← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Will Angel Reese Leave Chicago? Will Arike Stay in Dallas? The Free Agency Bonanza Begins!
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- [00:00]
Capital One Bank Guy
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- [00:28]
Jeffrey
Morning Zoe. Got donuts.
- [00:30]
Dana
Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?
- [00:33]
Jeffrey
Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T Mobile commercial like you. Teach me. So Dana.
- [00:39]
Dana
Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at t mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.
- [00:51]
Jeffrey
Wow, impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best work.
- [00:59]
Sabrina Merchant
Nice.
- [00:59]
Dana
Jeffrey, you heard them.
- [01:00]
Jeffrey
T Mobile is the best place to.
- [01:02]
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Jeffrey
Us with eligible traded in any condition. So what are we having for launch?
- [01:09]
Dana
Dude, my work here is done.
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Zena Caida
Hurry to pura.com now and upgrade your home today. Hello everyone and welcome to no off season. I'm Zena Caida.
- [02:00]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm Sabrina Merchant.
- [02:01]
Ben Pickman
And I'm Ben Pickman.
- [02:03]
Zena Caida
And today on the show, the WNBA has reached huge heights. But the off season brings a new kind of pressure with nearly every veteran player in the league becoming a free agent, a CBA still needing to be hammered out. Two new teams joining the league this offseason is sure to be pretty insane. We're here to hear some of those big questions and answer some of those questions of what exactly is the story with free agency and how will it impact some of those bigger questions that we have for certain teams in the coming months? But first, we got some news from around the association this season in W both regular season and postseason was the most viewed season ever. Shout out Richard Deist for his piece on this and the Athletic Live. Now go check it out. Post season games average 1.2 million viewers, up 5% from last year. And all that growth leads us to a nicely new segment that we're gonna call Deal or no Deal. Ben, the deadline for a new CBA and the W is rapidly approaching. Halloween is gonna be scarier for more reasons than one. October 31st deal or no Deal. Where do things stand?
- [03:07]
Ben Pickman
Currently they stand at no Deal. Zena and I know we have just debuted this segment, but at least in the next two weeks I think we should give it a temporary amendment to the name and call it extension or no Extension because that is really the question that is at stake right now. Two sides seem to still be pretty far apart in terms of the league and the PA as they negotiate this deal. There still seems to be hang up on the key issues, salary structures and salaries. Those are really the two topics that we have been talking about throughout this entire process. Since the PA opted out of the old agreement last fall with two weeks to go, the sides are still continuing to meet. We have heard that from both sides. Kathy Ungebert was open about that at her press conference ahead of the Finals and look, she has said that I feel confident we can get a deal done, but if not, I think we could do an extension. And that is kind of an acknowledgment or that was an acknowledgement that that is a possibility. We have seen an extension be reached as recently as the last CBA agreement in 2020. So that doesn't necessarily mean we're going to miss games come May. But yeah, I would not bet that a deal gets signed by the October 31 deadline.
- [04:18]
Zena Caida
I'm really happy that you brought up the word extension as we're talking about deal because it is important to kind of break down how these different ASP of this negotiation can impact the players. Especially so if a deal isn't done by October 31st and there is no extension to negotiate the deal, that's what would trigger the lockout. Sabrina, explain that for us.
- [04:40]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, you said it exactly right. It would trigger a lockout if they don't agree to a deal by October 31 and there is no extension. And practically what that means is it's not like they're not still trying to find a new cpa, like they would still be working on creating a new one. But at the moment that means that the WNBA players are locked out, so to speak, from WNBA facilities, which means, like, if you're a player in market, you can't go to your practice facility anymore. Right? Like, you can't technically be in contact with, like, the ownership and front office and stuff like that, people who are employed by the team. So it actually has a more material difference, I think, now than it would have six years ago when, like, would there be a facility for you to go to market? Like, no, but there is actual, like, can actually be locked out of facilities in a way that, like, would materially impact the players during their offseason time.
- [05:24]
Ben Pickman
There is also a public signaling that an extension indicates, and that's how it was phrased to me from kind of legal experts who have worked on CBAs in the past, that the thought or the public agreement of an extension seems to indicate that the sides are actively working towards a deal and are very much committed to getting one done. That's not to say that if there isn't an extension done by October 31, like, the two sides will not get a deal done, because, again, I am not saying that, but I think it shows that, like, we are very much committed to making progress. And also we want to, you know, do what Sabrina just said. We'll let the players continue to, you know, use the facility, just as one example, or receive medical treatment there, you know, as an offshoot of that. But, like, we'll see what happens as it relates to this extensions. No side right now publicly wants to say, like, yes, we are going to agree to an extension two weeks out of this deadline.
- [06:13]
Zena Caida
And I imagine that both sides also don't want a lockout. This stops and kills the momentum of the league, especially as we're getting this data of wrapping up one of the most prolific WNBA seasons in terms of viewership engagement, having a lockout would just absolutely kill that fire. And so you definitely don't. I don't want to see it. I don't think any fans want to see it. We'll see what happens with this situation. Obviously, we'll be very close to it here. Keep locked on the Athletic, because Ben, Sabrina are really breaking this down really nicely. Last question for you, Ben. Chances right now of a lockout?
- [06:48]
Ben Pickman
Well, there's a difference between a lockout and a work stoppage here, and also the possibility of missed games. Do I think we're going to miss games in May? Like, I think a lot of people still don't want that to be the case. But if the question is, again, will there be a deal done by October 31st, I would say no. Then it's kind of up for those two sides to determine and figure it out amongst themselves, basically, you know, are players going to have be locked out or is there just going to be a temporary extension in this negotiation? I don't really know the answer to that. That's more of a legal pathway depending on what the two sides want to figure out.
