The Teams That Will Define The WNBA’s Second Half

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "The Teams That Will Define The WNBA’s Second Half"

No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show
Hosts: Zena Keita & Sabrina Merchant
Air Date: July 30, 2026

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Episode Theme & Purpose

This engaging episode dives deep into the WNBA’s pivotal second half, spotlighting the teams and storylines that will define the playoff race and potentially reshape the season. Zena and Sabrina analyze post-All-Star break games, unpack recent and upcoming player returns, scrutinize trade rumors and deadlines, and explore how the looming FIBA World Cup break could affect top teams. The episode is rich with insider perspectives, memorable quotes, and thoughtful analysis about team strategies, roster challenges, and league dynamics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Takeaways from Second Half's First Games

• Sparks vs. Liberty & Tribute Night

  • Sabrina attended the Sparks jersey retirement for Delisha Milton-Jones, which awkwardly coincided with "Ted Lasso Night" (“Bad karma, deserved to lose.” – Sabrina, 03:18).
  • Despite shooting 60% FG and 50% from three, the Sparks lost, highlighting their defensive woes and bench depth issues.
  • Notable stat: “There have been five teams in WNBA history to lose a game when they've shot 60% from the field and 50% from three. And two of those are the Sparks in the last three seasons, including Tuesday night.” (Sabrina, 03:37)

• Bench and Fatigue

  • Ongoing theme: The Sparks are "very thin"; losing Kelsey Plum highlighted their lack of playable depth, causing late-game fatigue.
  • Quoting Lynne Roberts: “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” (Sabrina quoting, 05:42)

• Game Highlights: Indiana vs. Seattle, Minnesota vs. Toronto

  • Concern over Aaliyah Boston’s knee injury, relief at her quick recovery.
  • Minnesota’s depth praised, specifically Antonia Delaire’s fourth-quarter scoring spurt.
  • Toronto's offensive prowess great, but defensive stops remain a challenge for this expansion team.

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2. Off-Court Storylines: Sophie Cunningham & Trans Athlete Rally (12:24)

• Pre-game controversy in Indiana vs. Seattle: A rally supporting exclusionary views on trans women in sports, spurred by Sophie Cunningham’s comments.
• Zena directs listeners to The Ringer podcast’s nuanced breakdown and defers a deep dive due to wanting more personal research (13:06).
• Media management: Indiana Fever PR shut down press questions, prompting critique.
  • “I think it’s just easier when players are able to speak for themselves... pretty unfortunate that the Fever did not make Sophie Cunningham available.” (Sabrina, 14:09)
  • Zena: “It extends beyond just this example... not equipping their players or their coaches or their personnel with the autonomy to speak for themselves in these experiences.” (Zena, 14:43)

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3. Trade Deadline Chatter & Kelsey Plum Rumors (16:46)

• Annie Costabile’s reporting sparks league-wide aggregation: “Kelsey Plum doesn't plan to come back… I couldn't open an app. I couldn't read anything…” (Zena, 14:46)

• Sabrina summarizes: Plumb isn’t expected to re-sign with the Sparks, making her a likely trade candidate, especially after the Sparks traded the No. 2 2025 pick for her.

  • “If you were the Sparks... it obviously behooves you as an organization... to move her ahead of time and try to recoup some value from that deal.” (Sabrina, 17:03)

• WNBA trade history is sparse; a midseason Plum move would be seismic.

  • “This would be the most high profile player to ever move during a WNBA offseason or midseason... Yeah, it's crazy.” (Sabrina, 19:03)

• Other Potential Movers:

  • Connecticut and Phoenix as possible sellers.
  • Toronto as a buyer, building for the future.
  • “The problem is, all contenders are not going to trade with each other. There aren’t a lot of helpful veterans on non-contending teams.” (Sabrina, 21:44)

• Sabrina expects action before the August 2 deadline (22:18).

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4. Deep Dive: Second Half Storylines & Player Returns (25:16)

Minnesota Lynx & Nafeesa Collier’s Return

• Impact of Collier’s Injury Comeback:

  • “...whenever you have a player like [Collier] come back from injury, that is the best in-season acquisition ever.” (Zena, 25:43)
  • Team was top-tier in offense and defense, but recent defensive slippage (12th of 15 teams in defensive rating over last 10 games).
  • Sabrina: Collier “is the best condition player in the WNBA,” but hasn't hit her stride post-injury yet. “It was unreasonable to expect that that was going to happen in game one of her return.” (Sabrina, 27:27)

• Minnesota’s Defensive Puzzle

  • Early season success attributed to superior coaching and preparedness (“...better prepared than most teams at the start of the season... that advantage started to wear off.” – Sabrina, 32:01)
  • Looking for improved guard defense or a trade for more backcourt depth.

Atlanta Dream: The Breanna Jones Factor

• Jones’ return solidifies the frontcourt, pairing with Angel Reese for an imposing duo.
  • “Their frontcourt has been a little thin. Where I am really interested to see Bree Jones is again, these end of game situations… a settling presence on the offense in a way that nobody else on the team is.” (Sabrina, 39:49)
  • Zena describes Jones as bringing “a quiet confidence… invaluable and also never shows in a box score.” (Zena, 42:16)
• Unclear if Dream are true contenders; Sabrina wants to see more “momentum wins” (43:53).

Washington Mystics: Surprise Contender

• Sitting at #8, Washington is “absolutely exceeding expectations.”
  • Sabrina: “I did not have the Mystics in my top 8... I just thought they were a little too young, you know, to compete when there's so much talent in this league. And that was incorrect because they play so hard and they're actually pretty effective at the end of games.” (Sabrina, 45:54)
  • Praise for head coach Sidney Johnson and the rapid development of Sonia Citron and other young players: “Their youngins just don't really play like youngins.” (Sabrina, 46:49)
  • “I even forgot the question you asked Zena, I'm just so enamored with what Washington is doing.” (Sabrina, 48:02)
• Zena emphasizes Washington’s chemistry and energy, calling them a “quintessential basketball team” with versatile bigs and aggressive guards (50:36).

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5. World Cup Break Impact (53:31)

• A major FIBA World Cup break (Aug 31 – Sept 16) interrupts the WNBA season—a first.
  • “We've never really been in a situation like this where the World Cup has interrupted the WNBA schedule.” (Sabrina, 53:31)
• Teams likely most impacted: Aces and Liberty, whose stars could experience fatigue upon returning (“That is a hard turnaround to make… if USA gets there, it’s going to be a challenge.” – Sabrina, 55:10)
• Roster uncertainties: “We don’t know who’s on the teams... a lot of different directions this could go.” (Sabrina, 53:31)
• Zena and Sabrina discuss whether top players might opt to skip national duties to prioritize the WNBA stretch run or vice versa—and agree there’s “no wrong answer” for players facing the dilemma (58:09).

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6. Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Sparks/Lasso Night: “You do not need to dilute the night by also making it Ted Lasso night. Bad karma. Deserved to lose.” (Sabrina, 03:17)
• Fatigue Quote: “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” (Lynne Roberts quoted by Sabrina, 05:42)
• On teams protecting players from questions: “I think teams should just let the players say what they want... they don’t need to hide behind a shield of a pre-recorded statement.” (Sabrina, 14:09)
• On Mystics: “Their youngins just don't really play like youngins. Like, I would never believe that Sonia Citron is in her second year in the league...” (Sabrina, 46:49)
• On World Cup break: “That is a hard turnaround to make... to go from playing super high level basketball because like, that gold medal game, if the USA gets there is going to be a challenge.” (Sabrina, 55:10)

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Noteworthy Segment Timestamps

• Team/Player Performance Recaps: 02:17–10:24
• Sophie Cunningham/Media Management Segment: 12:24–15:46
• Kelsey Plum Trade Speculation: 16:46–23:03
• Minnesota Lynx & Nafeesa Collier Analysis: 25:16–37:25
• Atlanta Dream & Breanna Jones: 37:25–43:53
• Washington Mystics Spotlight: 45:03–50:47
• World Cup Break Impact: 53:31–59:10
• Two Takes and a Fake (Fun Game): 61:08–65:06

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Podcast Tone and Language

The conversation throughout is expert yet approachable, blending stats and deep analysis with witty, candid banter. Both hosts are honest about uncertainties and willing to credit each other’s reporting, keeping the energy up even when tackling tough topics. The show remains focused on basketball and league culture, using grounded, informed language and personal insights to make complex stories relatable for fans.

