WNBA Approves New Teams In Philly, Detroit and Cleveland
With three new expansion teams, over 100 free agent players and an upcoming draft, this WNBA season is already shaping up to be a messy one.
Featured Image: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
If there is one thing we’ve learned over the last few years, it’s that women’s sports are finally having their moment. The WNBA has officially capitalized on its momentum by approving three expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
Last June, the WNBA announced that it had granted expansions to these three cities, but this announcement makes those teams official. The franchise in Cleveland is expected to begin in 2028, then Detroit in 2029, and finally Philadelphia in 2030. With these three expansions and the newly added Portland and Toronto teams beginning this season, the WNBA will officially grow to 18 franchises.
This exciting announcement comes only a month after the league reached a new collective bargaining agreement with the players, ending a years-long negotiation process for better player compensation.
Related: The WNBA’s New Pay Deal Is Huge—And Still Not Enough
With the agreement finalized, the WNBA season is set to begin on May 8. Before the first tip-off, there is a mad dash occurring to draft the Portland and Toronto teams, sort the over 100 free-agent players, and draft collegiate players on April 13.
Over 80 percent of the league is up for free agency, which has already caused quite the stir since the free-agency negotiations began on April 6. Angel Reese started the period off with a bang, announcing her exciting and long-awaited trade from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream.
Then ‘Balloon-Gate’ occurred when rumors began that Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike was being traded to the Minnesota Lynx when a balloon company posted a video of a blue and green balloon arrangement that read, “Welcome Nneka” on a Minnesota Lynx basketball court. The video was quickly deleted after the WNBA world spiraled, causing Ogwumike to post memes on her Instagram with the caption, “me bc I can’t travel in peace.”
It was announced on Friday, April 10 that Ogwumike would be signing with the Los Angeles Sparks, where she previously played 12 seasons before joining the Storm.
Rest assured, while WNBA legends A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are also free agents, they have both said that they intend to stay with their current teams, the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, respectively. However, Seattle Storm queer icon Gabby Williams will reportedly exit the team, and StudBud Natisha Hiedeman will seemingly leave fellow StudBud and Minnesota Lynx after posting a touching tribute. No one’s safe from this free-agency era.
With the WNBA Draft coming up on Monday, April 13, WNBA fans, women’s college basketball fans, and lesbians alike are anxiously waiting to find out if UCONN senior Azzi Fudd will be the Dallas Wings’ first-round pick, confirming a reunion on the court with Fudd’s girlfriend Paige Bueckers. It would surely be a full circle moment a year after Fudd appeared as Bueckers’ date at the 2025 Draft.
Related: Paige Bueckers And Azzi Fudd: A Comprehensive Relationship Timeline
With all of this, the Jackie Young and Dijonai Carrington dating rumors (iykyk), the Natasha Cloud and Izzy Harrison confusion, and endless trades to come in the next week, this is already shaping up to be another delightfully messy season in the gayest league in sports.
