The WNBA Free Agency Overview for 2024.
The 2024 Free Agency window has opened, and it appears that every team in the league is negotiating with the best players available.
Even though teams are still unable to sign big names until February 1st outside of compensating their free agents, once the first domino falls, I would expect a clean sweep and a frenzy of transactions.
Here are a few of my best free agents and surprise additions, along with my thoughts on how well they fit together and what makes them unique players!.
Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Diggins-Smith is the best available free agent this offseason. Despite the fact that she did not participate in 2023, teams should and will continue to value her highly despite this.
She is an unquestionably talented member of the All-WNBA. One of the most sought-after positions and one that is essential to the success of any team is point guard.
Can you effectively defend your position? Is it possible to calm down a team in the halfcourt? Are you able to make open shots? Are you able to create for others and assault the hoop to score? Are you able to properly lead the break?
Skylar provides enthusiastic answers to all of those queries, fitting the mold of a lead guard in a position where agility, decision-making, and the ability to both hold your own defensively and remain a consistent threat are becoming increasingly important qualities in the game.
Whoever signs her will without a doubt improve their team. Given her skill set, she fits almost anywhere, which is part of what makes her so alluring, but her fit in Connecticut is my favorite.
Diggins-Smith is an important player off the ball for a team that runs an inverted strategy with Alyssa Thomas as the de facto point because she can create in the halfcourt and be a productive player when she’s not leading the offense. Brionna Jones is back and healthy, making this club a real lead guard away from making another run to the Finals.
Nneka Ogwumike.
It’s just hard to see Nneka wearing anything other than gold and purple. Ogwumike’s accomplishment at Stanford further solidifies her position as the most prominent player in California basketball history.
However, as stated on social media both Ogwumike and the Los Angeles Sparks, that will be altering this season.
Ogwumike has been one of the top frontcourt players in the game for ten years. She is among the most proficient post-up players in the league and has a buttery touch near the hoop and in the midrange. Few have ever had as active hands at the 4 position defensively. Playing in more aggressive coverages allows her to harass opponents with her flawless defensive footwork and nudging hands, which is how she thrives.
She also has a championship pedigree (a 2016 WNBA Championship), which is important to have to complete a core. Ogwumike may choose which teams she wants to play for, but Seattle and Atlanta are also noteworthy. Both clubs play with a balanced and wide floor and feature excellent guards. In order to create plays with the ball and screen, they frequently use dribble handoffs and move their posts to the perimeter.
Playing off of Jewell Loyd’s or Rhyne Howard’s gravitas, Nneka might thrive and end up with some of her cleanest looks in a long time. Her presence might amplify and elevate both teams, and while it might not immediately position them as title candidates, it’s all about what you can build off of that first move.
Natasha Cloud.
Like other lead guards, Natasha Cloud protects her position well, makes open shots, attacks the hoop, scores, and produces shots for her teammates. The package is different, though.
Cloud may exert pressure on the rim with great skill as it descends. She constantly aims to pick up the pace, launch an early offensive attack, and use her quick feet to aggressively rim run and draw the defense.
She showed off her impressive defensive motor against the New York Liberty in the First Round. She may be the league’s top defensive guard in terms of value per pound.
She is adept at denying and pursuing players with non-ball actions. She maneuvers around screens with great skill. She is able to stop in isolation while sitting down, preventing dribble penetration. She can hold her own while switching onto bigger players. She frequently takes the ball coast to coast on a soaring pass when she is not on the ball, giving the opposition a headache in passing lanes.
Similar to Ogwumike, Cloud has a wealth of playoff experience having won a championship with the Mystics in 2019. I think Cloud is a great fit for any club trying to improve their athleticism, strengthen their perimeter defense, and develop a more effective offensive strategy. Her combination with Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor in Seattle.
Tianna Hawkins.
Now let’s talk about some of our less well-known free agents. Hawkins deserves a lot of praise for improving her skills during a slump in her career this past season.
In 2023, the Washington Mystics failed to qualify for the playoffs due to Tianna Hawkins’s all-around performance. Hawkins entered the starting lineup after Elena Delle Donne suffered a lower-body injury that kept her out of the game for the majority of the season. She averaged 11.7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and roughly 1.5 steals and blocks per game (21 starts).
Hawkins is a productive player who shoots over 51% from the floor in those starts. In addition to using her frame to play like a big man, Hawkins can attack off the dribble and move her body to block shots. She was an excellent decision-maker both on the go and at a standstill, thus her passing is underappreciated.
Last year, she made 34.4% of her deep shots, which is one of her key differentiators. Although Hawkins occasionally hesitates to shoot, when she does, it looks beautiful and she causes defenses to pay attention. She should definitely keep turning up the volume on the shot.
She can defend the rim with strategic positioning and is somewhat of a skeleton key defensively, lingering on the rim when needed, and hedging out to contain ballhandlers.
Rebecca Allen.
The addition of Rebecca Allen to the Connecticut Sun’s lineup has been crucial, particularly since the team switched to a five-out read-and-react offensive scheme. After Bri Jones’ injury, she averaged over three thefts and blocks a game as a starter for the Sun, which somewhat undervalues her defensive value. She uses a long wingspan and amazing timing to smash up plays before they can begin. She is a ferocious player in the passing lanes and roving the backline. Just having Alyssa Thomas play with you brings another level of energy to the defense.
She is among the top off-ball players to have in your offense as well as one of the best off-ball defenders in the game. This makes it simple to see why the Sun is interested in the potential of Allen returning.
Few players of Allen’s size can move as fluidly without holding the ball as she can, cutting and reading the floor. Her shooting percentages don’t accurately reflect how effective a shooter she is; she almost seldom goes unguarded and when she does, it’s usually due to a mistake on defense. She can shoot off movement (one of the rarest skills in the W), draw up, and have a swift, high release.
She shifts the ball and her body to provide herself or a teammate a better look if she doesn’t have an open shot. With her skill set, she can fit in almost any place, which is why she’s one of the best role players in the W.
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