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a fast-paced, comprehensive look at the WNBA’s second-half battles and the forces (on-court and off) that could shape the playoff picture—delivered with the authority and warmth that make No Offseason essential listening for fans and insiders alike.

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Transcript

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[Zena Kada]

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[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, hi.

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[Sabrina Merchant]

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[Sabrina Merchant]

We've never really been in a situation like this where the World cup has interrupted the WNBA schedule. It's always been after the WNBA season. Sure, there have been times when EuroBasket has been during the WNBA schedule, but they don't take a break. They just go and they come back. And again, with all due respect, like most of the players we're talking about, for all WNBA and MVP candidacy, they are on Team usa and that does not factor in Euro Euro basket. So I just think that, like, you know, the Aces are going to go through this pretty hard, assuming Asia and Jackie and Chelsea want to play. And they have been fixtures of Team USA for a very long time. Like, that's. That is a hard turnaround to make, you know, to Go from playing super high level basketball because like that gold medal game, if the USA gets there is going to be a challenge.

[Zena Kada]

Hello everyone and welcome to no off season. I'm Zena Kaeda.

[Sabrina Merchant]

And I'm Sabrina Merchant.

[Zena Kada]

And today on the show, the race to the playoffs is officially heating up. With the second half of the season underway, it feels like the margin for error is shrinking and every game is starting to carry a little bit more weight. We're going to break down the biggest questions that will shape the rest of the season and take a look at which teams are best positioned for a strong second half push. But first, the W is back in action on Tuesday night and we're going to dive into some of the takeaways from the opening games of the second half. Now, Sabrina, you and I were both watching. I was texting you about some stuff you were watching closely. We what caught your attention from the first slate of games after the All Star break?

[Sabrina Merchant]

I mean, this is going to sound like a super unnecessary homer take, but when you are recognizing one of your franchise legends by retiring her jersey, as the Sparks did with Delicia Milton Jones, you do not need to dilute the night by also making it Ted Lasso night. When Jason Sudeikis is there wearing a Stu York hat against the New York Liberty.

[Zena Kada]

What in the world?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Bad karma Deserve to lose. Really disappointed by the experience.

[Zena Kada]

And it was a tight one. It was a tight one too. They. It was a shooting contest. I don't know how much. There was a lot of defense going

[Sabrina Merchant]

on, but defense and the Sparks don't usually go hand in hand. Unless you're talking bad defense.

[Zena Kada]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Let's see. There have been five teams in WNBA history to lose a game when they've shot 60% from the field and 50% from three.

[Zena Kada]

And.

[Sabrina Merchant]

And two of those are the sparks. In the last three seasons, including Tuesday night against the New York Liberty.

[Zena Kada]

That is tough. That's tough.

[Sabrina Merchant]

If you like offense, fun night to be, you're in the building.

[Zena Kada]

So you were in the building for that one, right?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yes, in the building for that one. Yeah.

[Zena Kada]

I mean, New York again, another lead that they give up. That they had a great run in the second quarter or no, excuse me, they gave up a run in the second quarter, let LA lead for the most part, and then LA just not being able to close it out. That steal by Stewie at the end, it's like dang, like they, they need a Kelsey Plumb back. But even so, it's that that was from an offensive perspective but the defense,

[Sabrina Merchant]

it's not even that they need plumb back, they just need like another good player back because their starters really good, you know, like Deorka Hamby defending Jonquil Jones like her life depended on it. Like Ray Perell had another incredible night.

[Zena Kada]

Unbelievable.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Neko Gumake just doing what Neca does. Errol Atkins fantasy filling in the gaps like Eric Wheeler, that starting five doing just fine. Like I think Han shu was a plus 27 in that game.

[Zena Kada]

Coming off the bench, bench was a problem.

[Sabrina Merchant]

It was like a, like a four point game, right? Honshu in the plus 20s. Rebecca Gardner, Gardner also, you know, in that range. Let me get this exactly right. Rebecca Gardner was a plus 17. So yeah, they just don't have anything coming off the bench. It's the thing we were talking about with the Sparks at the start of season, like they're very thin. They to know what they're gonna be able to rely on beyond like their core. And when you lose Kelsey Plum, like now you go from six playable players or seven, I should say, to six and people just get exhausted at the end. And you've seen this with the Sparks. Over the course of their six game losing streak, five of them have been by single digits within like the final minute or so of the game. They just can't execute as well as other teams down the stretch because they're fatigued. Um, yeah. Lynn Roberts even brought up this quote during her presser. I think it's a Tex Winter quote from the NBA days. But fatigue makes cowards of us all.

[Zena Kada]

So, you know, oh, okay.

[Sabrina Merchant]

That's where the Sparks are right now.

[Zena Kada]

That's. Well, even when they're fully rested, we are still looking at some things. So yeah, I'm just saying, like these.

[Sabrina Merchant]

We're digging deep into the archives to describe, you know, things that are happening in la.

[Zena Kada]

Right. Well, I appreciate Lynne Roberts trying to find a different way to personify and you know, explain what's going on out there. But at the end of the day, you're absolutely right. They need a little bit of depth and they need a lot of bit of defense. But that was a close one. One of the fun ones that last night, another one that got closer than it needed to be. Indiana, Seattle, particularly with Aaliyah Boston going down in the second quarter. Hit her knee hard, kind of rolling off of a screen and I was like watching my team, I was like, get up. We don't have time for this. Get up like. And like, I just didn't want her to be hurt. I did not want her to be hurt. And so it was good to be able to see her get up and walk on her own and to close the game, you know, going back and forth with the ref on her feet. So she didn't get back into the game, but was still, you know, able to walk off the court. They end up winning that game. Even though Seattle made a very scary comeback, I hated it for Natisha Heidemann. She gets a career high it 33 points and doesn't win the game. Um, ultimately that was a tough one for them. What else was going on last night? Minnesota. Um, okay. Antonia Delare, girl went off in the fourth quarter. I don't know. I don't know if you were able to catch that one pretty closely, but my goodness, like, was the main reason that Minnesota was able to hold off Toronto and was just hitting threes. At one point, Marina swiped down like I, I could have sworn Marina would have gotten a touch of that ball, but she just like popped it in front of her face. Able to swish it, no hesitation. Such a good jump shooter. Um, it was once again another example of how Sheryl Reeves. Sheryl Reeves, I always do that with my Cheryl Reeve. Keeps these players ready, ready to play, ready to be the glue people every single time.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Totally. I mean, I was happy to see Kiki Rice back in Toronto. You know, their depth solely coming back. Obviously. Britney Sykes still out, but expected to make a return this season. As my email unboxes just told me.

[Zena Kada]

There you go.

[Sabrina Merchant]

But yeah, Toronto is another one of these teams like la, where the offense, oh, is very much on point. But can you get the stops down the stretch? You know, we talked about this a couple weeks ago. They managed to in the shoegate game against New York, but like, for a lot of the season, defense has been more of a challenge for Toronto. And again, the case with Minnesota, even against like, players who you may not expect to have an offensive push down the stretch, but yeah, just something that it's an expansion team. You don't expect all of them to look like Golden State right out of the game.

[Zena Kada]

Yeah, right, Exactly. I think we got a little spoiled. I think we got spoiled.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I got a little ahead of my skis, you know, predicting these expansion teams to make the playoffs. It looks worse now, but hey, I think lots to be excited about about what's happening in Toronto and in Portland, even if they are not yet on the Minnesota links level, which to be clear, not a lot of teams on the Minnesota links level yet this season.

