Power Rankings

The 2026 playoff picture is starting to come into focus as we know the first team to clinch (Minnesota) and the first team eliminated from contention (Seattle).
While three games separate first place (Minnesota) from second place (Golden State) at the top of the standings, just below them are six teams (Las Vegas, Indiana, Washington, Atlanta, New York and Dallas) also separated by only three games.
Each team is looking to not only clinch its spot but also earn the highest seed possible, which means every game from here on out is critical to how this race plays out.
Let’s take a look at how they stack up entering a new week.
Note: All stats and records are through games played Sunday, Aug. 9.
<hr />
<h2>1. Minnesota Lynx (27-7) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 1</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. at POR, Sat. at LVA</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_268602" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-268602" class="wp-image-268602" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288859722-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="720" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288859722-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288859722-300x240.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288859722-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288859722-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288859722-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288859722-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Olivia Miles #5 and Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx</div>
In Sunday’s win over Dallas, the Lynx not only became the first team to punch their ticket to the playoffs, but they also witnessed history as Kayla McBride became the first player in WNBA history to hit at least 10 3-pointers in a single game. Even with their 10-game win streak snapped, the Lynx have won 12 of their last 13 games dating back to July 8. Over that stretch, McBride has been cookin’ — averaging 23.1 points on 53.6% FG, 50.9% 3P, and 96.3% FT shooting splits.
<hr />
<h2>2. Golden State Valkyries (23-9) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. vs. CHI</li>
</ul>
The Valkyries bring a four-game win streak into this week, which has them hosting Chicago in their only game of the week. Dating back to June 24, Golden State has won 13 of its last 15 games, which is the best record over the past 15 games for any team in the league, one better than Minnesota. The Valkyries have already matched their win total from their inaugural season (23-21) — how much higher can they reach in Year 2?
<hr />
<h2>3. Washington Mystics (19-12) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 7</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. at LVA, Thu. at LVA, Sat vs. LAS</li>
</ul>
With Sunday’s 95-75 victory over Phoenix, the Washington Mystics matched their longest single-season win streak in franchise history (originally set in 2018). The win over the Mercury was the Mystics’ first double-digit victory during the streak, as they continue to be the best clutch team in the league with a 14-6 record in games within five points in the final five minutes.
<hr />
<h2>4. Las Vegas Aces (22-11) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 3</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. vs. WAS, Thu. vs. WAS, Sat. vs. MIN</li>
</ul>
After Chelsea Gray shined in clutch time in an overtime win over Indiana, the Aces closed out a five-game road trip with back-to-back losses in Minnesota and New York — only their second consecutive defeats of the season and the first since last May. The loss to the Liberty came on the second night of a back-to-back with Coach Hammon sitting her stars as A’ja Wilson, Gray, and Jackie Young were inactive. However, the schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Aces open a five-game homestand with consecutive games against the red-hot Mystics before hosting the league-leading Lynx.
<hr />
<h2>5. Indiana Fever (20-12) ⬇️</h2>
Last Week: 4
This Week: Tue. vs. NYL, Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. at ATL
After a tough loss to Las Vegas in overtime, the Fever bounced back to win at Chicago to come away with a 1-1 split on the week. Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 27 points in the win for her 16th consecutive game with at least 20 points. This is a WNBA record for the longest such streak in a single season, breaking A’ja Wilson’s run of 15 straight in 2024. However, Wilson still has the longest streak spanning multiple seasons (20). Can Mitchell inch closer to that mark this week as Indy faces New York, Dallas and Atlanta? 
<hr />
<h2>6. New York Liberty (20-13) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. at IND, Thu. vs LAS, Sat. at CON</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_268603" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-268603" class="wp-image-268603" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2289757628-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="647" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2289757628-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2289757628-300x216.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2289757628-1024x736.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2289757628-768x552.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2289757628-1536x1104.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2289757628-2048x1473.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty</div>
New York put up a perfect 3-0 week — albeit with two wins over the playoff-eliminated Storm and one against an Aces squad resting its stars — to improve to 7-1 over its last eight games. The Liberty are gaining momentum at the right time, bouncing back from a rough 2-8 stretch spanning a month from mid-June to mid-July. The Liberty will look to continue their upswing when they face the Fever, Sparks and Sun this week.
<hr />