- [07:20]
Zena Caida
Sure. I had someone on Blue sky ask the question, like, you know, to the extent that they extend this negotiation outside of the October 31st deadline, how much could that, like, actually impact the work stoppage that you're talking about? Basically missing games in next season. There is so much time. And in the 2020 CBA negotiation, they had to delay free agency, but that was the extent of the timeline being moved. Games weren't missed, so it all worked out in that regard now. Well, games weren't missed for that reason. Games were missed because of COVID but for not for the negotiation aspect. All right. In other news, the Portland Fire, one of the W's newest franchises set to make their debut next year, have been in a hot mess for a little while now. We've seen a lot of headlines and headlines go away of what's going on behind their front, their, you know, in their front office. And to add to that story, they made a social media blunder earlier this week. Interestingly enough, it immediately made me think of the Toronto Tempo and their name being in the dropdown menu on the WNBA website before their name was announced. And I'm like, maybe the two teams are just like, let's just be even, right? Let's just look out for each other and let's be even on these blunders. But on LinkedIn. Portland fire announcer, coach, of all places, LinkedIn. I know there are more athletes on there now. I don't know if there's a lot of WNBA fans that are looking for their news on LinkedIn.
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Ben Pickman
Zena, that is the place to make career announcements, though. I mean, who among us has not announced career updates on LinkedIn first before going to Twitter? I don't, you know, I don't understand the disdain for LinkedIn.
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Zena Caida
I have not done that, for what it's worth. But, but, but, but you're right. Even if, even if someone's announcing their. Their career, this is the team announcing their hire, right? That felt strange. Sybrina, what happened exactly? Because I wasn't on LinkedIn, I'm not on LinkedIn as much as I probably used to be in corporate America. But now, apparently I gotta be on there to find out who the new coaches in the WNBA are.
- [09:23]
Ben Pickman
Yeah.
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Sabrina Merchant
So really briefly, on Tuesday morning, it was announced that the Portland Fire were hiring Alex Sarama as the franchise's first head coach. And then it was swiftly deleted, but not before some people saw the announcement, put it on Reddit, because that is where WNBA news goes is on Reddit. And that is an interesting name to have put out as the potential hiring of a Portland Fire head coach. Because in our reporting about the coaching head searches, like the coaching searches, that has been the front runner name that has been associated with the Portland Fire. He's an NBA assistant coach. He worked with Vanja Cernovich, the new general manager of the Portland Fire, both at the NBA academies in Madrid and also. Or, sorry, NBA Europe, I should say in Madrid and also at the London Lions, where she was previously working before coming to the Golden State Valkyries. He has been on a couple of NBA staffs, including the Rip City Remix, which is the Portland G League team, most recently the director of player development at the Cleveland Cavaliers. So a lot of the types of experiences that we've, you know, heard in terms of, like, what people are looking for in new WNBA head coaches, right. Like a little bit of mix of international NBA. Obviously, familiarity with the person who's hiring you, that's the most important thing. So the fact that his name was leaked as the head coach, not at all surprising that it was done in this manner. Very surprising.
- [10:40]
Zena Caida
Not according to Ben. Ben's like, this makes sense.
- [10:42]
Sabrina Merchant
My thought process here. Just real quick. The Portland Fire also announced on Tuesday that they were hiring Ashley Battle, former WNB veteran, former GM of the Maine Celtics, as their number two vice president, basketball operations. So is it possible that there was a release for Ashley Battle, a release for Alex Sarama, and the wrong one just went up Tuesday morning.
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Zena Caida
Ooh, okay. Okay. Well, I want to ask you, Ben, if it does. I mean, it sounds like it's going to be Alex Sarama, but if they do reinvent. Are you saying LinkedIn is the right way to do this?
- [11:13]
Ben Pickman
Again, I hope they lean into the bit if that, you know, acknowledge your kind of mistake and poke fun at it. I think we would appreciate if that was the case. No, I don't necessarily think they're gonna go that route in terms of the platform in which they announced the news as it relates to Alex Sarama's candidacy. I think, as Sabrina said, he's kind of emerged as the front runner in this situation. He's still under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and so, you know, from what we understand, before any kind of agreement in, you know, potential agreement has to get placed. Like in these situations, if you're under contract with one team, no matter the sport, like, you usually have to get clearance or permission to, you know, break that contract before agreeing to a new potential deal. I envision or imagine that is the kind of situation that is going on behind the scenes right now in Portland as it relates to Alexarama. That's not to say it is a done deal, because again, the two sides still very much seemingly need to finalize a deal. But, yeah, he is the front runner. We should also say Sabrina mentions Ashley Battle. Her name, she comes from, I guess, the Connecticut Sun. Most recently, she has experience with the Boston Celtics. And the main red clause is their gm, their NBA G League affiliate. She also crossed paths with Vanya Chernovik at the NBA office. So they have, again, think about relationships among people. It makes sense that, you know, these are two people who have known each other, have worked together. She has been, you know, she is basically the second front office hire that has been made in Portland. And that is the announcement that we now know is officially official. We're still waiting on the head coaches, as Sabrina said.
- [12:40]
Zena Caida
Well, turn on your notifications on LinkedIn because apparently that's where we should be looking. Okay, let's turn our attention to another favorite topic, Officiating. The NBA announced three new referees that will be joining their ranks this year. Among them, Jenna Renau, who listeners might remember as one of the three officials who refed Game 3 of the Lynx Mercury series. Yes, the infamous game which Sheryl Reeve was ejected from and later fined and suspended for, among other things, her public comments criticizing officiating. If you need just a little bit of a boost for your memory because, you know, you might be getting a little bit older, this was the game that Sheryl Reeves said, these three refs, it was effing malpractice that they were selected to referee a semifinals game. So let's talk about this. Sabrina, you posted something that helped me pay attention to verbiage. And, you know, semantics are important, I think. But what did you notice about this announcement?
- [13:36]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I'd hardly call it semantics. Word choice is very, very. Word choice is very purposeful here. You know, on the one hand, very funny that a WNBA coach would go on the record saying it was effing malpractice, that a certain ref was assigned something, and then that ref would go on to get a new job in the NBA. In a press release where they described their growth, professionalism, and performance quality to officiate NBA games, which apparently aren't his. A sentiment agreed upon by WNBA coaches. But beyond that, I do think it's interesting that the NBA no longer describes WNBA or gig league refs joining the NBA as a promotion. Right? Like, they're careful to steer away from that language. But what Monty McCutcheon, you know, who is the senior vice president, head of referee development, said in the press release was congratulations on their advancement. To our NBA staff, all three officials have worked diligently to reach the pinnacle of their profession. To me, kind of sounds like a promotion, even if you're not using the treasure.
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Zena Caida
But here's the thing, right? It's the use of advancement instead of promotion, but then walking it back and saying the pinnacle. So you're literally saying this is the zenith, this is the highest, this is.