[Zena Kada]

Right. I'll say This. I. Speaking of expansion teams, I tuned into Las Vegas Portland late, and I heard the broadcast say DeLeo. And I was like, who's that? And I had to remember Megan Gustafson is now Megan Daleo.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I appreciate the recap that the Aces put out, which said Megan Dileo, nay, Gustafson, you know, like, yeah, like, help us out.

[Zena Kada]

We know who we're talking. Help us out. Because they were saying, I mean, again, it was at the moment that I tuned in that I was like, hold on. What? Who? And I had to remember, Las Vegas wins that game against Portland. Washington took care of business against Connecticut. They're, you know, they're rolling, but that's the team that you're supposed to roll on. Sure, sure. On paper.

[Sabrina Merchant]

But, hey, it would be like very Washington to go into the break having beaten Golden State, having beaten Las Vegas, and then just like, take an L against a frisky Connecticut team. Okay, it's not like a good Connecticut team, but it's a frisky Connecticut team.

[Zena Kada]

Right, Agreed. Agreed.

[Sabrina Merchant]

On stat line. Like, 22 points on nine field goal attempts, girl. Like, that's easy. It's impressive.

[Zena Kada]

Eight of nine from the free throw line.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah.

[Zena Kada]

Efficient as hell. Um, Kiki Ear fan. Another double double. You know, for it is worth. Worth saying Connecticut did not have Brittney Griner. Um, Aaliyah Edwards didn't play in that game. So, you know, it's a hard to

[Sabrina Merchant]

go up against without BG and Aaliyah Edwards.

[Zena Kada]

Exactly right. Exactly right. All right, let's keep it going. There's some things that are happening around the league, and one of them is, you know, in terms of storylines that are on the court, off the court, has to do with the Indiana game that happened the other night against the Storm. And before the game, there had been an announcement that there was going to be a rally in support of women and quote, unquote, real women in sports. And it was tied to Sophie Cunningham's comments in support of not having trans people. Trans women in women's sports. And I'm paraphrasing there, but I want to make sure that before we keep going, I am not going to be the one right now to go deeper into that topic. I do not feel as versed and as researched as I would like to be, but I would like to point your attention to the Ringer podcast, particularly of the. This week sir does a phenomenal job of breaking down everything around this conversation with Sophie Cunningham and her tie to this conversation about trans rights. And within the space of sport, she gives you some fodder to think about, especially if you're someone that has questions about this topic where you're like, you can see what Sophie's saying, but then you're also, you're also wanting to protect trans kids and not isolate them any further. I, I fully, thoroughly appreciated the way that so, so I was going to say Sophie Sirrett broke it down and gave us, just gave us really great perspective of it all the way around. And so I encourage all of you to go listen to that. But tied to that, there was a rally that apparently happened outside of Climate Pledge arena in Seattle in support of this, and the Indiana Fever were questioned about it in their post game press conference. At the podium was Stephanie White, Monique Billings and Kelsey Mitchell. Sophie Cunningham I don't believe was there and the question was posed. And instead of getting a response about, you know, the players, the coaches thoughts on this rally, Sabrina, the PR team stepped in. And it immediately made me think of another example of this happening earlier this season where the PR team steps in. And I was curious, from a media perspective, you're someone that's usually in those seats asking those questions. It's something that has to be asked. What did you make of how the Indiana organization handled this question?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, so Steph White was actually addressed the question as, you know, an openly LGBTQ person. She was asked what she thought about this particular rally and the Fevers stepped in immediately and said, neither our organization nor Sophie had any knowledge of this demonstration and no contact with its organizers. Our only goal as a team, whether at home or away, is to win basketball games and make Fever fans for life. And we are united in that mission. So I think what I would have to say about it is I don't believe that teams need to protect their players and coaches this much in terms of just speaking on what they're saying. You know, I think Steph White was perfectly capable of answering that question, as Sonia Raman did in her own press conference. The Seattle head coach. What I will say is, you know, you mentioned it reminded you of something else, like when the Dallas Wings stepped in and prevented AC5 from answering questions about her personal life earlier. I think it's just easier when players are able to speak for themselves and clarify whatever they want to clarify. And as somebody who is constantly pursuing more access for the media to WNBA players and coaches, I think it's just pretty unfortunate that the Fever did not make Sophie Cunningham available to talk about this, especially because Sophie, like, doesn't seem to have any reservations about speaking her mind and saying which she thinks no. So I don't think they need to be protected from teams. I think the teams should just let the players say what they want to say, what they need to say, and they don't need to hide behind a shield of, you know, pre recorded statement. So, uh, that's just what I would like to say about what the fever did there.

[Zena Kada]

And yeah, yeah, I agree with you a thousand percent. And as you mentioned, like, you know, Sophie Cunningham literally posts. Posts a picture after she makes those comments. And the caption is, I said what I said. This is not someone that is afraid to speak her mind and to stand 10 toes down on it, which you have to respect to a degree. But I do think. I think the word unfortunate is a perfect way to describe what happened there. And I think it's another. Even bigger than this particular conversation in this regard. It extends beyond just this example of the WNBA not equipping their players or their coaches or their personnel with the autonomy to speak for themselves in these experiences. Right. And allowing the media to be able to tell their stories from the mouths of the players and the coaches directly, as opposed to letting a narrative be created. And that's oftentimes some of the things that the media is scapegoated about is like, oh, the media created a narrative. The media created a narrative. Well, guess what? One easy way to avoid that narrative being made is by allowing the people that it's being discussed or being discussed within those conversations to share their own thoughts. So I'm with you on that a thousand percent. All right, let's keep it going. One more thing before we get into the second half of the season, y'. All. And I mean, y' all as in, like, Annie, you, Sabrina, y' all made headlines yesterday. Multiple. Okay. Um, particularly with Annie Kosovo's piece around what she's been hearing around the wnba. And when I tell you, I couldn't turn. I couldn't open an app. I couldn't. I couldn't read anything. Oh, Kelsey Plum. Kelsey Plum doesn't plan to come back. According to the Athletic. According to Annie. According to the Athletic. I was like, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. What is happening? But, you know, shout out to us. Making headlines. Yeah, people were aggregating the heck out of us. After Annie's piece around what she's been hearing, you all are gonna dive into this more deeply into our episode that drops tomorrow or, excuse me, on Friday. But I wanted to get your thoughts really quickly. What are you hearing? As the trade deadline approaches this weekend.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, so just regarding Plum, Annie reported that the sense from teams around the league is that Kelsey Plumb is not going to re sign with the Los Angeles Sparks during this off season. She's a free agent. She only signed a one year deal earlier this year. So if you were the Sparks and you are not going to be able to retain Kelsey Plumb in this after trading the number two pick in the 2025 draft, which became Dominique Belonga, in order to acquire her, it obviously behooves you as an organization since you are now five games out of a playoff spot to move her ahead of time and try to recoup some value from that deal. So yeah, the expectation, as Annie reported, is that she's not going to resign, which means that the Sparks would be well served to move her. As Annie wrote, though neither Kelsey nor her agent would comment on her actual plans. So this is again just from what people around the league believe. And that has been followed up by more reporting saying that the Sparks are expected to move Kelsey before the deadline. Unfortunately, like that's as far as we've got. Don't know where she is going to end up or you know, what that deal is going to look like. But it would be pretty fascinating because short of like Sylvia Fowles getting traded from the Chicago sky to the Minnesota Links when she specifically like sat out and demanded a trade, this would be the most high profile player to ever move during a WNBA offseason or midseason, I should say. Yeah, yeah. So that'd be pretty interesting. And obviously like we talk a lot about the lack of activity around the deadline. There's been a lot of chatter, at least at this deadline. I would expect some things to happen even if nothing has yet, you know, actually happened.

[Zena Kada]

That's the biggest thing about it is that for a league that has historically been pretty calm at the deadline. The last trade I remember in season was it Queen Egbo that I'm thinking of.

