What Are The Top 5 Storylines To Watch Out For In The 2026 WNBA Season?

With just a day to go for the 30th WNBA season, the last-minute preparations are underway. Ahead of the season, a lot of interesting developments have kept the fans occupied. With a host of new players coming in, the expectations are shooting through the roof. 

For example, amidst all the exciting NCAA recruits this year, Georgia Amoore has emerged as a probable Rookie of the Year candidate. Next up, Cathy Engelbert recently dropped a huge confirmation on the league’s tie-up with footwear brand Skechers. Now then, such storylines are not exclusive. And as the historic 30th season approaches, here are the top 5 storylines to watch out for as the season progresses.

5. How Will The Most Valuable Team Golden State Valkyries Perform?

The Golden State Valkyries joined the WNBA just a year ago. And already, the team is booming. According to a recent update from Sportico, the Valkyries have the highest valuation at $850 million. Last year, too, the Golden State had an impressive run. Playing at the Chase Center, the team sold out all its 22 games. Not only that, their average attendance of 18,064 became an all-time WNBA attendance record. 

Such a surge continued this year as well. As a result, even before the 2026 season got underway, the Valkyries sold out an impressive 12000 season tickets. Thus, with so many positives coming off the court, the team’s on-court antics will be on heavy spotlight. Last year, the team reached the playoffs in its debut season. Under the able leadership of Natalie Nakase, fans will be interested to find out what happens next. 

4. How Would Chennedy Carter’s Future Look With The Las Vegas Aces? 

Chennedy Carter has been around the WNBA for quite some time now. Surprisingly, despite being touted as one of the most promising guards, Carter was surprisingly snubbed from the W last year. But the star athlete took the setback as a challenge and went on to sharpen her skills in Mexico and China. Initially, she played for the Mexican team Adelitas de Chihuahua before joining the WCBA. Averaging more than 30 points for both leagues, Carter also earned the WCBA Player of the Year award.

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Such a performance immediately caught the WNBA’s attention. Signing with the Las Vegas Aces, the 27-year-old termed the move as her ‘best decision.’ Surely, this can turn out to be a major turning point in her career. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of A’ja Wilson and co. might give her some invaluable experience and insight into the game. 

3. Expectations Are Soaring For Angel Reese’s Atlanta Dream Debut

Speaking of the biggest news, Angel Reese joining the Atlanta Dream was the highlight of the offseason. Initially, everybody expected the Chi-Town Barbie to put aside all the differences with the Chicago Sky and make a fresh start. Unfortunately, that was not to be. Since last year, the tensions between the 24-year-old and the Sky front office have been brewing.

Things went out of hand when the Sky star publicly criticized her teammates for the team’s poor run in the season. Reese also pointed out that the former head coach should have been a bit more strict to get better performances from the team. Now that she has joined Atlanta, the Bayou Barbie would want her fortune to change. Playing beside Brionna Jones, Allisha Gray, and Rhyne Howard, the expectations are soaring at the moment. Now, the fans will be eager to see how things pan out. 

2. Caitlin Clark Returns After A Long Hiatus

Last season, perhaps the biggest disappointment came in the form of Caitlin Clark. Having had a stellar rookie season in 2024, the Indiana Fever star was expected to carry forward the momentum. Sadly, her lingering groin injury limited her to only 13 games in 2024. Thankfully, after a lengthy recovery, the 2-time WNBA All-Star has been looking quite impressive. Initially, Clark performed well in Team USA colors. Next up, in both the preseason games, the former Iowa star dropped 21 and 12 points, respectively. Thus, with a lot of expectations on her shoulders, all eyes will be on how Clark performs. 

1. How Will Azzi Fudd And Paige Bueckers’ Team Up Play Out?

Ever since last year, the whispers were there. And by the time the WNBA draft was approaching, speculation about Fudd and Bueckers teaming up grew increasingly intense. In what was a story coming full circle moment, the Dallas Wings actually went on to rope in Fudd as their number 1 overall pick. Now then, soon after the draft, speculations about how the duo’s personal relationship would impact their play came to the forefront. Shutting down the narrative immediately, Bueckers strongly said, “It’s nobody’s business but our own.”

Surely, with a lot of eyes on the Wings, the biggest question remains- Can the star duo turn around Dallas’ fortunes?