may not be shooting the ball very well &#8211; just hitting 26.2 percent of their three-point shots, and hitting a fourth-worst 43.3 percent of their shots from the field overall &#8211; but their rebounding and second-chance point opportunities are almost infinite thanks to their newly healthy frontcourt of Bri Jones and Angel Reese. They lead the league in that category with 14.7 second-chance point opportunities per game. 
Those are the back-breaking shot opportunities that will keep Atlanta afloat while they wait for their shots to fall again.

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Five Things I Like: Week 10

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Chicago Sky Top Plays vs. Phoenix Mercury

Power Rankings

The 2026 WNBA regular season has officially entered its third act.
With two-thirds of the season complete, four tiers have emerged from the standings:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Tier 1: The Minnesota Lynx hold a four-game lead over their nearest competitor.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Tier 2: Only 3.5 games separate the second-place Aces from the eighth-place Liberty, with the Valkyries, Dream, Wings, Fever and Mystics in between them.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Tier 3: Sitting five games back of Tier 2, only 1.5 games separate the ninth-place Sparks from the 13th-place Tempo, with Chicago, Phoenix and Portland in between them.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Tier 4: Sitting 3.5 games back of Tier 3, the Sun and Storm are the only teams with single-digit wins.</li>
</ul>
Three takeaways from looking at these tiers:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The Lynx are in the driver’s seat to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs for the second straight season.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The battles between the seven teams in Tier 2 for a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the opening round will be fascinating to follow and likely come down to the wire. Head-to-head matchups will be key as tiebreakers may come into play in such a tightly packed group.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The five-game gap between Tier 2 (teams in the playoffs if the season ended today) and Tier 3 (teams headed to the lottery) is large, but not insurmountable. However, time is of the essence for those teams to make their move.</li>
</ol>
Note: All stats and records are through games played Sunday, Aug. 2.
<hr />
<h2>1. Minnesota Lynx (25-6) ↔️</h2>
<div id="attachment_267927" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267927" class="wp-image-267927" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="676" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-768x577.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-1536x1154.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-2048x1539.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Napheesa Collier #24 and Kayla McBride #21 of the Minnesota Lynx</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 1</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thu. vs. LAS, Sat. vs. LVA, Sun. vs. DAL</li>
</ul>
The Lynx are rolling, picking up their 10th straight win on Sunday for their longest win streak in a decade. The keys to the run:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Kayla McBride is on fire, averaging 22.7 points on 53.3% FG, 48.7% 3P, 95.8% FT shooting splits over the past 10 games.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">There is no rookie wall for Olivia Miles, who continues to elevate her game as the season progresses, averaging 22.3 points, 6.1 assists and 50% 3-point shooting during the streak.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Napheesa Collier has seamlessly fit back into a winning squad, averaging 18.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while playing only 25 minutes per game over her first four contests of the season.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>2. Golden State Valkyries (20-9) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. vs. TOR, Fri. at DAL, Sun. at LAS</li>
</ul>
After squandering a 13-point lead in a loss to Phoenix in their first game after the All-Star break, the Valkyries bounced back with a win over Toronto on Sunday. Golden State opens this week with a rematch with the Tempo before heading to Dallas on Friday looking to clinch the season series against the Wings with a victory.
<hr />
<h2>3. Las Vegas Aces (20-9) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 4</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at ATL, Thu. at IND, Sat. at MIN, Sun. at NYL</li>
</ul>
The Aces won their first two games following the All-Star break before falling to the Sky on a last-second shot on Saturday despite A’ja Wilson’s 36-point effort. It was Wilson’s third 30+ point performance in her last four games and 10th of the season, double any other player’s total this season. Wilson and the Aces will be tested this week with a four-game slate all against teams in the top two tiers.
<hr />
<h2>4. Indiana Fever (19-11) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 5</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thu. vs. LVA, Sat. at CHI</li>
</ul>
Kelsey Mitchell’s season-high 37 points were not enough for the Fever to cool down the Lynx on Sunday in a clash of hot teams. Indiana’s five-game win streak was snapped, while Minnesota extended its run to 10 in a row. The Fever find themselves in the middle of Tier 2, surrounded by teams with similar records battling for playoff positioning.
<hr />
<h2>5. Atlanta Dream (18-10) ⬆️</h2>
<div id="attachment_267928" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267928" class="wp-image-267928" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Angel Reese #5 and Naz Hillmon #00 of the Atlanta Dream</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 6</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. vs. LVA, Wed vs. PHX, Fri. at WAS</li>
</ul>
The Dream entered the All-Star break on a high note — winning three straight games before sending three players to Chicago for the midseason festivities — and have picked up right where they left off. Atlanta won its first two games coming out of All-Star, including a victory over Dallas on Wednesday to complete a 3-0 season sweep, extending its win streak to five. Allisha Gray (21.6 ppg, 56.3% FG) and Angel Reese (19.4 ppg, 11.0 rpg) have combined for 40 points per game during this run.
<hr />