[Sabrina Merchant]

So just like a peek behind the curtain. When we first started this podcast and Xena and I were recording like a practice show, it was about the trade deadline and it was right after like Queen Egbo had made been traded for Amanda Zowie B. And we had like this whole segment on like why trades don't happen because this was the first trade in five years that had happened where both so funny teams had actually used a player that had been acquired in the trade. Right. Like in five years it was the only trade that that had happened so that's where we're coming from. Wow. And to be here where we're talking about, like maybe Kelsey Plum moving. Yeah, it's crazy.

[Zena Kada]

That's crazy.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah.

[Zena Kada]

No, and it's also crazy that, you know, we're recording this. First of all, great memory goodness. Sabrina.

[Commercial Voice / Aura Ad]

Yes.

[Zena Kada]

Amazing. I was like, I remember the only person as Amanda Zawi B. What was. It's Amanda Zawie B was traded for Queen Egbo.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah.

[Zena Kada]

For Queen Egbo. Yes. I just wanna make sure I get her name correct. But yeah, I remember that vaguely. And that. Wow. Those. We were in the trenches starting. But that's amazing. Wow. How long we've. How far we have come on no offseason where now we're talking about chatter way before the trae deadline. Um, but we are recording this on Wednesday afternoon, y', all, so there could be more things that happen between the time you hear our show again, um, if Kelsey Plum is traded, expect us to go live. Which is so funny because I think the last time we went live about a trade was about Kelsey Plum and Jewel Lloyd.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, that's right.

[Zena Kada]

Yeah. So there you go. Memory lane is fun at the time.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah.

[Zena Kada]

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Okay. Before we get to that show though, on Friday, any teams, just for those listening, who should we be looking for? Looking at who should we keep an eye out to the ground like, you know, or an ear on the ground for?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah. So the sparks obviously in this conversation, because if you're not expecting to make the playoffs, there's a lot of veterans you could potentially sell off right now to help other teams. In the same vein, I think Connecticut and Toronto are in conversations. Toronto actually trying to improve their team for future years as opposed to selling off veterans. Right now, Connecticut kind of like consolidating its young core before they make the move to Houston. In theory, like, we would expect Phoenix to be in these talks. They also have veterans and are a team where probably not going to make the playoffs this year, despite how many times Nate Tibbett says, like, there's four or five of us in the run for that eight seed. I don't really think so, Nate, but I appreciate your optimism. So, yeah, another team that we might expect in these conversations. But yeah, the problem is, is like all of the contenders are not going to trade with each other. Right.

[Zena Kada]

They don't want to help each other

[Sabrina Merchant]

out and there aren't a lot of like really helpful veterans on the younger, like the non contending teams. And it's not even like in the NBA where you could trade someone to another team and not expect to see them until the Finals. Right. Like, because they're on opposite sides of, you know, the bracket and the W. You could trade someone and see them in the very first round of the playoffs because there are no conferences in the seating. So it makes these deals a little bit more fraught because, like, you don't want to be the team that, like, sends a rotation player and then, like, has to face them immediately. Right. So, yeah, I think it's.

[Zena Kada]

Give them a boost. Yeah.

[Sabrina Merchant]

It complicates how all this works, but, yeah, the expectation I'm hearing is that things are going to happen before Sunday. Again, the deadline is August 2nd, 3pm Eastern. But we're just. We're here in the waiting room, you know, trying to. Trying to figure out exactly what all is happening.

[Zena Kada]

We'll be keeping an eye out for things and making sure that we're tuning into that show on Friday to see all the things that Annie and you have kind of compiled over the last few weeks as we approach the trade deadline, which is like a fun topic in the W. Well, look at us. All right, y'. All on the other side of this. We're going to break down some of the big questions of the second half of the season. Don't go anywhere.

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[Sabrina Merchant]

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[Zena Kada]

All right, now, a couple of months from now, ahead of the playoffs, when we look back at the regular season, we're going to ask the question, what's the moment that changed everything? Will it be the return of Nafeesa Collier to the Minnesota Lynx? Will there be a surprise team that catches fire out of nowhere? I thought it might have been Seattle, and then I saw the Indiana game and I was like, to be fair,

[Sabrina Merchant]

there was no Dom. No Dom.

[Zena Kada]

There was no Dom. That's true. So you know what? I might. I'm. I might. I might keep my prediction to Seattle. We'll see. We'll see. Uh, well, you know, maybe there's a team that looked good at first, but then they can't survive the second half of the season grind. These are all the types of questions that we're going to dig into today and make some predictions for the rest of the season. Sabrina, I think a perfect place to start is with the return of Fee to Minnesota. My goodness, whenever you have a player like that come back from injury like that is the best in season acquisition ever. Ever. Okay. The Lynx are already sitting at the top of the league. All season long, they've been the pacesetter of the league, right? Leading top three in offense and defense. They've fluctuated, but they're like really top two almost. They're unbelievable. They've incorporated Olivia Miles so well into this mix. They survived the disappearance or not disappearance, but they've survived the dismissal of Atlanta Smith and Jessica shepherd in the sense of. No, they're longer with the team. There's like a chemistry there.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Dismissal's a weird word. I feel like departure.

[Zena Kada]

I know. Departure. I'm trying to find the D word. I'm like, what is happening here? Yes. Departure. Thank you. Is a better way to put that. There's a lot going on in Minnesota that's still so good despite all the changes and the absences that they've had. And now Dorky Juhas is back on the mix. Is back in the mix, on the floor. And Nafeesa Collier, Unreal. When you think about Nafeesa Collier returning to this team, what is the immediate impact you're thinking about from a Minnesota Lynx perspective? How can she make them even better?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Right, so we're talking about a team that was, like you said, number one in the standings already for most of the season. Net rating, best in the season. But a team that has, like, really struggled defensively of late. In their last 10 games, they're 12th out of 15 in terms of defensive rating, which is not what you would expect for a team that, like, only has six losses. They're scoring the crap out of the ball, but they have not been good enough defensively, I think, to really consider themselves a title contender. And that is where Fee comes in. And I saw a lot of people saying that, like, why would Fee come back the day before All Star when she could have gotten six more days of rest if she had waited for a home game against Toronto on Tuesday? And if you've watched Fee over these last couple games, I think one of Fee's superpowers when she has been an all WNBA MVP, runner up type player is that she is the best condition player in the wnba. Like, I mean that like, with no qualifiers, I legitimately think she is the best condition player. Like, she plays 40 minutes, you cannot tell if you pull up a clip of like, whether that was in minute 39 or in minute two, she looks the same. And that has not been the case thus far this season. And I think so much of her getting back as soon as she could was just you got to get back into a rhythm. Like, there's nothing like being in game shape to play basketball. And I'm watching her and like, she's getting beat on drives. Like, she's just not as fast, you know, to the ball as, like the offensive player is. Her roles to the basket are just not as crisp as they were last season. And again, I totally understand multiple ankle surgeries. She hasn't played a game all season. None of this is a discredit Nafisa Collier. It's just saying, like, she has to become peak Nafisa Collier again. And like, it was unreasonable to expect that that was going to happen in game one of her return. Right? So like, to get her as many games under her belt, I think was always the goal for the Minnesota Lynx. So I think, you know, it's so funny you mentioned, like, the one moment that changed everything in this lead up, because obviously last year, the game where she gets hurt against Las Vegas is the moment. Right. For so many reasons. And I don't know if we're gonna have, like, the wonderful narrative symmetry of that happening this year, but I do think that you could. You can credibly call the Links a championship contender in a way that you couldn't when Nia Coffee was a starting power forward. And this is no disrespect to Nia Coffee. It's just Fee offers so much more from a scoring and playmaking. And, like, yeah, she can't block three pointers as well as Nia Coffey can. But, like, even defensively, I think she's pretty damn versatile. So I've been, like, just interested watching her because it's like a new experience watching this version of Fee where she doesn't have that superpower to tap into and, like, she sort of can't move as well, you know, when she gets the ball. So she's taken a lot of shots, I think quicker in the shot clock than she normally has. Right. Like, she's a little bit more. We've talked about this before, right? Like, she's so patient and, like, sees the game at her own pace and, like, never gets rushed. Whereas, like, now it's like, okay, I'm getting the ball. Like, I'm just going up with it because I don't know what else I'm able to do in this particular attack. So it's been. It's been an interesting experience watching V. Just, like, to see her navigate this body of hers, and I expect it to get better and better. But, like, you know, if he looks like this, you know, during the playoffs, I don't think Minnesota is the best team in the wnba, even though, like, the record would suggest that they are, because you kind of need, like, a little bit more force at that power forward position, which, again, we've talked about on the show, like, is the most important position in the wnba.

