With the WNBA trade deadline on Thursday, August 7 at 3 p.m. ET, now is the time for contending teams to bolster their rosters for the stretch run.
The deadline coincides with the season reaching 70% completion, meaning there will be less than a third of the schedule remaining for teams to secure their playoff position and ready their playoff rotations.
The league-leading Lynx were the first team to make a move on Sunday, acquiring guard/forward DiJonai Carrington – the 2024 Most Improved Player and All-Defensive First Team selection – from Dallas for former No. 2 overall pick Diamond Miller, an injured Karlie Samuelson and a 2027 second-round pick.
The Lynx already own the league’s top defense in terms of opponent points allowed (75.4 ppg), defensive rating (95.1) and opponent effective field goal percentage (46.8%). Now, they add a strong on-ball defender to the mix as they eye the top seed in the playoffs (they currently hold a 5.5-game lead) and pursue a record fifth WNBA title.
With Minnesota setting the tone, how will fellow contenders respond before Thursday’s deadline? We’ll dive into that next week. For now, here’s how the field stacks up this week.
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<h2>1. Minnesota Lynx (24-5) ↔️</h2>
Last Week: 1 
This Week: Tue. at SEA, Fri. vs. WAS, Sun. at NYL
While the Lynx are coming off a historic 111-58 win in Las Vegas on Saturday – the 53-point margin of victory is the largest for any road team, the second-largest for any game in WNBA history, a franchise record 17 triples, including eight in the 1st half from Kayla McBride – all eyes are focused on the right ankle of Napheesa Collier. The league’s leading scorer and MVP frontrunner suffered the injury late in the 3rd quarter against the Aces and did not return. No timetable has been set for her return.
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<h2>2. Atlanta Dream (18-11) ⬆️</h2>
Last Week: 3 
This Week: Thur. at CHI, Sun. at PHX
After falling to Golden State in the closing seconds on Tuesday, the Dream won three straight to close the week and have won five of their last six games overall. Allisha Gray leads the WNBA in 3-pointers made (73) and ranks 12th in 3-point percentage (40.8%) for the season. Over the past six games, she’s been on fire, hitting 50% of her triples (17-of-34), while leading five Dream players averaging 12+ points with 19.2 ppg.
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<h2>3. New York Liberty (18-10) ⬇️</h2>
Last Week: 2 
This Week: Tue. vs. DAL, Fri. at DAL, Sun. vs. MIN
Sunday’s win over Connecticut helped the Liberty snap a four-game losing streak – New York’s longest skid since July 2022. With Breanna Stewart diagnosed with a right knee bone bruise and no timetable for a return, the Liberty added another former Finals MVP to their frontline with 2019 winner Emma Meesseman joining Jonquel Jones (2024) and Stewart (2018, 2020). The defending champs open the week with a home-and-home set with Dallas before hosting the Lynx in the second of four 2024 Finals rematches in the span of three weeks (July 30-Aug. 19).
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<h2>4. Indiana Fever (17-12) ⬆️</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-201377" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227107833-1-scaled.jpg" alt="Aari McDonald #2 of the Indiana Fever " width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227107833-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227107833-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227107833-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227107833-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227107833-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227107833-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Last Week: 6 
This Week: Tue. at LAS, Thur. at PHX, Sat. vs. CHI
The title of “hottest team in the league” entering this week belongs to the Fever, who have won five straight games and eight of their last 10. Tomorrow in L.A., the Fever will look to match their longest win streak in a decade as they visit the Sparks seeking a sixth straight W. This streak has come while Caitlin Clark remains sidelined (groin) as Indiana is now 9-7 without the reigning Rookie of the Year this season.
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<h2>5. Phoenix Mercury (17-11) ⬇️</h2>
Last Week: 4 
This Week: Tue. vs. CON, Thur. vs. IND, Sun. vs. ATL
Behind 25 points from Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas’ league-record 13th career regular season triple-double (10 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast), the Mercury defeated the Sky on Sunday to avoid an 0-3 week. However, Phoenix is just 2-5 of its last seven games following a 9-2 run that had the Mercury in second place in the league at 15-6 in mid-July. Phoenix opens a four-game homestand on Tuesday, looking to build on a 9-4 home record this season compared to 8-7 on the road.
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<h2>6. Seattle Storm (16-13) ⬇️</h2>
Last Week: 5 
This Week: Tue. vs. MIN, Fri. at LVA, Sun. at LAS
The Storm are just 2-4 since the All-Star break and are coming off back-to-back close losses – a two-point loss to L.A. in a double-overtime thriller despite a season-high 37 points from Nneka Ogwumike, and a four-point loss to red-hot Indiana. Seattle sits in the middle of a crowded pack from No. 2 New York to No. 10 Los Angeles in the standings – the No. 6 Storm are 2.5 games back of the Liberty and 3.0 games up on the Sparks.
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<h2>7. Las Vegas Aces (15-14) ↔️</h2>
