Ten of 15 WNBA teams have extended core qualifying offers to players since free agency started Monday.
Players who have been “cored” — akin to being given the NFL’s franchise tag — include Sabrina Ionescu, by the New York Liberty; Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx); Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever); Kelsey Plum, (Los Angeles Sparks); and Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings).
The core designation gives a team exclusive negotiating rights to a player and comes with a baseline contract of a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth the supermax ($1.4 million in 2026), though the player can negotiate different terms.
The NBA’s board of governors has approved a vote for the league to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle.
All 30 owners voted in favor of exploring Las Vegas and Seattle expansion, sources told ESPN. A bidding process is expected to generate offers in the $7-10 billion range for each team, according to sources.
I’m all for expanding the NBA and bringing back the Seattle SuperSonics. As for Vegas, if approved, what would be the name of the Las Vegas Team? If the WNBA team is called the Aces, then can we call the NBA team as the Las Vegas Royals?
The Indiana Fever continued their impressive run, securing their fifth consecutive victory with a gritty 78-74 win over the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday night. Despite being without star Caitlin Clark for the seventh straight game, the Fever showcased their depth and resilience, improving their record to 17-12 on the season and are currently 5th in the standing and just 1.5 game behind NY Liberty.
The Fever were led by a stellar performance from Natasha Howard, who scored 21 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Sophie Cunningham added a season-high 17 points, including a scorching 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Aliyah Boston continued her dominant form, notching another double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, proving crucial down the stretch scoring nine-straight points in the fourth quarter.
It was close game but the Fever was able to build an 8-point lead (42-34) at halftime, fueled by strong offensive contributions from Howard and Cunningham, and the rest of the team, Indiana was able to extend the lead to 13-points mid-3rd quarter. Seattle, however, refused to back down, made a significant push at the end of third quarter and all of the 4th quarter. Storm even cut the lead to just 1 point via Dominique Malonga’s inside play with 12.2 seconds left in the game (75 – 74). Then Kelsey Mitchell made a late layup with 8.21 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 3-point cushion. Aliyah Boston added a key free throw in the closing seconds to ice the game.
The Storm, led by Nneka Ogwumike’s 16 points, followed by Skylar Diggins’ 13 points, Gabby Williams (12 points, 9 rebounds), and Dominique Malonga (12 points).
The Indiana Fever will look to continue their winning streak as they face the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. While the Seattle Storm will host the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday.