- [14:46]
Sabrina Merchant
The best you can do.
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Zena Caida
Yeah, best you can do. But it's not a promotion. It's an advancement. Okay? We can play this game as much as we want. Ben, what did you think about this?
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Ben Pickman
Should we take it to LinkedIn? Like, should we ask the people of LinkedIn, like, what they think or how they define these terms?
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Zena Caida
Did Jenna Renault and I get an advancement? I'm naming it that on LinkedIn moving forward, advancement. Everyone just change anytime you get.
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Sabrina Merchant
Jenna Renault does have a LinkedIn page, by the way.
- [15:14]
Zena Caida
I want to know, Jenna, are you posting your advancement? Sorry, this is so silly.
- [15:21]
Ben Pickman
I mean, Monty McCutcheon has said, and he told me this point blank, if I have one claim to fame in this profession, it is that I. I think I was the first person to raise this point with the league office back in 2023. I called them out on, you know, for 2018 to 2022. They used the word promote in all of their press releases. And then shortly after talking to a story about officiating in October 2023, right before the NBA puts out their official's release, they used the word moves when I asked them specifically about the word promotes. And when I asked Monty McCutchen about it two years ago, he basically said he pushed back on the concept of the WNBA as a perceived feeder league for the NBA, saying that a move from the G League to the W or the NBA is considered a promotion. But moves between the WNBA and the NBA would be lateral. I have not checked back in with Monty McCutcheon on that phrasing two years later. But seemingly per his statement announcing the news earlier this week, advancement doesn't exactly seem like a lateral move. Peak of your profession, pinnacle, your profession does not exactly make it seem like this was a lateral move. So, you know, make of this what you want, folks.
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Zena Caida
Man, this sounds like, you know, in corporate America they always say, yeah, sometimes, you know, your career isn't on the ladder, it's monkey bars. And like, that is such a thing that people say. And I just feel like this is the same sort of like, mumbo jumbo. We know what you're doing. We know what you're doing. And if it was a lateral move, then why is the pay not lateral? Right? Like, Sabrina, give me that context. Like, WNBA officials are not salaried in the same way that NBA officials are. What's up with that?
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Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, NBA officials, it's a full time job, salaried, with benefits. WMA officials, no, it's a contract. And they often end up working NCAA or other games to supplement their income over the course of the year.
- [17:17]
Zena Caida
But that's advancement. That's just.
- [17:20]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, so congrats to Jenna Renault. Honestly, it sounds like she got a good new job, but it also just begs the question of, you know, is the NBA WNBA umbrella actually keeping the best officials in the wnba? And it sounds like, no. Or maybe this is just a real, like, olive branch to Shell Reeve. Like, hey, we did something for you. Look who you won't have to see at WNBA games anymore.
- [17:42]
Zena Caida
Or the opposite of an olive branch. And you know, the use of one of these fingers to be like, very much so about what you said. We're giving out advancements. Okay? On the other side of this, break, free agency 101 and the ripple effects that pose big questions for this WNBA offseason.
- [18:05]
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- [18:32]
Jeffrey
Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.
- [18:34]
Dana
Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?
- [18:37]
Jeffrey
Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T Mobile commercial like you. Teach me. So, Dana.
- [18:44]
Dana
Oh, no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly AT T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.
- [18:55]
Jeffrey
Wow, impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the Best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.
- [19:03]
Dana
Nice Jeffrey, you heard them.
- [19:05]
Jeffrey
T Mobile is the best place to.
- [19:06]
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- [19:09]
Jeffrey
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- [19:13]
Dana
Dude, my work here is done.
- [19:15]
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- [20:10]
Zena Caida
All right, in case you're not aware, this off season's about to be crazy. Like drama to the tee. Okay. I read Marcus Thompson's piece about the off season and he was like bring in Shonda Rhimes. I'm just like, absolutely. This is about to be the levels of drama. Grey's Anatomy, Bridgerton just Gas Clutch My Pearls. We'll see what happens. But there's gonna be a new collective, a bargaining agreement. We know that's happening.
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Ben Pickman
Potential lockout maybe maybe happening.
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Sabrina Merchant
It's happening. Yeah.
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Zena Caida
We just don't know when we know that something has to be negotiated, right? There's a potential lockout based off around this expansion draft. And oh yeah, literally every player almost is a free agent. There's 41 players that will be signed next year. GMs are going to be busy that are not going to be free agents. So before we dive into the impact of that free agency with some big team specific off season questions, let's break down what free agency actually means and why it's all the rage this off season. So Ben, I'm go to you first. Give us the breakdown. What is free agency? I need to understand for everyone listening. Restricted unrestricted. We got to break down Coring again. I know we've done this before on the show, but we got some new listeners, so let's break it down.
- [21:30]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I'll do the big picture and then I'll pass the baton to Sabrina. There are more than 100 free agents entering this offseason. And pretty much every veteran player, veteran that we're defining as a player not on a rookie contract will be set to hit some form of free agency, whether that is restricted free agency, whether that is unrestricted free agency. Some of those players have the ability to be cords. We're going to talk about that in a second. Some do not. But the reason being is that around the league, the timing of this coinciding with the CBA is not a coincidence because players and agents have been expecting that the salary cap is going to increase. One of the few points of agreement throughout this negotiation between the league and the players is that the salaries of players is going to increase. By how much? That is obviously the question, as we talked about a couple minutes ago, at the center of this debate. But because they're expecting a jump, we'll say maybe a 3x jump, maybe it's a 4x jump, maybe it's more. Players are looking to maximize their earnings. And so in the past couple off seasons, players around the league, veteran players, when they've hit free agency, have signed deals with the intention to then hit free agency this summer. Because then what's going to happen, or this winter, I should say, because then what is going to happen if and when a deal is agreed upon is, you know, instead of signing a contract that would be worth, say $100,000 through next season, what might have been in $100,000 deal is now potentially worth a $350,000 deal or a $400,000 deal or even more. And so that is really why so many players are hitting the market at this time.