Last Week: 7 ↔️
This Week: Wed. at GSV, Fri. vs. SEA, Sun. vs. CON
The Aces had a rollercoaster week. They began with a 15-point win over L.A., snapping the Sparks’ five-game win streak behind Jackie Young’s first triple-double and A’ja Wilson’s 34 points. They followed that with the second-largest loss in league history (-53) to Minnesota. Then, they rebounded with a 24-point win over Golden State to close the week 2-1 despite a minus-14 point differential. Despite the up-and-down week, they maintain their hold on the No. 7 spot in the power rankings.
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<h2>8. Golden State Valkyries (14-14) ⬆️</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-201375" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227474424-scaled.jpg" alt="Tiffany Hayes #15 of the Golden State Valkyries" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227474424-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227474424-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227474424-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227474424-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227474424-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227474424-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Last Week: 10 
This Week: Wed. vs. LVA, Sat. vs. LAS
Sunday’s loss to the Aces snapped a three-game win streak for the Valkyries and was the only thing that kept them from leaping Las Vegas in these rankings. After a 3-1 week, the Valkyries are 14-14 on the season – putting them in contention for the best inaugural season by a WNBA expansion team ever. Only three teams have won more than 14 games – the 1999 Lynx and Miracle each went 15-17, while the 1998 Shock went 17-13. That Shock team is the only expansion team to finish above .500, which is in play for the Valkyries.
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<h2>9. Los Angeles Sparks (12-15) ⬇️</h2>
Last Week: 8 
This Week: Tue. vs. IND, Thur. vs. CON, Sat. at GSV, Sun. vs. SEA
The Sparks had their five-game win streak snapped by Las Vegas, but bounced back with a double-overtime win over the Storm in one of the top games of the season. Dearica Hamby hit the game-winning layup with 4.3 seconds left, but it was L.A.’s balance with four 20+ point scorers that shined in the win. Leading the way with 27 points was Rickea Jackson, who has had four 20+ point games during L.A.’s current hot streak. After going 6-14 in their first 20 games, the Sparks are 6-1 in their last seven.
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<h2>10. Washington Mystics (13-15) ⬇️</h2>
Last Week: 9 
This Week: Tue. at CHI, Fri. at MIN, Sun. at DAL
After a 6-2 stretch lifted the Mystics over .500 prior to All-Star, Washington has gone 2-5 in its last seven games and – at No. 9 in the standings – is currently the first team on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. Something to watch down the stretch is how the Mystics fare in close games. They have played in a league-high seven games decided by three points or less, and are 3-4 in those games so far.
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<h2>11. Dallas Wings (8-21) ⬆️</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-201378" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227938248-scaled.jpg" alt="Paige Bueckers #5 of the Dallas Wings" width="960" height="595" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227938248-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227938248-300x186.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227938248-1024x635.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227938248-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227938248-1536x952.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/08/GettyImages-2227938248-2048x1270.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Last Week: 12 
This Week: Tue. at NYL, Fri. vs. NYL, Sun. vs. WAS
The Wings have the frontrunner in the Rookie of the Year race in No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers – who not only leads all rookies but ranks in the top 10 in the entire league in points (18.5 ppg, 7th), assists (5.5 apg, 9th) and steals (1.8 spg, 3rd). Now, they add another lottery pick to the roster in 2023 No. 2 pick Diamond Miller from Minnesota in the trade for DiJonai Carrington. Will an expanded role in Dallas help Miller showcase her full potential?
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<h2>12. Chicago Sky (7-21) ⬇️</h2>
Last Week: 11 
This Week: Tue. vs. WAS, Thur. vs. ATL, Sat. at IND
The Sky have dropped eight straight games – their longest losing streak since dropping nine straight in 2012. Angel Reese (back) has missed five of Chicago’s last seven games as the Sky are now 0-5 without her on the season and 1-10 without her for her career. Chicago will look to end the slide this week with home games against the Mystics and Dream before heading to Indiana on Saturday to face the Fever.
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<h2>13. Connecticut Sun (5-22) ↔️</h2>
Last Week: 13 
This Week: Tue. at PHX, Thur. at LAS, Sun. at LVA
Since Marina Mabrey returned to the lineup following the All-Star break, the Sun have gone 2-3 with home wins over the Valkyries and Liberty. Now, the Sun hit the road for four straight games and will look to improve on their 1-11 mark away from Mohegan Sun this season.
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Longtime WNBA reporter Brian Martin writes articles on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.