[Commercial Voice / Aura Ad]

Exactly.

[Sabrina Merchant]

So, yeah, I think it's. I feel like I'm rambling here, but,

[Zena Kada]

like, no, no, you're good.

[Sabrina Merchant]

It's just. This is going to be such a fascinating thing to watch over the second half of the season because they can't use Fi the way they always have because she's just not physically there yet. So, like, you know, you're even noticing that some of the staggers that they have with the Lynx rotation is like she's still been with Courtney Williams a lot of time when like they attach Olivia Miles and Natasha Howard together because like Miles and Howard, that's the pick and roll tandem that has worked during the first half of the season. And V and Courtney Williams is the tandem that worked for the last two seasons. So I think they're still sort of easing her in comfort wise, like putting her in situations where she knows exactly how to react as opposed to entirely new situations where Olivia Miles is running the show. And obviously they've won both games, like close games as we mentioned against Seattle and Toronto, much closer than I think Cheryl Reeve would want considering they've given up a lot of points in both of these games. So yeah, I'm really just have an eye on like what Collier looks like defensively because Minnesota is not nearly good enough on that end right now. And if they stay in the bottom half of the season, like, I'm sorry, the bottom half of the standings in terms of defense, like, that's just not a title winning team.

[Zena Kada]

Well, so I'm trying to remember this correctly. At one point, Minnesota was at the top of the league in defense, defensive ratings in terms of like their ability to. What do you think slowed down for them?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Well, I think part of it was they were just like so on a string to start the season because they were so well coached. Like, and I think you see that with teams that are, that just take advantage of training camp better, right? Like they don't need time to ease into anything. They were just out of the gate. They knew exactly what they were going to look like schematically and that's just an advantage over other teams that are still feeling their way out. Right, Got it. I think that's part of it. It's just Shell Reeve, like that's the system, you know, what you're getting into. And then ever since it's been like, okay, well you know, other teams have figured out like, okay, well these are the gaps with like how Nia Coffey defends, how Natasha Howard defends. And like they don't have a ton of depth. Right. So you know when you get into some foul trouble with that front court, like here comes Lia Tu King who's you know, perfectly solid rotation player, not like number one defense in the league rotation player. So I think that's part of it. I also think they were kind of just like defending a little bit above their heads at the start of the season. And like Courtney Williams, good defender, not like your lead point of attack defender. Defense is starting. Offense is starting to figure out, like, okay, if we just go after Olivia Miles in the pick and roll every time, like, there are ways we can exploit her, you know. So I think a lot of it was just the Lynx are better prepared than most teams at the start of the season and, like, that advantage started to wear off.

[Zena Kada]

Gotcha. That's good insight. I'm thinking about with Nafisa Collier coming back. You. You mentioned, you know, Nia Coffey, she gets, she gets moved to the bench and is gonna be able to come off the bench and be, you know, exactly what you expect her to be person, come in, hit some threes, play some defense, give Nafisa a break when necessary. But what else do you make of the ways that the lineups are going to change with Nafeesa now being in the mix of things especially. And I don't want to just think about right now, you know, she's not. She hasn't gone above 25 minutes in the last two games. Right. She's getting the rust off. You're absolutely right. It does feel a little bit. When you watch her, even when you watch her warm up, like, it. It feels like she's got an, like, anchors to her ankles. Like, she just looks heavier in the way that she's moving. So it's going to take some time for that to, like, rust to come off. But once she's getting more acclimated, she gets more minutes. What do you see those rotations looking like that could be positive for. For Minnesota. And I asked that question because I remember when dijonay showed up last year for the Minnesota Lynx, it helped Kayla McBride get to a position where she didn't have to be the number one defender, defending option or defensive option for Minnesota. And that really helped their offense and their defense and that she was pro, like, correctly positioned and slotted. How does the FISA do that?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, I mean, last year they had Bridget Carlton too, who was helping Kayla in those situations. And I think if the Lynx can get some guard depth during this week, during the trade deadline, I think that would be hugely helpful because K Max playing more minutes than anybody else in the WNBA. And without Bridget next to her, without D.J. next to her, like, she has been asked a lot defensively and Maya Caldwell and, you know, Antonio Delaire who you mentioned earlier, like, that's just not the same sort of defensive infrastructure that they had last year. So I don't know that Fee really Helps that perimeter issue because, like, I don't think she's sliding down to the three that much. She's still basically exclusively played next to one of Dorca or Natasha Howard. Um, I don't think they want her at the five, right. Like, she's not playing with Nia Coffee. That's not how it's happening. Which is why you've seen Nia's minutes, like, decline so much. Maybe they move Nia to the three a little bit. If, like, you need just a defender on a bigger wing. Like, if you're playing the aces, maybe you can put Nia and Jackie Young a little bit and sort of like, work it out that way. But because you have to put Kayla on like, Chelsea Gray too then. But those are, you know, obviously more matchup specific decisions. Uh, I think what I'm more interested in is, like, how the pick and roll setups work because, like, it's still a lot of like, Olivia Miles, Natasha Howard, pick and roll. And then, like, how does Fee work off of the second side? I wonder how she is going to fit, like, in that direct pick and roll tandem. And like, then where does Natasha Howard go? Is she like, cutting off ball and like, you know, hitting some floaters out of that or is like, she often put back option, you know, like something like that? Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, I'm. I'm fascinated by all that. Like, I think just where the familiarity comes in there, like where the chemistry builds. But yeah, I. The more I think about this, it's just like, how do the links get better defensively? Because that's really the problem. Like, offensively, like, we can have all of these questions and like, yeah, maybe they haven't run a ton of pick and rolls together, but, like, they're still scoring 100 points. You know, they still put up 90 plus against a Seattle storm. Like, that's not an issue. The issue here is that they can't stop to save their lives. And that's really where I don't know how big you can go defensively because, like, it just gets a little bit cluttered. Right. If you're playing like, coffee and McBride and Nafisa Collier and Howard altogether, or maybe even like Dorka instead of Howard in those situations. So, yeah, that's. That's really what I'm looking at is, like, how quickly they can get in a rhythm defensively and, like, what that rotation looks like. Because ideally, if you just give them fewer minutes, you know, you can be a little bit more. We talked about this at the start of the podcast, like less fatigued at the end of the game and like make smarter decisions at the end of games. Uh, so, yeah, that's, that's really what

[Zena Kada]

I have an eye on.

[Sabrina Merchant]

But like, I don't know that it's going to help Caleb McBride enough just yet. Unless they're like willing to slide fee or coffee to the three. And thus far that has not been the case.