- [23:07]
Sabrina Merchant
Right? So we have a few different kinds of free agents hitting the market here. We have unrestricted free agents, which means you can sign anywhere you want as a player this offseason. The one exception to that is that there is a core provision that exists in the WNBA which each team can for up to two years or up to two times, I should say it's a little bit more complicated. The rules might change in the new cva, but essentially when you core a player, that means that you have the opportunity to offer them a one year supermax or you can initiate a sign and trade or some kind of new contract, but basically you have the opportunity to control their negotiations in that process. So technically, unrestricted, but also Kind of not totally unrestricted because the team has a little bit more control than you'd expect in this situation. Usually only apply the core provision to really excellent players because you don't want to be wasting a supermax contract on a player who is back end of your rotation.
- [23:56]
Zena Caida
You know, facts.
- [23:57]
Sabrina Merchant
Then we have what are called restricted free agents, which means the team can match any contract offer that you sign. So let's say you're Ryan Howard, you're a restricted free agent, you sign a three year deal with the Dallas Wings for a million dollars, Atlanta can come back and say, great, we're going to match that and you're coming back to the Atlanta Dream and yada yada yada. And then we have what are called reserved free agents, which really terrible opportunity for the players. Honestly, it's players who have like less than four years of service in the wnba and essentially you can only negotiate with the team that currently holds your rights and they only have to offer you a minimum contract. Some teams get a little bit more generous and they offer more money. Like, you saw this. I think Cecchi Sandalusini was not an example of this last season where the Valkyries gave her more money than the minimum. Just as a show of good faith, like, hey, we want you to be here. But yeah, that's what a reserve free agent looks like. So there's three basically tiers of free agents and they all have different opportunities with who they can negotiate with and how much freedom they actually have in the open market.
- [24:52]
Zena Caida
And what's so messy about all of what you guys just laid out is it's all dependent upon the cba. Like we don't know what the numbers are going to be. Sabrina, I smiled when you just said a million dollars. I was like, yes, I can live in this fantasy world right now, but that might not be a fantasy for too long, right? Like, we don't know what's going to happen with this new CBA and what they're going to offer and what the core rules are going to be and all ways in which breaks down. How unusual is this? Like, put this in perspective for us, Ben. This many players being available in one off season, you know, tying themselves up to this cba, you know, opening to potentially change their, their pay, their revenue structure, all of that. This feels unprecedented.
- [25:39]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I think that is the right word, Zena. It is unprecedented. And it's a combination of all of the factors that we have discussed. The CBAs, the fact that, you know, in the WNBA currently, basically the contracts that Players are signing are short term deals. Right? No player can sign a seven year deal hypothetically, as was the case, say in the NBA two and a half decades ago. Right. We saw some of these, like what basically became albatross contracts. And that is not something that players can currently do in the wnba. And so there, you know, are a number of factors. It's the short term deal with the cba, with the explosive business, and it's all coalescing in this off season. What makes it so messy and complicated is because it's all coalescing and because the CBA negotiation is in the state that it is, there is not a lot of clarity as to what the rules and regulations will be. So that's why it's really hard for teams to prepare or to project. You know, teams that have salary cap experts, like, I would be super curious to try and understand what their projections and what their models are looking like, because I'm sure you have to run tons and tons of different versions if you want to game out what this offseason will be. Because there are just so many questions as to what it will all look like.
- [26:53]
Zena Caida
For context, I remember reading somewhere this week, it might have been one of you two. I feel like I'm just like constantly consuming. But someone put it in perspective of like, if we're looking at the NBA, this is like over a hundred players being available in one summer. And like not just anyone. It also includes the LeBrons and the Stephs and like all of these big names. When you look at the WNBA of the first team and the second team, all wnba, eight of those players are included in that list. That's crazy. Like, that's crazy. We have no idea what's about to happen.
- [27:27]
Sabrina Merchant
All five MVP finalists.
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Zena Caida
Oh, MVP finalists. Exactly right. So this is different and it's gonna be very dramatic. Not only just from the perspective of like people wanting to get paid and getting paid well now with, you know, a new CBA looming, but there's also a dynasty that they're trying to stop in Vegas. And what is that going to look like? So let's attempt to break down the impact of all this potential movement by looking at specific teams, starting with the Chicago Sky. Man, that team has had a lot going on this season. And the biggest question is, will Angel Reese be playing in the Windy City next year? Thoughts?
- [28:05]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, this is a non free agency related question because Angel Reese is on a rookie contract still. Two years left on her rookie contract. Obviously Chicago has some free agents on their roster, including, including Ariel Adkins, who made our top 15 list. And presumably they would want to bring in some more to help their front court of Angel Reese and Camilla Cardozo. But that begs the question, if you're going to still have angel and Camilla. And obviously there was some dissatisfaction, I would say, with Angel Reese and the direction of the Chicago sky that was expressed in a excellent Chicago Tribune article. Kudos to Julia Poe for doing that reporting. But, yeah, angel clearly wants to compete, wants to be more competitive, wants to be coached harder. Had some problems that needed to be resolved at the locker room. Right. Like, they were not happy with the way that she expressed her opinions out in the public. And I don't know if that's a bridge that can be fixed or if that's something that, you know, angel just has to move on to another team, basically. I would not be surprised either way if she decided to stay in Chicago, if she did not want to stay in Chicago. My gut tells me that she is not going to stay in Chicago, but that is not sourced. That's just a gut feeling.
- [29:07]
Zena Caida
Well, I absolutely agree that whether Angel Reese is there or not is going to impact free agents wanting to get to Chicago. Right. Thinking about the future, thinking about who they're playing with, that impacts your potential guard play. Who's she gonna play pick and roll with if she's there? If she's not there, what does it look like to partner someone with Camila Cardoso in the middle and being the center point of attention? So this is gonna be very interesting for Chicago and especially because a lot of Angel's comments were about needing to elevate Chicago as a landing spot for free agents. That's very, very important in this huge conversation. So let's shift over to the Dallas Wings because this is another team that has a major player on a rookie contract. Paige Beckers ain't going nowhere, but there are other free agents around her. Arike Gubbuale that may. This is another team that did not do so well this past season. Worst record in the league and they had the rookie of the year on their roster. But it wasn't enough. They asked their coach, Chris Kahlanis, and they're on the search for a new one. They've got very good odds for securing the first pick in the W. Again, what is the drawing point for Dallas in terms of bringing in some new free agents? Ben, I'll start with you.