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2025 WNBA Power Rankings: Week 9

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Game Recap: Liberty vs. Sun (8/1/25)

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Top Plays of the Day, 7/27/2025

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Game Recap: Sparks vs. Sun (7/24/25)

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Top Plays of the Day, (7/15/25)

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Welcome to All-Star week!
In addition to this weekend’s festivities being a celebration of the game and its brightest stars, All-Star gives us a chance to reflect on the season thus far.
With each team set to reach or pass the midway point of the season (22 games) this week, let’s take a look at how the teams stack up against one another and see how they compare to the <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/2025-power-rankings-preseason">preseason expectations</a>
When we see the disparities from the preseason until the midway point, just remember there’s a whole other half of the season that can continue to shake up these races post All-Star.
1. Minnesota Lynx (18-4)
Last Week: 1 ↔️
This Week: Mon. at CHI, Wed. vs. PHX
With losses at Phoenix and Chicago, the Lynx have dropped two games in a three-game span for the first time this season. After a rematch with the Sky in Chicago this tonight, the Lynx play their next five games at home, where they are a perfect 11-0 this season.
2. Phoenix Mercury (14-6)
Last Week: 2 ↔️
This Week: Mon. at GSV, Wed. at MIN
After dropping two straight games for the first time all season, Phoenix bounced back with consecutive home wins over Dallas and Minnesota this past week – the latter of which featured the return of longtime Mercury DeWana Boner. The Mercury own the second-best road record this season (5-3), which will be put to the test with seven of their next eight games outside of Phoenix.
3. New York Liberty (14-6)
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-200632" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-11.png" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-11.png 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-11-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-11-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-11-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-11-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-11-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
Last Week: 5 ⬆️
This Week: Wed. vs. IND
When reigning Finals MVP Jonquel Jones went down with an ankle injury on June 19, the Liberty lost that game and three of the next four that followed. Since then, they’ve rebounded, winning three of four, including victories over Las Vegas and Atlanta this past week. Can they keep it going against Indy to close out the pre All-Star schedule?
4. Seattle Storm (13-9)
Last Week: 3 ⬇️
This Week: Wed. vs. GSV
Since a run of six wins in seven games, the Storm have gone just 4-4 in their last eight, including a 1-2 mark this week. Seattle split a home-and-home with Connecticut before falling to Washington on Sunday, allowing the Mystics to overcome a 10-point 4th-quarter deficit.
5. Indiana Fever (11-10)
Last Week: 7 ⬆️
This Week: Tue. at CON, Wed. at NYL
After falling to Golden State in Caitlin Clark’s first game back from a five-game absence (groin injury), Indiana – and particularly its offense – got back on track. The Fever posted back-to-back games with 99 and 102 points – two of their three highest-scoring games of the season – with their floor general back in the mix.
6. Atlanta Dream (12-9)
Last Week: 4 ⬇️
This Week: Wed. at CHI
The Dream opened the week with a home win against Golden State before dropping consecutive road games to Indiana and New York. Overall, Atlanta has lost five of its last seven games, with only one game – Wed, at Charlotte — remaining before All-Star, which will see Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard head to Indy
7. Washington Mystics (11-10)
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-200633" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-12.png" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-12.png 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-12-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-12-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-12-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-12-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-12-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
Last Week: 9 ⬆️
This Week: Tue. at LAS
The Mystics swept the past week, with their three wins coming against Chicago, Las Vegas and Seattle by a combined nine points, including two that came down to a single bucket. Washington is now 8-6 in clutch games this season.
8. Las Vegas Aces (10-11)
Last Week: 8 ↔️
This Week: Wed. at DAL
After a pair of single-digit road losses to the Liberty and Mystics, the Aces eked out a home win over the Valkyries behind another historic performance from A’ja Wilson. The three-time MVP finished with 34 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 0 turnovers. How many players have put together such a game in WNBA history? Just A’ja
9. Golden State Valkyries (10-10)
Last Week: 6 ⬇️
This Week: Mon. vs. PHX, Wed. at SEA
The Valkyries enter this week having lost three of their last four games, with all three losses coming against teams above them in this week’s rankings. Golden State has already reached double-digit wins – something an expansion team has not done in its inaugural season in the 2000s.
10. Chicago Sky (7-13)
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-200637" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-13-1.png" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-13-1.png 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-13-1-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-13-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-13-1-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-13-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/07/Thumbnail-13-1-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
Last Week: 11 ⬆️
This Week: Mon vs. MIN, Wed vs. ATL
The Sky have gone 4-3 in their last seven games as they try to climb out of the 3-10 hole they dug for themselves over the season’s first five weeks. The two most recent wins – over the Wings and the league-leading Lynx – came since Kamilla Cardoso returned from playing in the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup with the Brazilian National Team on July 9.
11. Los Angeles Sparks (7-14)
Last Week: 12 ⬆️
This Week: Tue. vs. WAS
The Sparks have won two of their last three games – at Indiana and home against Connecticut – with Kelsey Plum and Azurá Stevens both scoring 20+ in both wins. L.A. is one win shy of matching last season’s total (8-32). Can they get it in their final game before the All-Star break on Sunday against the Mystics?
12. Dallas Wings (6-16)
Last Week: 10 ⬇️
This Week: Wed. vs. LVA
The first half of Dallas&#8217; season has been a roller coaster. It began with a 1-11 start to the season, followed by a stretch of winning five times in a seven-game span. However, since that winning burst, the Wings have dropped three straight and all by double digits. On the bright side, rookie Paige Bueckers will represent the Wings at this week&#8217;s All-Star.
13. Connecticut Sun (3-18)
Last Week: 13 ↔️
This Week: Tue vs. IND
Despite this week’s win over Seattle as the team split a home-and-home set, the Sun have dropped 12 of their last 13 games. Since joining the league in 1999 as the Orlando Miracle (and relocating to Connecticut as the Sun in 2003), this franchise has reached 10+ wins each season. Can the Sun rally in the second half of the season to extend that streak to 27 straight seasons?

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