<h2>7. Atlanta Dream (19-12) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 5</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. vs TOR, Thu. at CON, Sun. vs. IND</li>
</ul>
Atlanta entered last week riding a five-game win streak, but went just 1-2 with losses to the Aces and Mystics. The Dream will look to bounce back as they open the week with games against two teams in the bottom third of the standings — Toronto and Connecticut enter this week with a combined 18-44 record — before an important matchup with Indiana on Sunday. Atlanta leads the season series 2-1 and can clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win.
<hr />
<h2>8. Dallas Wings (19-14) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 6</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. vs. TOR, Fri. at IND</li>
</ul>
The Wings faced a tough schedule and came up empty last week with losses to the Mystics, Valkyries and Lynx. Dallas is now 1-5 in six games since the All-Star break and has fallen to eighth place in the standings. Two key factors during Dallas’ post-All-Star slide have been increased turnovers and a lack of 3-point shooting. The Wings led the league in turnover percentage entering the break (14.4%), but rank eighth since (17%). From beyond the arc, the Wings rank 14th in both 3-pointers made (6.8 per game) and 3-point percentage (30.6%) since the break.
<hr />
<h2>9. Chicago Sky (12-20) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 9</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at SEA, Wed. at GSV, Sun. at SEA</li>
</ul>
After going 3-2 during their five-game homestand, the Sky have a three-game West Coast swing this week with stops in Seattle, San Francisco and back to Seattle. The Sky are just 4-11 outside of Chicago so far this season. That mark must improve if the Sky hope to stay in the postseason race down the stretch.
<hr />
<h2>10. Portland Fire (13-19) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 12</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. vs. MIN, Fri. at SEA, Sun. at PHX</li>
</ul>
The Fire snapped a five-game skid with consecutive wins this week. The first came against Toronto as Portland improved to 2-0 in this matchup of 2026 expansion teams. The Fire followed that win with a Rivals Week victory over Seattle in a clash of Pacific Northwest teams. This week, Portland hosts the league-leading Lynx before running it back with the Storm in Seattle and visiting Phoenix to close the week.
<hr />
<h2>11. Los Angeles Sparks (12-19) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 13</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. vs. PHX, Thu. at NYL, Sat. at WAS</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_268604" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-268604" class="wp-image-268604" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2287567980-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="753" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2287567980-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2287567980-300x251.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2287567980-1024x857.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2287567980-768x643.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2287567980-1536x1285.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2287567980-2048x1714.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Cameron Brink #22 and Dearica Hamby #5 of the Los Angeles Sparks</div>
On Thursday, the Sparks defeated the league-leading Lynx to snap Minnesota’s 10-game win streak and improve to 2-2 since trading Kelsey Plum to Phoenix at the trade deadline. The Sparks will host Plum and the Mercury on Tuesday in L.A. before embarking on a three-game East Coast swing with stops in New York and Washington.
<hr />
<h2>12. Phoenix Mercury (12-22) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 10</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. at LAS, Sun. vs. POR</li>
</ul>
After defeating the Sky in Kelsey Plum’s debut game, the Mercury dropped their final three games of a four-game road trip — falling further back in the playoff race. Sitting in 12th place, the Mercury are 7.5 games back of No. 8 Dallas with 10 games to play. This week, Plum returns to Los Angeles for the first time since being moved at the trade deadline before the team returns home to host Portland.
<hr />
<h2>13. Connecticut Sun (8-23) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 14</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thu. vs. ATL, Sat. vs. NYL</li>
</ul>
The Sun won their lone game of last week — a 75-72 win over the Mercury. It marked Phoenix’s final game in Connecticut, and the Sun used that opportunity to salute former Sun star Alyssa Thomas by retiring her No. 25 jersey to the rafters. Thomas earned the nickname “The Engine” during her 11 seasons in Connecticut as she led the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances and two Finals appearances.
<hr />
<h2>14. Toronto Tempo (10-21) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 11</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at ATL, Wed. at DAL</li>
</ul>
With losses at Golden State and Portland last week, the Tempo have dropped eight straight and 12 of their last 13 games. This week, the Tempo wrap up a five-game road trip with stops in Atlanta and Dallas, facing a pair of teams they have yet to defeat in their inaugural season, going a combined 0-5 so far.
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<h2>15. Seattle Storm (6-28) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 15</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. vs. CHI, Fri. vs. POR, Sun. vs. CHI</li>
</ul>
The Storm became the first team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention. They will miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons for only the third time in franchise history. An 0-3 week, with two losses to New York and one to Portland, extended Seattle’s losing streak to 11 games, matching the franchise record set earlier this season.