- [30:22]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, I think this is a pretty appealing situation for a lot of players, especially depending on how the head coach Hire turns out, and I do think right now, especially in the interim, as the CBA gets sorted out, the priority for the Wings is figuring out the head coach situation. Right. You mentioned it. They let go of Chris Coclanis and we'll see what they do going forward. From what I understand, you know, a coach who has prior head coaching experience, whether that is in the W, whether that's in the NBA, whether that's in college basketball, seems to be important here. And I think there's a recognition inside the Wings, outside the wings, that this job, the nature of what it entails, has changed. Right. That as a result of getting Paige Beckers, there are just a lot more eyeballs on the Dallas Wings than there ever have been before. And this is one of the highest profile jobs in the sport because you are coaching one of the highest profile players in the sport. Think about the reaction that Chris Koklanis on social media, just as an example, the kind of heat he was facing both on social and also in the arena in a lot of cases. That just was not the case a few years ago. So I think all that first informs how the Dallas Wings are going to proceed as it relates to then what they do in free agency and how attractive they are. One of the things that is a good selling point, one, you have Paige Beckers, who's one of the 10 to 15 best players in the league this season. She makes all W second team. That's an indication of that. You also have a lot of future draft assets, both that are tradable and also appealing ones, like the potential number one pick in the upcoming draft. So I think all things considered, Dallas is a really appealing place to play. The big question though is will Enrique be there? And she has spent the entirety of her career there. And it certainly seems like this past season they turn the keys to the car over to Paige and not Enrique Ogumbawale.
- [32:11]
Zena Caida
That's my question, Sabrina. I mean, there was so much hype around the Arique and Paige back court. It's gonna be dynamic, it's gonna be explosive, the production's gonna be there. And we saw it in very small spurts, but not in the consistency that we expected it to be. And we also saw it where it was like one's on, one's off, right? Not this tandem duo that was expected. So I'm wondering, we know in the past Dallas has very much historically loved their bigs, love focusing on their bigs, but now they've got a generational talent and a guard that they need to Ensure is supported and insulated. What are your thoughts on what could happen or what Dallas could be looking for in free agency?
- [32:51]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think it makes sense to find her a front court partner. You know, like, they went through a lot of young players this year, tried out in Alyssa Smith, traded for Lee Yoru. You got to see a little Haley Jones renaissance there. I think Maisha Hines Allen was sort of like the lone veteran stabilizer in that front court. But Paige's career in UConn was really amplified when she got to play next to a Sarah Strong or when she was surrounded by the Dorca Yuhas and Olivia Nelson, the dotas of the world at UConn. I think getting a long term frontcourt piece makes a lot of sense. First, the beautiful thing about building around Paige and the backcourt is you can kind of just see who's available because, like, if you want Paige to lean into her scoring ability, she can do that. If you want her to lean into her playmaking ability, she can do that. So it's not like you have to find a pure point guard or a pure two or somebody like that fits a defined role. Paige is malleable in a way that, like, it's easier to build around her in the backcourt. And then, you know, in terms of like being attractive to play in Dallas, like no state tax in Texas. Right. They got a practice facility coming in 2026. They're gonna be playing in a new downtown arena soon enough. Like, there's a lot of up and up happening with the Wings. Even if there has been a lot of front office instability that, you know, it doesn't really affect the players as much. I would think. You know, it's still a place where you can go and play with one of the best young players in the game. So, yeah, I think what Ben was talking about, like, with regards to the coaching staff and like the pressure on that job, I think that doesn't apply. I haven't seen it hit the players as much like you kind of saw it in Indiana this year where like a lot of the role players, like, were blamed for things when Caitlin Clark's team didn't do well. Right. But I don't think we've seen that happen yet in Dallas. And I don't think that's going to be. I just don't expect it to happen to the same effect in Dallas. So if I were a player, I think this would be a very attractive situation to go to. And like, again, the way Paige plays, you can be basically any player in W and think like I could fit next to her.
- [34:32]
Zena Caida
Sure.
- [34:33]
Ben Pickman
I do think we should spend another minute though on Arike in particular because where she might end up in this off season is very interesting. Right? You have to look at it. She is one of the best scores historically in the WNBA, right? She's a three time All W team member. She scored more than 20 points on average three times throughout her career. More than 21, that is. She's led the league in scoring. And yes, she averaged a career low 15 1/2 points per game on 36% shooting this year. But like, I think she could still very much thrive in certain situations. I mean, we brought up the situation in Chicago. It wouldn't be surprising if that's a spot for Arikewale. Right. Put in a, you know, a lead guard who is dynamic, who can score the basketball. Think about her alongside those front court players or she's certainly the kind of player. And Sabrina and I put this in our potential fit story that you can find on the site now, like Toronto or Portland, like build your offense around Enrique Gumbowle. You could do a lot worse as a starting point than starting, you know, building around one of the best scores in the league and hoping that she has a bounce back year. And some of your offense, you know, has potential during the game and in late game situations that maybe it didn't before just by plugging her in and building around her. So she's really interesting as kind of a pivot point this offseason.
- [35:48]
Zena Caida
That's really a big storyline that we're going to be following throughout this off season and once this free agency eventually picks up because all of these players that may have had to take a smaller role because someone's come in and as you said, Ben had the keys handed to them. They have the opportunity to start new franchises. Right? They have the opportunity to make history and it could be their choice as opposed to, you know, what we see in expansion drafts like with, with the six women of the year kind of coming together in the Golden State Valkyries. Like this could be a situation which they're like, I'm choosing this new team. I'm choosing to start something new and allowing myself to be at the center of it. I'm very curious as to what Enrique is going to do, but I will say I look at Dallas, Haley Jones went there, kind of revived things. I'm seeing Grace Berger, Amy Okonkwo, all these names that were able to play alongside her. I think the Malleability, Sabrina that you Alluded to. I feel like Paige is the tie that raises all ships and so anyone that gets to play down there in Dallas, you gonna be in a good situation. Now let's switch to a team whose performance during an injury laden season was very inspiring, by the way, but it also shocked a lot of us, and that was the Indiana Fever. Sabrina, you just mentioned them. The goal of this past year, especially with their free agent signings, was a championship period. And Caitlin Clark said it herself before she was sidelined in July. They didn't get there, but they made things uncomfortable for folks. Okay. They got very close. So without Caitlin and without several key players, they were able to play to the level of competition. Now, looking ahead, they'll be able to have the health of some of these players that they had to sideline. How does this team continue to build and also how do they ensure that whoever they probably bring in, they don't have another Dewana Bonner situation in which a player might come in, feel as if they're supposed to have a particular role and then it doesn't play out that way.