[Zena Kada]

This is gonna be really interesting and this, I would call it a skid, I guess, in terms of like their defense. Um, it's gonna be interesting like how this plays out because sometimes if your overall statistics don't reveal any issue, um, you know, you might not think there, there is much of an issue. Your field goal percentage in, in the paint, in terms of your opponent field goal percentage in the paint still top in the league. You're, you're not doing so bad on threes and covering threes. Right. And overall you have the best opponent field goal percentage in the league. But you're absolutely right, but that they are not as good as they've been to start the season defensively. And I, I am curious if Nafisa is really going to help much of that because most of what I'm seeing is out on the perimeter and being able to stop the attack. So we'll see if maybe having Nafisa in help. We know she is an amazing help defender and that always, um, makes your guard feel a little bit better. There's someone else that makes me think of, you know, who can actually be significantly helpful in paint defense, but also particularly in help defense that is also an in season acquisition and that is Breonna Jones with the Atlanta Dream. Man, I, I, I was trying to think of who's going to be more impactful coming back to their team and the way you're breaking things down with Nafisa and knowing that there's going to be a little bit more of a Runway, I think, to get her going. I'm thinking maybe Brianna Jones might edge out in this race because everything that she does is just so solid and also doesn't require, I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a lot of work being exerted when she's down there battling for offensive boards and when she's setting bone crushing screens and getting the ball in and out, you know, to her guards. But it's, she's not gonna be guarding guards that are attacking the paint, right? She's gonna be in help, she's gonna be in drop help, she's gonna be, you know, positioning herself properly to ensure that her guards are good. But I'm more excited about the assists on offense and what could happen for Atlanta Dreams offense in terms of turning up the dial with Brianna Jones out there and Angel Reese playing the four alongside her. What are your thoughts on Breonna Jones coming back and how that can really help this league? Excuse me. Atlanta's dominant front court and really establishing one of the most dominant front courts in the league.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah. So their front court has been a little thin. Obviously with Bree out, you know, they've had to rely a lot on rookie Medina Okot. You know, Sika Kone, who's a younger player, has also had to play some just because Nas and Angel Reese are the only proven options in that front court. Where I am really interested to see Bree Jones is again, these end of game situations because we've seen Atlanta give away some games where they kind of just get a little three happy. Um, and I don't know that they trust anyone to just like get the ball in the block and slow things down because, like, that's not entirely Angel's game. Right. She's very much like an on the move type of player. Like, you don't want to just have her go back to the basket and like, you know, put her rear into someone, like back them down. Like, that's just not what she does. But that is what Bri Jones does. That's exactly what Brie Jones does.

[Zena Kada]

Right.

[Sabrina Merchant]

And she's very much just like a settling presence on the offense in a way that nobody else on the team is. Right. Like even Nas, she has spread her game out a little bit. Like she can shoot and she can score inside. But again, it's not like you put her in the block and she can seal anybody. That's a very hard thing to do. But it is a Bree Jones specialty. So I am interested to see how that affects their end of game offense. And then defensively, you already alluded to this. Angel, I think, is versatile enough to take on four assignments. She can switch out onto the perimeter. She's got really good hands. She's very laterally mobile and, and that allows Breezy to be like the, the five inside. So I think that makes more sense for them defensively than like the configurations they've working with before. Um, and like Atlanta, like, they've been totally fine this season, you know, like not as excellent as they were last year when they won 30 games. Last 14, I think they're already like more than half. I think they already have double digit Losses this year. So, like, they're much closer to the

[Zena Kada]

other 16 and 10.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah. Yeah. So they're not quite on pace they were last year, you know, when. When Bree Jones was the starter all season or. Yeah, all season. Um, so, yeah, I think it just puts everyone into roles that make a little bit more sense. You know, like, you don't need the offense to just be a series of jump shots and like, there's just so much variance on that. And you don't need like, angel to be the. The five defender. Like, she can be a little bit more mobile, a little bit more versatile and like, doing different things defensively. I still don't know if, like, Atlanta's top tier contender, even with Bree Jones back, like, I'm gonna need to see that for a little bit longer, but, like, the. The shape of their off season makes more sense with Bree Jones on the court than it did before.

[Zena Kada]

Yeah, agreed. Agreed. And I, you know, you and I were talking about this after we recorded last time. There is a calming presence that Bree Jones brings that I think is invaluable and also, you know, something that will never show up in a box score. And it made. I thought about, because yesterday at the time of recording this, Minnesota obviously played the tempo in the end. At the end of the game, Antonio Di Lari comes off the bench, scores nine of the last 11 points for the Minnesota Links, just hitting threes back to back like crazy in the fourth quarter. And in the postgame press conference, Nafeesa Collier mentions that, you know, Antonio Dilara has, like, a very calming presence, and I just love that she called that out. And that is something that when you have someone that inspires a confidence without saying too much or doing too much, it's a good balance because you have Angel Reese, who's more of a rah, rah, in your face, hype you up type of supporter and, you know, energy bringer. And then you've got a Bree Jones that's just got a quiet confidence about her. And that I think is gonna be really helpful, obviously, for the front court, the. Their front court, but particularly for the backcourt. We've seen there's been games where Ryan Howard and Alicia Gray, if they're not hitting, they kind of just shut down. It feels like we don't see for quarters at a time. And so finding a source of energy, they'll have multiple options now to dip from with Bree Jones out. So I'm very, very excited to see what that. How that manifests and what that looks like. But you're saying, like, you gotta see a little bit more to figure out what Atlanta ceiling is.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, I mean, I just, I think, you know, Vegas has been so impressive when they're at full strength. And the links, you know, for all of my concerns over the last 10 games, like, their body of work over the course of the season still reads championship title contender. Like, the highs you've seen from Indiana, the highs that you've seen from Dallas, even from New York, who just, when they turn it on, oh, my God, can they turn it on? Like, that is a very high bar to clear into. And Atlanta has just not been as explosive, you know, as these other teams. So that maybe that's not a problem. Maybe they can just like lock down defensively and win, you know, sort of grinded out games and that's totally fine. But they haven't had, like the most convincing wins to make me think that, like, they're in this contender conversation. I realized they've done very well against Dallas this season. They're actually playing Dallas the day recording this, so this could look very silly tomorrow. But, yeah, I think, I think they just need like a couple of those, like, momentum type wins for me to believe that this is a good enough core to actually contend with, like the defending champs and, you know, the teams that were in the finals last year.

[Zena Kada]

I love that you closed it on that momentum type wins because that sets up perfectly the team that I want to talk about next, and that is the Washington Mystics. This is a team that is, you know, in that playoff contention bubble situation. They're right at number eight at the time that we're recording this, and they just got that win with over Connecticut. Washington is a team that's absolutely exceeding expectations. And it is where you want to see them, though, exceeding expectations in the sense of. Actually, no, I want to ask you that question because we all say they've been exceeding expectations. I want to ask you from your perspective, are they exceeding expectations to you? And if so, in what way? Because I feel like my exceeding expectations might be different from others. But what are you seeing with the Mystics?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, so I did not have the Mystics in my top eight at the start of the season. Mostly it was because they didn't really sign any veterans during the offseason other than Mikayla anywhere who missed, you know, the first part of the year with an injury. And I just thought they were a little too young, you know, to compete when there's so much talent in this league. And that was incorrect because they play so Hard and they're actually pretty effective at the end of games. You know, like they don't get ahead of themselves, they don't get sped up and like they know how to execute. And again, we've talked about this, we mentioned our mid season, you know, awards rankings, how highly I think of the job Sidney Johnson has done this year. Like their youngins just don't really play like youngins. Like I would never believe that. Sonia Citron is in her second year in the league and younger than like half of this rookie class. She looks like she's been playing professional basketball for eight years or and like the fact is she's a second year player and she wasn't even a number one option in college. Right. Like she only has been playing this

[Zena Kada]

role, which is the wildest part for

[Sabrina Merchant]

such a little amount of time. Right, Right. So they have absolutely exceeded my expectations in terms of how quickly they've come along. I wonder if they've exceeded their front office's expectations because the, the design of this roster does not suggest a team that was trying to make the playoffs. It suggests a team that was just trying to continue to build. Right. And they've just surpassed that and like expedited the timeline. So yeah, could not be more impressed with Washington. I fully expect them to stay in this, you know, eight seed range and make the playoffs if I'm the Washington front office. And again, like they have a weird situation. They fired their GM right before the off season started and have like a collective of people making these decisions. But I'm trying to get better right now, you know, like I want to make some noise in the playoffs. I want to get like a Kelsey Plum to pair with Sonia Citron and see like what we can do with an actual, all due respect to Alicia Flores and Georgia Amar, an actual point guard like at the helm of this, you know, creating shots and like, I think there's a real opportunity here to, to challenge the other teams like the more veteran teams in the wnba. So. Yeah, I even forgot the question you asked Xena. I'm just like so enamored with what Washington is doing. But like, you know what, they're so good ahead of schedule.