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2026 WNBA Power Rankings: Week 11

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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

Analysis

The 2026 WNBA Trade Deadline was simultaneously quiet and loud. It was quiet in that few deals were executed across the league, but loud in that an All-Star was traded midseason for only the fourth time in league history.
Let’s dive into the deals that have been completed and how they can impact both the 2026 stretch run and the future of the franchises involved.
<hr />
<h2>Sparks trade Kelsey Plum to Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani and draft compensation (Aug. 2)</h2>
<div id="attachment_267921" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267921" class="wp-image-267921" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Kelsey Plum with Kahleah Copper #2 of the Phoenix Mercury</div>
Phoenix Mercury get:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">G Kelsey Plum</li>
</ul>
Los Angeles Sparks get:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">G Monique Akoa Makani</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2027 first-round draft pick</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2028 second-round draft pick</li>
</ul>
The biggest deal of the 2026 Trade Deadline sees All-Star guard Kelsey Plum headed from Los Angeles to Phoenix in exchange for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round draft pick and a 2028 second-round draft pick.
Plum is averaging a career-best 23.9 points per game over 12 games this season, but has not played since June 21 as she has dealt with ankle and lower leg injuries.
She earned her fifth career All-Star nod this season and joins Brittney Sykes (2025, Mystics to Storm), Katie Smith (2005, Lynx to Shock) and Dawn Staley (2005, Sting to Comets) as the only All-Stars ever to be traded midseason in league history. None of the previous three matched Plum’s scoring average the year they were traded.
What this means for the Sparks: Before this season, Plum signed a one-year deal with the Sparks and was set to hit the free agent market again at the end of the season. With reports that she was not planning to re-sign with the Sparks, L.A. found itself with few options: play the season out and risk Plum leaving in free agency while getting nothing in return, or trade her at the deadline and grab assets to help spark a rebuild.
The Sparks had previously been burned by star players leaving in free agency — Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray in 2021 as well as Nneka Ogwumike in 2024. This time, L.A. acted proactively at the deadline to add a young guard in Akoa Makani and a potential lottery pick in what appears to be a stacked 2027 draft class headlined by JuJu Watkins, Madison Booker and Hannah Hidalgo.
With Plum still sidelined due to injury (L.A. went 7-5 with her in the lineup versus 3-12 without her) and the team mired in a six-game skid — dropping them to 11th place, 5.5 games back of the final playoff spot at the time of the deal — the Sparks decided to move the former two-time champ with an eye toward their future.
However, Plum was not the only veteran on the Sparks’ roster. If L.A. commits to a youth movement, will there be more deals to come in the offseason with veterans such as Dearica Hamby and Ariel Atkins (both signed through 2028), Erica Wheeler (signed through 2027) and Ogwumike (a free agent after this season)?
What this means for the Mercury: Phoenix is taking a risk with this move as Plum has indicated that she plans to explore free agency in the offseason. There is a chance that the Mercury gave up a young guard and a lottery pick in the upcoming draft for a 14-game rental on Plum.
At 11-19, the Mercury sit 12th in the WNBA standings, a half-game back of L.A. and six full games back of New York (17-13) for the eighth and final playoff spot. With only 14 games to play, the Mercury would have to catch fire to make a late-season sprint toward the postseason as they hope to avoid becoming the first team since 2008 (also the Mercury) to miss the playoffs a year after appearing in the WNBA Finals.
There’s another way to think about this deal from Phoenix’s perspective — this could be an extended free-agent pitch to Plum. This trade allows her to come to Phoenix and experience their team’s culture, roster, coaching staff, facilities and fanbase firsthand, in hopes that she will want to make The Valley her long-term home.
On the court, Plum should seamlessly complement Phoenix&#8217;s core of Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner. Phoenix can also use Plum’s scoring punch to boost its bottom-third ranked offense, which ranks 11th in scoring (83.5 ppg) and 12th in offensive rating (104.7). 