- [37:44]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, Indiana is such a fascinating situation because the identity they built post Caitlin Clark was obviously very successful and yet not quite good enough to get to where they wanted to be. Right. Like, they clearly needed another scoring guard, like, you know, a shot creator who could actually, you know, playmake for others, which incidentally describes Caitlin Clark pretty well. But the defensive identity they leaned into with Odyssey Sims, with the replacement players that they had to bring in, like Ari McDonald, like, that's just a different team than the one with Caitlin Clark leading at point guard. So it's kind of like, how do we build off of the success of last year, but also get back to building a team around Caitlin and like, that's honestly a big challenge for Amber Cox and Kelly Crosscoff, you know, as they look forward to this next iteration of the Indiana Fever, I think, you know, you obviously got to keep Lexi Hall. She's just so crucial to any lineup that's on the court. I don't know why I led with Lexi hall when Kelsey Mitchell is still there. You got to keep Kelsey Mitchell. She's, you know, the, the most critical piece, like the heart of the Indiana Fever. That power forward spot is always very interesting to me because you got later in the season and Stephanie White didn't trust Natasha Howard's defense enough to keep her in the game and they were throwing out Mikayla Timson. And do you want to go a little bit smaller and play Sophie Cunningham? At that spot, do you want to get another attractive power forward on the free agent market? Nako Gumuke is a free agent. Is that somebody who would want to do a one year role in Indiana or. Obviously not Dewana Bonner, but there are other power forward free agents who could make their way to Indiana. I don't think Angel Reese is a fit here. For those who are wondering, like, that's not a trade that I'd be pursuing if I were the Indiana Fever. But once again, I think like that 3, 4 area is sort of where you need to identify like who's going to fit around Aaliyah, Kelsey and Caitlin. Because Lexi hall was just like tasked with so much during the season, like if she got in foul trouble, it's like the, the ground just came crashing out underneath the Indiana Fever. So I think upgrading that front court and like how you figure out a way to both maximize Caitlin but also lean into like the, the way I think Stepwhite wants to play is just a really interesting challenge.
- [39:35]
Ben Pickman
The other thing that I think we'll have to wait and see on as it relates to Indiana going forward is what does the rest of their coaching staff look like. Right. I think we know that Steph White or we certainly expect that Steph White will be back this next season after a masterful job this past year guiding Indiana to the league semifinals, to the cusp of the finals. But there certainly is a possibility that as the, you know, the next couple weeks progress, the next couple months progress and these teams make hires like Bree January, Austin, Kelly. Those are two names that we often hear as it relates to the coaching carousel. That's not to say that either of them are locks to get jobs, but you know, that's just another potential question that they might have to sort out going forward in addition to all the roster questions that Sabrina just laid out.
- [40:17]
Zena Caida
That's a good point. So you know, Sabrina laying out, missing for the Fever, definitely that secondary guard. And I love the point that there is a difference between the Caitlin Clark version of the Fever and the version they had to cobble together. And that version worked well with Odyssey Sims and Kelsey Mitchell. But will it work well when Caitlin's back? So missing that secondary guard position could be. We'll see what happens with the coaching staff looking at the four position. Okay, that makes sense as to what to look for during the free agent market. Are there any names? Sabrina, you mentioned a few, but Ben, are there any guard names that you're thinking of that could be a nice addition? Or are There any guards from that roster that you're like, could be utilized somewhere else?
- [41:04]
Ben Pickman
Well, in terms of guards, I mean, like if I'm them, I'm making a. Whatever the equivalent of the biggest plea I can for Jackie Young, Like, I don't think I would expect her to leave. Right. But she is an Indiana native. She played at Notre Dame. If you can ever try and lure someone out of the Las Vegas Aces ecosystem, that is a player that I'm certainly going after making the biggest swing I can. We should say that Nikki Fargas, the team president of the Aces, she told me and another reporter during the Finals, like, she wants to keep the trio together. But make of that what you will in other names. I mean, I think that are attainable, like Sabrina and I potentially mapped out. Azer Stevens is an interesting name to watch. Right. And kind of a four or five role. We've seen someone in Azer, like a 38% three point shooter this past season. More efficient, more aggressive than she's been, can stretch the floor a little younger than Natasha Howard. So like, you know, maybe her as a front court upgrade partner alongside Aaliyah Boston. That's another name that I think is certainly way more attainable than Jackie Young and is one to watch for going forward.
- [42:06]
Zena Caida
Yeah, I definitely think you need to stretch something alongside Aaliyah Boston. And the highlight will be beautiful with Azra Stevens and Aaliyah Boston. Okay, you guys got ideas circulating in my mind now. All right, let's keep going. And we're going to move eastward this time to New York. Somewhat of a disappointing season, somewhat of a lackluster season. I know if you ask a lot of folks who you thought is going to be gangbusters, especially with their midseason acquisitions with Emma Misiman joining this team already. Sabrina Esku, Brianna Stewart, Jonquil Jones on the squad. Like, it felt like, oh, they're going to run it back. The champions are going to look good. Well, well, they were okay. And they lost their head coach. Santa Barndello gets excused from her role. A new head coach is entering the mix and everything that's going on with free agency. Does the Liberty's corps make sense to keep that is jj, Brianna and Sabrina and looking at this team, remember, Benijah Lane Hamilton is supposed to be coming back. Right. And Niara Sable is in the mix again. Like, like who could be on the move from this team.