[Zena Kada]

I love this. I love this. And I don't know if you guys watch me on WNBA and Ion and if you listen to this pod, y' all know I love Washington. I've loved them from beginning. I just, I love this like scrappy, young, we don't know any better type of team. And they are just like running through walls and they're just doing stuff and they're so fun to watch now. Yes, of course, the turnovers get tough to see, especially some of the type of turnovers that come out. And you're just like, what, in what world did you think that that was gonna get through on, you know, New York or whomever? But either way, they are so fun to watch. They.

[Sabrina Merchant]

They just.

[Zena Kada]

Oh, the way they all attack the basket. They need some. They need some shot creators.

[Commercial Voice / Aura Ad]

Right.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Spacing too. Yeah.

[Zena Kada]

They need a little bit outside shooting as well. They got people that can go downhill. They don't have a ton of, like, put somebody, you know, give the ball to them at the end of the game, they'll figure it out. Sony is absolutely that person. I would give that even a little bit to Kiki. We have that game winner against the downs of seeing Shakira. Um, I mean, Shakira did against the Ace. She did against the Valkyrie. She, you know, she can make those moves at the end of the game, um, but hasn't been as consistent as you would like to see. So it would be interesting to see what someone like a Kelsey Plum coming into this team, not only from the perspective of, like, someone that can score it and someone that can space the floor and attract attention away, you know, to balance it out. It'd be interesting to see what that looks like, just to be able to protect the future of the bat court in the sense of you're developing a Georgia Amore, you're developing Alicia Flores to look at the likes of Kelsey Plumb. But I'm happy we're all on the same page. For me, they exceeded expectations. Less so from the basketball perspective and more so from the chemistry perspective because we knew Georgia Amor had been sitting on the bench watching everything last year, and we didn't know what that insertion was going to look like. And, you know, getting Shakira Austin, getting more playing time and getting more opportunity with this team, what that all was going to look like. And then Mikayla Onwerry coming in as, you know, the lone veteran, and they have just bonded. They've gelled so well. Cody McMahon, like, she. There's moments where I'm also, like, she's been in the league for a minute. Right. Like, you look at the way that she plays too. So there's been a lot of chemistry already built so quickly for this team. So I. I'm happy we're all here. Okay.

[Sabrina Merchant]

They are third in the league in defense. This is a team that has two players who have more than, like, a year of experience. In the WNBA and already third in the league in defense as of this recording. Like, that's phenomenal.

[Zena Kada]

Obsessed. Speaking of momentum wins, I mean, Washington, they've beaten Minnesota. They've beaten Atlanta, They've beaten Golden State. They've beaten the Aces. Like, what. What are we talking about here? What are we talking about here? Like, this is. These are youngins that are.

[Sabrina Merchant]

The one team they haven't beaten this year is the Sparks.

[Zena Kada]

Just so weird they haven't beaten the Sparks, which is funny. They did beat New York.

[Sabrina Merchant]

They beat New York, right?

[Zena Kada]

You know, like these are. They beat Toronto. Like, they beat teams that put the ball in the basket, y'. All. Um, and they've held their own and that. They are the. They're kind of like the quintessential basketball team, right? These massive bigs who are also these like power forward phenom types that we talk about all the time, right? Players that are in that power forward position and Kiki and Shakira that can face the basket and go. Then they add in Lauren Betts and have all this rim protection and just a big. That can also kind of space the floor. Uh, then you have these smaller guards and some wings as well that are like, let's get to the basket, let's go downhill. They just need a little bit better point guard direction. And, you know, I think a more imposition like a imposing point guard than Georgia Amore is right now. She's got a lot on her shoulders, I think. But Washington love them. Okay, let's close this out. There is a World cup break that is coming. I cannot believe we are already here in the end of July where we can think about. At the end of August, there's gonna be a whole break. We thought this all starved thing was cute. Yeah, There's a whole 17 days that the WNBA will be on break. August 31st to September 16th for the upcoming World Cup FIBA Women's Basketball World cup in Berlin, Germany, and Team USA and many of the other tons of amazing international players that we've seen over the course of the season. They'll be hitting the court and we'll be covering it. But let's just talk about how that break and the level of play for folks competing in the tournament might impact the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Especially because if you take it two years back to the Olympic break in 2024, we saw some teams come back from that, be a little slow, be a little sluggish, and particularly teams that had a lot of different representation in their rosters. The Vegas Aces, the Liberty. You remember, some teams looked like they had a little bit of rust to come off, but it wasn't rust, it was fatigue. Going back to. Once again we bring up fatigue. Lynn Roberts quotes. Um, but some teams struggled a little bit and some, some players, you know, either have to get back into rhythm. Some players are going to be tired. So Sabrina, I want to ask you a question. Like, which teams do you think might get the hardest hit by the break and the World cup play itself?

[Sabrina Merchant]

This is a hard question to answer because we don't know who's on the teams, right? Like we don't know who made the French national team roster. We don't know who's on the US national roster. Like we know Australia. That's true. All due respect to the Australians, like I don't think any of them are all WNBA players this year. So it's not like the most.

[Zena Kada]

That's very true.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, yeah, maybe, maybe Sandy's a little tired after coaching Australia. Like that's, that could be a thing. But yeah, I like, I don't know, like our three players from the Indiana Fever can be on Team usa. I don't know, like that could be a big thing because remember two years ago they had a huge push after the Olympics because nobody went. They were all in Indiana and had a great time to rest. So I do wonder, like, we've never really been in a situation like this where the World cup has interrupted the WNBA schedule. It's always been after the WNBA season. Sure there have been times when EuroBasket has been during the WNBA schedule, but they don't take a break, they just go and they come back. And again, with all due respect, like most of the players were talking about, for all WNBA and MVP candidacy, they are on Team USA and that does not factor in Euro basket. So I just think that like, you know, the Aces are going to go through this pretty hard assuming Asia and Jackie and Chelsea want to play and they have been fixtures of Team USA for a very long time. Like that's, that is a hard turnaround to make, you know, to go from playing super high level basketball because like that gold medal game, if the USA gets there is going to be a challenge. Like it's not going to be a walk in the park like it has been in previous competitions, you know. So yeah, I unfortunately, like, I wish I knew more about the rosters to make these kinds of decisions, but like I would expect the Aces, the Wings, you know, like Paige, I would assume is gonna be part of this and, like, they have, you know, other international players who could be participating in the World Cup. So, like, there's just a lot of different directions this could go. Like, obviously, a heavily international team like New York or like, Golden State is gonna have players for multiple different federations. Right. So, yeah, I think I'm interested to see how Golden State looks, you know, with, like, a lot of the French participation. Obviously, Gabby Williams is gonna be there. Again, we don't know the roster, but, like, Gabby Williams is gonna be on the team, and then, you know, New York with, like, Leo Fibich, you know, playing for Germany satu, potentially, if she's healthy to play for Germany, we would expect Stewie to be on Team usa. Like, there's. Everyone could be involved here, and I'm almost more interested. Like, does anyone say, hey, I can't really do this this year because I would like to be ready for the playoffs in two weeks after that. Like, I wouldn't blame them, honestly. So it's. Yeah, I realize I didn't answer the question, but, like, this is just. This is the situation we're in where, no, there's just so much up in the air, you know? Yeah, right.

[Zena Kada]

You're touching on it. I mean, of course, the Liberty and the Aces are always top of mind. When I think about this in terms of, you know, one for the Aces, just how much of their core is on Team USA or has been on Team usa. We don't know the roster just yet, but not. And then for Team New York Liberty, it's been. Not just Team usa, it's been a smorgasbord of different countries.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Totally.