With a core of veteran players — Bonner in year 17, Thomas in year 13, Copper in year 11 and Plum already in year 9 — the Mercury are in win-now mode. Will they have enough time to make a run at the eight seed and try to make some noise in the playoffs against the league’s top teams? Or will they be able to bring Plum back for another season to make a fresh start at a Finals run in 2027?
Official Releases: <a href="https://mercury.wnba.com/news/phoenix-mercury-acquire-two-time-wnba-champion-and-five-time-all-star-kelsey-plum">Phoenix Mercury</a> | <a href="https://sparks.wnba.com/news/los-angeles-sparks-acquire-monique-akoa-makani-2027-first-round-pick-and-2028-second-round-pick-from-phoenix-mercury">Los Angeles Sparks</a>
<hr />
<h2>Sun trade Aneesah Morrow to Tempo for rights to Maria Kliundikova and draft pick (July 31)</h2>
<div id="attachment_267922" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267922" class="wp-image-267922" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Aneesah Morrow</div>
Toronto Tempo get: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">F Aneesah Morrow</li>
</ul>
Connecticut Sun get: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Rights to F Maria &#8220;Masha&#8221; Kliundikova</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2028 second-round draft pick</li>
</ul>
The Tempo and Sun tipped off trade deadline activity on July 31 with a deal sending forward Aneesah Morrow to Toronto for the rights to Maria Kliundikova and a 2028 second-round pick.
In her second season after being selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Morrow has posted career-best numbers while establishing herself as one of the league’s top rebounders. Over 20 games with Connecticut this season, she averaged 8.9 rebounds (including 2.7 offensive boards) in just 23.2 minutes per game.
Kliundikova has not played in the WNBA this season after Toronto selected her in the 2026 Expansion Draft. The former first-round pick (No. 11 overall in 2018) last played for Minnesota in 2025 after beginning her WNBA career with Los Angeles in 2018 and 2019. She brings career averages of 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 50.3% shooting over 74 games.
What this means for the Tempo: Toronto boosts its frontline depth while not giving up any assets on its current roster since Kliundikova is not playing in the WNBA this season. 
Beyond adding a talent in Morrow on a rookie-scale contract through 2028 (the final season is a team option), Toronto also directly addresses an immediate need. The Tempo currently rank in the bottom third of the league in every rebounding metric: 11th in offensive rebounding rate (28.8%) and 14th in both defensive (65.3%) and overall rebounding rate (47.2%).
Among players who have appeared in at least 20 games this season, Morrow ranks fifth in offensive rebound percentage (10.3%), first in defensive rebound percentage (28.3%) and second in total rebound percentage (18.6%), trailing only All-Star Angel Reese. No player has been better at cleaning the defensive glass than Morrow, which should immediately help a Tempo team allowing a league-worst 14.6 second-chance points per game.
Morrow’s offensive game has shown flashes — she posted 21 points in each of her final two games with the Sun — but has not been as consistent as her work on the boards. Morrow is averaging 11.6 points per game on 42.1% shooting this season compared to 7.7 points on 37.5% as a rookie. If her offense continues to trend up and she remains a beast on the boards, this deal will only look better for Toronto. 
What this means for the Sun: Connecticut adds a pair of assets in the rights to Kliundikova and a 2028 second-round pick to potentially use in future deals once the franchise completes its transition from Connecticut to Houston following this season.
The move also opens up minutes — Morrow ranked fourth on the team at 23.2 minutes per game — for others to use as the team continues to develop young talent ahead of their relocation.
Official Releases: <a href="https://tempo.wnba.com/news/toronto-tempo-acquire-forward-aneesah-morrow-from-connecticut-sun">Toronto Tempo</a> | <a href="https://sun.wnba.com/news/connecticut-sun-acquire-rights-to-maria-kliundikova-and-2028-second-round-pick">Connecticut Sun</a>

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Rapid Reactions: WNBA Trade Deadline 2026

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Connecticut Sun 2024

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Rayah Marshall signed a 7-Day Contract (2nd Contract) with the Connecticut Sun.

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Rayah Marshall signed a 7-Day Contract (1st Contract) with the Connecticut Sun.

The exclusive negotiating rights of Maria Kliundikova were traded from the  Toronto Tempo to the Connecticut Sun.

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22	Helena Pueyo	Guard	Arizona / Spain
34	Abbey Hsu	Guard	Columbia / USA

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