- [43:17]
Ben Pickman
Well, you mentioned some of those names. I mean, Jonathan Kolb said, and he's the general manager of the Liberty at his, I guess Post Sandy Brandello change press conference that, yeah, that, you know, he certainly expects and hopes that John Paul Jones, Sabrina Unescu and Brianna Stewart will all be back next year. Again, they all are free agents, but that is their priority number one. I mean, I think everything first starts in at trying to retain John Paul Jones in particular, right. Knowing that she's played with other teams, so is Stewie. But Stewie seems to be really attached to New York and Stu York seems like her budding brand that she's trying to create. But as it relates to jj, like we saw JJ in particular struggle a lot last year, both because of injury, she never really found her footing. But also in the playoffs, right. She scored just 17 combined points in those three first round games that New York played in. So, you know, yes, Jonathan Kolb has the utmost confidence. They'll all be back, but we'll wait and see there. Assuming though that all three of them are back, I think that's when the changes really start to occur. You mentioned Benija Laney Hamilton. She certainly proved by not being there this season her value even more than she was when she was in the lineup. I think they really are so high on Leonie Fibich as a player that they had overseas for a number of years and who has come in. And they love these long wings, they love side, they love shooting, they love athleticism. Like she checks the box of the kind of player that New York wants to have in their lineup going forward. I think from there on out, like, that's where we start to see some potential roster shifts. I mean, someone like Kennedy Burke and Rebecca Gardner had really good years for New York, but, you know, will there be someone else playing next to Sabrina Unescu in the backcourt? Is Natasha Cloud back? That is really a question. What happens at the end of the bench with players like Marino Hannes, you mentioned Niara Sabli. Like, I wouldn't bank necessarily on her coming back. She could be a player who, you know, gets taken somewhere else in the expansion draft too, depending on how New York wants to play it. So I think that's where the optionality starts for New York. But I think the first change they're going to make is figuring out that head coach, not let's break up the, the big three of the roster.
- [45:25]
Zena Caida
That makes sense. Sabrina, if you're looking at that team, you're looking at the production of that team, you know, putting health aside and imagining they're 100%. Does that course still make sense to you to retain.
- [45:38]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, it's Hard to figure that out because I'm probably higher on John Quill Jones than just about anybody in the national media. Just her overall ceiling, and you saw it in the 2024 finals when she was the finals MVP, in 2023 when she was the Commissioner's cup final MVP. I think her being at her best is what elevates New York to being at its best. I think Brianna Stewart sort of sets the floor for the New York Liberty, and John Goel Jones elevates them to their ceiling. And we saw in the playoffs, like, she had nothing against the Phoenix Mercury, and I couldn't tell if that was the system that the Liberty brought in in 2025. Like, with the five out just didn't optimize her the same way. Or was her recovering from injury and never fully getting back to herself, or does she not have it anymore? Like, I really don't know. I mean, she's only 31 years old. I can't believe that she doesn't have it anymore. But, like, she is one of the most unique frontcourt pieces in the wnba and, like, in my opinion, would be a lot of interest in getting her if she was interested in moving from the New York Liberty, but she just has to be so much better for the New York Liberty to be what they want to be. And again, like, I just. I'm not close enough to know what it was that prevented her from being the Jonquil Jones that they needed. Because, like, just the. The version of this team doesn't work unless she is jj and if she's not going to be that player, then they're going to have to reevaluate, like, what this team looks like.
- [46:50]
Zena Caida
That was the number one thing that I felt like everyone said about New York is Jeanquil Jones is the X factor. How is she not putting more shots in? How is she not more involved in what they're doing? There were too many games in which you're seeing her put up four shots or five shots or anything under 10, and you're like, no, there's gotta be more production coming out of her and utilizing her a lot better. Okay, well, New York's gonna have a lot of work to do, but as Ben mentioned, it's gonna start at the top. This free agency situation is gonna be absolutely insane. Out of these teams that we've already talked about, just to close it out, are there any others? I know we didn't cover all their free agents, but are there any other teams that you're like, Like, I'm definitely keeping an eye on what they do in free agency.
- [47:33]
Ben Pickman
For me, it's Phoenix. I mean, it's not just coming off this finals run, but I think heading into it, and we talked about this a little bit during the series itself, that players around the league recognize that this seems to be a really attractive place to play. Or that is certainly the perception that people have because of starting with the facility, frankly. Like the facility that they have. It's a really nice facility. It's really open air. It's a very huge, airy facility. Very bright. Right. It's huge. And players are treated really well there. They can access the building whenever they want. And it really does really reflect investment from the ownership group. And so you start with that and then you list off some of the players that they have or. Or that, you know, seemingly the core is built around Alyssa Thomas, Kia Copper and Satu Sablei. And that's a pretty good, pretty great starting point, as we have seen for the Mercury. And so that is a team that we've seen be aggressive in past free agencies. And I would expect to again, be aggressive knowing that, yeah, they might have made the finals this year, but there is still a gap that they need to close before, you know, winning, getting over that hump. And they certainly recognize that, like the competition behind them or behind them this year in terms of the final standings, like, is right there. Right. They have a long way to go to make that leap, and I think they'll be an active player in free agency, certainly.
- [48:51]
Zena Caida
Absolutely. Sabrina, what about you?
- [48:53]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, the team I have an eye on is Minnesota. I don't know what this team is going to look like next year. We saw the tears from Caleb McBride after the last game four of the semifinals and just the understanding that, like, we had a two year run with this crew, this very special crew, once they added Courtney Williams and Natisha Heideman and Alanna Smith and, you know, juiced the existing Carlton McBride Collier trio to like a finals worthy contender. And it's just gonna be really hard to keep them together because first of all, you have to consider the expansion draft when, like, they have more than six players they'll need to protect just to, you know, get through that in terms of who Portland and Toronto are going to want to take. Right. Like we've talked about, Bridget Carlton going to Toronto makes almost too much sense, so you have to worry about that. And then literally six, seven players on their roster, unrestricted free agents, and like, you just, you can't keep all of them. You can only court one of them probably give me a piece of Collier, maybe not. And if she decides that she wants to come back and you don't have to waste that on her. But yeah, like everybody just has a decision of where they want to go. Like Kmax already been there for five years. Does she think about going somewhere else? Like Alana Smith? We talked about Jonquil Jones being like a unique piece that can fit anywhere. Atlanta Smith's basically like diet jj. Like she will be the the answer for whoever misses out on that option, you know. And then Courtney Williams, Disha, Heideman, Carlton like Jess Shepard. These are all players who made valuable contributions for the Lynx and would be valuable rotation players elsewhere. So there's just so much uncertainty with the Lynx. They basically punted on their last few draft picks to try to upgrade this roster in the hopes of getting closer to a championship and it didn't happen this year because of their injuries. It just was such a fun team to watch over these last two years and I imagine it's going to look entirely different. I just don't know know what sort of changes are going to happen coming forward.