[Zena Kada]

And now I don't know what Pauline is going to do. Marine Fatou going to do. I mean, Annalee Maley, like, I don't know. I don't know what. What. What's going on with their. Their teams. But, yeah, so there's. There's. And then obviously you mentioned Leo Febich, who hasn't been playing, so I'm not sure how much of a factor that's going to be a thing. So, yeah, Golden State comes to mind. Obviously, you mentioned Gabby Williams. Is Janelle Salon gonna be on team? Is Chechy with Italy? Like, there's. There's a lot there as well. So I. I'm very curious and I would be really interested to see if any of the players go. I'd rather just stay home and train. Yeah, um, that is an option that's available to them, so.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Because I feel like that has just never been a thing that WNBA Players do, right. They're like, oh, you're asking me to perform. Like I'm going to go and do it. And the only time, the only time we ever see them potentially opt out is when it's during the season. Right. Like some players decide I'm not going to go to Euro Basket because I want to be for my WNBA team because there's no break. And even though there is a break again, it's a 17 day break. Like that's basically just the tournament and then you're back, you know.

[Zena Kada]

Yeah. I'm very curious as to how all of this is going to play out. And the players have a lot to play for. Right. They use this. There's some serious money here too. They want to make sure that they can play and get to the championship and do everything they can to be ready for the playoffs. So very curious if representing your country or WNBA will take over. I want to put it to be fair.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I don't think that there are wrong answers. You know, I was going to say exactly. It's too much on your body to have to play an entire World cup tournament and then come back to the wnba. Like, I completely respect that.

[Zena Kada]

I agree, agree. And that's why I was like, I don't want to put too much on them. Like, because that is a tough decision.

[Sabrina Merchant]

And if you think you won't be at your best for the WNBA but you still want to play for your country, totally respect that too.

[Zena Kada]

You know that represent your country, boom. And especially if you think it's like going to be a rare opportunity for you to be able to do so.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Exactly.

[Zena Kada]

Right.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Like, like if you're Germany and this is your home World Cup. Right. Like Leo Fiber Satu Sable. I understand. Satisfied a very like up and down season with New York. If she's available to go for the World cup, even if it compromises her liberty experience, like, I think you got to go for it. Right. Like, and I think.

[Zena Kada]

Right.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah.

[Zena Kada]

I think about the Wagner brothers on the NBA side. When the NBA had a game in Berlin, like Mo Wagner was not well,

[Sabrina Merchant]

but he, Franz was not either. He, Franz was ruined his whole season.

[Zena Kada]

Exactly. Both of them rushed back. And a lot of people, you know, essentially blame them rushing back for that game to represent themselves in their, in their city, in their country because they rushed back for that. So we don't know.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Also, how often do you have a chance to play an NBA game in Germany? You know, I know, like I said, no wrong answers.

[Zena Kada]

Just do what you know, no wrong answers. Lots of tough decisions to be made. But on that, not a tough decision to stay tuned because we got a game on the other side of this break. Don't go anywhere.

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[Zena Kada]

All righty. Enough analysis. We've been chatting, we've been yapping, breaking stuff down. I love breaking the game down with you, Sabrina. For real. All right, let's have some fun though. It's time for two takes and a fake. This time. It's your turn, Sabrina.

[Sabrina Merchant]

You got a so tough decision.

[Zena Kada]

I'm like, I know. Now it's my turn. Okay, go ahead.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I almost like don't want to look at the camera while this is happening.

[Zena Kada]

I'm like, I need to not know

[Sabrina Merchant]

what Xena is saying with my face.

[Zena Kada]

I can't wait. Let's do it.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I got three takes for you. All right. If the Valkyries trade for Kelsey Plum, they will be the WNBA title favorites number two.

[Zena Kada]

Damn. One.

[Sabrina Merchant]

That's how we're starting one of Dallas or Indiana will lose in the first round of the playoffs, and number three, Stewie, should be the second favorite for mvp.

[Zena Kada]

Well, you made this hard. Okay, cool, cool, cool. Say that first one, particularly if the Golden State Valkyries.

[Sabrina Merchant]

The Valkyries trade for Kelsey Plum. They are the favorites to win the WNBA title.

[Zena Kada]

Okay. Oh, wow, this is tough. I do believe. I do believe that you believe that Dallas or Indiana will lose in the first round. Okay, I think that's a take that you have. I think that's a take that you have. Brianna Stewart, you said, should be second.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Second. By the time the season is over, I should say she'll be second.

[Zena Kada]

Yeah. I mean, you just wrote that you think that Asia will break the scoring

[Sabrina Merchant]

record, but Asia's probably first.

[Zena Kada]

Right, right. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. So I'm like, do you believe that Sui should be first? Mm hmm. Um, see, that's the thing. You can interpret that last one so many different ways. Are you saying that if it is a fake, that means you're like, I think Stewie actually should be number one, not second? Or is it. I think she should be further down and somebody else should be in number two. I don't know.

[Sabrina Merchant]

All of those connotations are fair, right?

[Zena Kada]

Exactly. The Golden State one is throwing me for a loop. I don't know if I know if you believe that.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Hmm.

[Zena Kada]

You know what? I think you believe that. I think you believe that, and I think you think. I think your fake is Stewie.

[Sabrina Merchant]

My fake is st. Yeah. My fake is st.

[Zena Kada]

It is. Yes. What? Yes. I. I'm so happy right now, y'. All. This is. You guys don't understand. You don't understand. Sabrina doesn't give away anything, okay?

[Sabrina Merchant]

She doesn't give anything. This is what's funny. Everybody says I have such an expressive face, and yet you think that I'm so good at keeping things chill.

[Zena Kada]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't get me wrong. You do have an expressive. You are expressive with your face. You do give your, like. I don't know about that. Whatever. Faces, right? And you laugh when things are funny, but I'm talking about, like. Like, hard takes. Whatever. You're not, like, out here, like, giving away hot takes. You're not, like, just saying random stuff to see what sticks on the wall. Like, you are very measured in your approaches to things.

[Sabrina Merchant]

So, yeah, no, I generally believe if the Valkyries trade for Kelsey Plum, they would be the number one favorite for the title. Yeah, I believe it.

[Zena Kada]

That's a big one. Yeah, I'm with you. I'm with you. I just don't know what do you. You know what? No, actually, this is perfect.

[Sabrina Merchant]

It's for tomorrow.

[Zena Kada]

Save this for the trade show. I want to see what. Who you. What package are you putting together? Um, and what do you think Oheman Yanen and her crew are going to put together if they. They go trade for Kelsey Plum? Cause, yeah, now you got me thinking. All right, on that note, I love that we're kind of leaving on a cliffhanger. Guys. Make sure you tune in to the next episode of no Off Season because now I got to figure out what should Golden State be doing to try to get Kelsey Plummet along with any other team that needs a point guard right now and some extra shooting and scoring, which Golden State very much needs on that. That's going to be it for today's show. I am proud that I know my friend Sabrina and I know her takes. Annie and Sabrina will be back tomorrow. They're going to be talking about Dre, deadline discussions, more of the chatter, giving their thoughts on some things. And if you're not already subscribed, you don't want to miss that. So definitely make sure you subscribe. Subscribe to the newsletter as well. Subscribe to the Athletic. There's some great, great content up there that we're breaking it all down. And if you're not already watching on YouTube, go watch us. We're fun. Subscribe. Do that, too. On that, on behalf of the Athletic and my hoop savant, Sabrina Merchant, I'm Zena Kada, thanking you for listening and we'll see you next time. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Kada with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant, and Annie Hostable. It's produced by Tanika Burrell, our executive. Our executive producer is Andrea B. Scott. Monica Compton is our video editor. Our theme music is by Marcus Fogala. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

With no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking. With Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends, it's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com Bank Capital One NA Member FDIC

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