WNBA looks ahead to 2022 season with potential changes

Candace Parker made the biggest determination past offseason choosing to instrumentality location to Chicago. The determination paid disconnected arsenic the WNBA prima led the Sky to the franchise’s archetypal championship.

Chicago volition person choices to marque if it wants to go the archetypal repetition champion since the Los Angeles Sparks did it successful 2001-02. WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper is an unrestricted escaped agent, arsenic are joined Sky teammates Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley.

Besides Chicago, the remainder of the WNBA could person a antithetic look adjacent twelvemonth with imaginable question arsenic immoderate of the league’s biggest names are available.

In the past, galore of the WNBA’s apical players didn’t determination excessively often, but the corporate bargaining statement that was ratified successful 2020 has allowed for much subordinate question by reducing the fig of times teams could perchance unit their apical subordinate to enactment by coring them. While it’s unlikely, regular-season MVP Jonquel Jones of Connecticut and erstwhile apical grant winners Breanna Stewart of Seattle and Tina Charles of Washington each could alteration teams this offseason.

Stewart conscionable precocious had country for a insignificant repair and reinforcement of the Achilles tendon successful her near leg, the squad announced Thursday. It wasn’t the aforesaid Achilles she tore overseas a fewer years ago. She perchance volition beryllium headed overseas astatine immoderate constituent this wintertime to play connected her Russian league team.

Many of the WNBA’s players person already headed overseas to play successful their wintertime leagues to supplement their incomes.

League greats Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi volition besides person to marque choices whether they privation to travel backmost and play. Bird, who turned 41 implicit the weekend, said she’ll beryllium down with her household and sermon whether she wants to play different twelvemonth successful Seattle. The Storm volition beryllium backmost successful their caller renovated location arena adjacent twelvemonth which could beryllium a immense crushed for the league’s all-time assistance person to return.

Taurasi has 1 twelvemonth near connected her declaration successful Phoenix, and said that she’ll beryllium down with her woman Penny Taylor and fig retired what she wants to do. The mates conscionable welcomed their 2nd kid earlier the WNBA Finals.

Here are a fewer different things that could alteration adjacent year:

SEASON FORMAT

The WNBA continues to turn with beardown ratings and societal media engagements. Next play volition perchance person a 36-game docket — the astir the league has played. There’s besides discussions of a caller playoff format that’s supported by players and coaches, arsenic good arsenic immoderate league executives. The existent structure, which has been successful spot since 2016, rewards the apical teams with byes until the semifinals and has azygous elimination games successful the opening 2 rounds.

This play marked the archetypal clip that neither 1 of the apical 2 teams made the WNBA Finals since the league changed its postseason format. Chicago was a six effect and Phoenix a five. The Sky won the title successful 4 games to headdress disconnected the league’s 25th season.

“I’m definite immoderate we alteration it to successful the adjacent 3 to 5 years, we’ll beryllium looking astatine it again due to the fact that there’s pros and cons to each antithetic playoff format,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during her authorities of the league code astatine the Finals. “So we privation to beryllium precise thoughtful astir what we do.”

EXPANSION

The WNBA is besides looking into adding much teams.

“Expansion is connected the horizon,” Engelbert said.

She said that the league is conducting a information investigation to find imaginable enlargement cities utilizing astir 15 metrics to measure antithetic locations and hopes to person a much factual reply during the 2022 season.

“The information looks similar it’s going to work retired immoderate absorbing accusation for america to commencement having exploratory discussions with definite cities,” Engelbert said, “Make definite that we tin find large ownership groups to enactment a WNBA squad and large instrumentality bases. So that’s wherefore I deliberation looking astatine however those cities are already supporting the WNBA, whether it’s viewership, merch income oregon different things oregon whether they’re supporting women’s sports oregon women’s assemblage hoops are large indicators of however it would get supported if a WNBA squad were to spell successful that market.”

HEALTHY RETURN

Elena Delle Donne missed astir of the play portion recovering from a backmost wounded arsenic she played successful lone 3 games. The Washington Mystics prima is hoping to beryllium acceptable to spell for 2022 aft besides missing 2020 due to the fact that of fearfulness of complications from getting the coronavirus.