- [50:27]
Zena Caida
No makes sense. I'm keeping an eye out on the expansion teams. This is going to be a very different situation than the Golden State Valkyries had in terms of it was a limited free agent market for them to be able to pick from, but they had already done a lot of their work during the expansion draft of who they wanted to have their their main team be built. Around this time around, Portland and Toronto are going to have all the pickings to be able to look around after the expansion draft and say who else do we want to, you know, add onto our roster? There's a lot more available for them to choose, so it'll be very interesting how all that plays out. We will keep you guys posted on everything. Free agency, especially with the CBA looming. It won't start until that is figured out, so we'll make sure you guys are kept up to date. Let us know what teams are you looking at? What free agents are you curious about? We definitely want to hear about it.
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Jeffrey
Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.
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Dana
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Sabrina Merchant
Nice.
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Dana
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- [53:52]
Zena Caida
Okay, to close this out, we've got a fun little segment called say what? And these are social media moments that made us go. I'm sorry, wait, what?
- [54:01]
Sabrina Merchant
Sort of like a team announcing their head coach on LinkedIn.
- [54:03]
Zena Caida
Yeah, I mean, that was one of them. That was one of them. Let's call that the cheat code. That's like an example, a perfect example of the say what? I don't know. Ben, Sabrina, where you guys are at? I'll quickly say mine. It was an announcement. And it was when the Dallas Wings announced that they were trading Nalissa Smith. And then it wasn't even just their post to say thank you to Nalissa Smith. It was also, you know, right alongside Kayla Charles. It was also, it was Melissa Smith tweeting out that she was basically blindsided. We've seen this in various sports, but it was Melissa Smith basically tweeting out that she was sick to her stomach over the situation. I'll read the tweet. Sick to my stomach, dog. Never seen this coming. But I love you Dallas Nation. Thank you for everything. I was like and then followed up with Dijonay Carrington's heartbreak emoji, who was still on the team. It was just this was. There was drama from the relationship perspective. There was drama from the fact that she was traded away. It just felt, I think a lot of people were just like, whoa, where did this come from? It ended up being one of the best trades ever for the Las Vegas Aces that were able to utilize their talents for the rest of the season. But that was the one that made me go, who what? When it was sent to my phone.
- [55:17]
Ben Pickman
I have just a much lighter thing that kind of caught my eye and it is in the graphics vein like the Portland Fires. It is a recent statistic. I guess maybe you can call it a statistic. Maybe it's just a fact. I don't even know. From the Phoenix Mercury. They put out a graphic at the end of September once they made the finals. It said first WNBA team to make it to two finals in a five year span without a single carryover player. And you might be thinking to yourself what is a carryover player? That is not a formal term. That is not a formal statistic. And that is the reaction seemingly of a lot of people because that tweet has more than 2 million views on Twitter on X and some of the replies are pretty great, including one classic NBA or I guess it's a Fox graphic from an NBA game game that says like players with 800 games to average 13 and a half points, five and a half rebounds, 1.4 steals, 49% field goal, 30% three. It's just random numbers and it's magic, Larry Bird, M.J. leBron and Thaddeus Young who is just a career role player, you know, borderline starter for all those not familiar with dad Young's left handed game. That's what that stat. That graphic by the Mercury really did remind me of. Someone else sent me a classic graphic that Penn State football put out a couple years ago that said a Penn Stater has appear every super bowl. And that's all in big letters. And then underneath it it said, except for five since 1967. Maybe I'll give the Mercury a little bit of a pass there. But like, that's what their big graphic remind me of. There you go, Xena. I got the one out of you. So I think this was a successful addition to this.
- [56:56]
Zena Caida
Yeah, no, I love the like random stat muse type of like nuggets that make you feel good about yourself. Like, congrats, Mercury. I didn't know we were going to dig that deep to find a graphic to make as you make it to the finals. Like, you should be very happy about that. But yeah, that's a good one. I like that, Ben. What about you, Sabrina?
- [57:16]
Sabrina Merchant
So Ben has this thing during the season where we extend the MVP conversation too long. Just too many names in the discussion. And this is sort of in that vein. Dallas Wings will go back to their social account. Had a post for Arike Gumbawale to make all WNBA this year, highlighting her stats. And just like, why would you put Arike in this discussion? We just mentioned she only averaged 15 1/2 points, career worth 6% from the field. Like this seems like a very silly thing to do. And then you notice first comment down the post, Enrique Gumbawale saying, delete. Not this year.
- [57:49]
Zena Caida
Well, she was like, don't put me in this. Okay. What? This is embarrassing for me now to try and put myself in this conversation. That's good. I didn't even see that. That's hilarious. Okay, yeah, I'm with it. I'm with it. I love when the players are also involved in the social media comments and letting their admins know this ain't it, this ain't it. Take this down, please. We're gonna keep up with the say what's y' all gotta tell us? What else did y' all see throughout the that made you go double take? Why would you post this? Why would you say this? Who approved this? That's really the essence of these say what moments. Who approved this? All right, guys, that is all we have for you today. WNBA season is over, but there's so much to talk about still. So we'll be back on Tuesday. We're gonna get into it all. Kind of do like a little post mortem. Let us know what y' all want to talk about. What do you want us to cover? We want to make sure that we wrap up it up nicely. Wherever you're listening, please follow our show. And if you're watching on YouTube, please subscribe, let your friends know that we're cool and you like us. And while you're at it, give us a rating. Drop a comment. If it's a bad one, like, put it in your pocket. It's cool. You can, like, bring that somewhere else. We want positive energy. You want to know what we're doing. Well, the critique can go to our producers. We love to hear from you guys, period. So definitely reach out, subscribe all the above. And of course, head on over to our partner Yahoo Sports Sports hub. There's more content there. Sports.yahoo.com womens-sports I'm baff the Athletic Sabrina Merchant. Ben Pickman. I'm Zena Kada. We'll see you guys next time. Thanks for listening. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Kada with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant, and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fleming. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Monica Compton is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic. Jesse Burton is our head of audio, and Tim McMaster is director of audio operations.
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Zena Caida
Wait, is that Glow in the Dark underwear?
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Tricks, treats and buttery soft briefs.
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