<h2>6. Washington Mystics (16-12) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. vs. DAL, Fri. vs. ATL, Sun. vs. PHX</li>
</ul>
On June 28, the Mystics outlasted the Fire in a four-overtime instant classic. Starting with that game, Washington has gone 8-3 over its last 11 games to climb from ninth to seventh in the standings. The Mystics enter this week riding a four-game win streak, looking to close out their six-game homestand strong as they host the Wings, Dream and Mercury.
<hr />
<h2>7. Dallas Wings (19-11) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 3</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. at WAS, Fri. vs. GSV, Sun. at MIN</li>
</ul>
The Wings dropped their first two games coming out of the All-Star break before getting back on track with a win over Connecticut on Sunday despite a season-low six points from Paige Bueckers in 25 minutes. While Dallas is eight games over .500, its last win over a .500 team came on July 7 against New York. Among teams in the top two tiers, Dallas has the worst record (7-10) against winning teams.
<hr />
<h2>8. New York Liberty (17-13) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 7</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. vs. SEA, Wed. vs. SEA, Sun. vs. LVA</li>
</ul>
Over a 10-game stretch from June 19 to July 18, the Liberty went just 2-8, including an 0-4 mark in games that featured clutch time — defined as the score within five points in the game’s final five minutes. Since that 2-8 stretch, New York has bounced back, going 4-1 over its last five games, with all five decided by five points or less. Can the Liberty remain on the upswing and improve their position in the playoff picture?
<hr />
<h2>9. Chicago Sky (11-18) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 11</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. vs. PHX, Wed. vs. LAS, Sat. vs. IND</li>
</ul>
After hosting All-Star weekend, Chicago opened its post-All-Star slate with wins over the Sun and Aces. The win over Las Vegas came via Sydney Taylor’s last-second game-winning 3-pointer to stun the defending champs. The Sky are 4-2 in their last six games as they try to make the leap from Tier 3 to Tier 2 with 15 games to play.
<hr />
<h2>10. Phoenix Mercury (11-19) ⬆️</h2>
<div id="attachment_267929" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267929" class="wp-image-267929" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Kahleah Copper #2 of the Phoenix Mercury</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 13</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at CHI, Wed. at ATL, Fri. at CON, Sun. at WAS</li>
</ul>
The Mercury made the biggest splash at Sunday’s trade deadline by acquiring All-Star guard Kelsey Plum from the Sparks. At 11-19, the Mercury sit six games back of the Liberty, who currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot. Can the addition of Plum ignite a late postseason push? That quest begins with a four-game road trip this week. Here’s the key question: How soon will Plum, who has been out since June 21 with ankle and lower leg injuries, suit up for the Mercury?
<hr />
<h2>11. Los Angeles Sparks (11-17) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 12</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. at CHI, Thu. at MIN, Sun. vs. GSV</li>
</ul>
On the other end of the biggest deal of the trade deadline are the Los Angeles Sparks, who beat Portland on the same day the Plum deal became official to snap a six-game skid. The Sparks are now 4-12 without Plum this season, compared to 7-5 when their former leading scorer was in the lineup. With the trade saga behind them, the ninth-place Sparks sit five games back of the final playoff spot with 16 games to play. Can they make a late-season push to get into Tier 2?
<hr />
<h2>12. Portland Fire (11-19) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 9</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thu. vs. TOR, Sat. vs. SEA</li>
</ul>
The Fire have dropped five straight games and have gone just 5-15 over their last 20 following a promising 6-4 start through the first 10 games of their revival season. Despite their recent struggles, there have been many bright spots for the Fire so far this season, including the play of Carla Leite, who became the youngest player in WNBA history (22 years, 106 days old) to have multiple games with 20+ points and 10+ assists. Her second such game came Friday against Indiana and Caitlin Clark, who previously held that distinction.
<hr />
<h2>13. Toronto Tempo (10-19) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 10</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. at GSV, Thu. at POR</li>
</ul>
The Tempo opened their post-All-Star slate against the top two teams in this week’s rankings, dropping two games to Minnesota and one to Golden State to extend their losing streak to six. Toronto has four games remaining on a five-game road trip, as the Tempo look to improve on their 4-8 road record and get back into the win column. First up is a rematch with the Valkyries in the Bay Area before heading to Portland in a clash of expansion teams. Will the newly-acquired Aneesah Morrow make her Tempo debut this week after joining Toronto at the trade deadline?
<hr />
<h2>14. Connecticut Sun (7-23) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 14</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Fri. vs. PHX</li>
</ul>
Connecticut closed out a six-game road trip on Sunday with a loss to Dallas. The Sun will look to snap their five-game skid when they host the Mercury on Friday in their only game of the week. That contest begins a four-game homestand for the Sun, who are 4-10 at home with eight home dates remaining in their Sunset season.
<hr />
<h2>15. Seattle Storm (6-25) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 15</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at NYL, Wed. at NYL, Sat. at POR</li>
</ul>
The Storm have dropped eight straight games, are 1-10 since the start of July, and risk becoming the first team officially eliminated from postseason contention. Seattle opens this week with back-to-back games in New York — the team that currently holds the final playoff spot. The Storm trail the Liberty by 12 games in the loss column with 13 games left to play. With the Liberty leading the three-game season series 1-0, a Seattle loss in either game against New York will seal the Storm’s lottery fate.

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2026 WNBA Power Rankings: Week 10

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