Five of the WNBA’s 15 teams are seeking new head coaches as a turbulent offseason prepares to get underway.
As the Las Vegas Aces celebrate the jackpot of another championship in Sin City, several of their WNBA sisters are seeking new pit bosses.
The coaching carousel set to spin this WNBA offseason takes on a more uncertain tune. As if the lingering tension and drama over ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations weren’t palpable enough, a third of the league’s 15 teams are working through them without a head coach stationed in the top slot.
That includes the maiden voyages that need to be captained in Portland and Toronto, both of which are scheduled to make their WNBA debuts next season. The 2024 champion New York Liberty is also seeking a new leader after its title defense ended in the first round, while would-be Western contenders Dallas and Seattle will likewise look to the future.
Which vacancies will truly stand out to potential candidates? Ballislife offers a power ranking below.
T-4. Portland Fire/Toronto Tempo
Outgoing: N/A
It’s hard to write up any WNBA preview at this point, thanks to the uncertainty surrounding the CBA talks. That task becomes downright Herculean when trying to analyze the Fire and Tempo, neither of whom has nary a basket or player to their name as they prepare to take the floor in 2026.
One could perhaps give the Tempo the edge, considering the rebooted Fire is working with an interim president (former Nike exec Claire Hamill replacing the fired Inky Son in June), but that feels like a petty reason to drop them, considering that both sides are in similar spots, with neither knowing how the upcoming expansion draft will work.
The fact of the matter is that the Fire and Tempo—through no fault of their own—more or less represent the somewhat well-earned hubris the league carried into this year, which now sees the announcement of five new teams serve as the relative quiet before the storm of labor negotiations. That’s going to make it difficult for any new coach to lead a Golden State-style revolution that Natalie Nakase put forth in her debut, as the 2026 newcomers, at least at this point, appear to simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
3. Seattle Storm
Outgoing: Noelle Quinn
All in all, the Storm’s post-Sue Bird/Breanna Stewart era has gone as well as could reasonably be expected, considering a relatively muted approach in keeping up with the top-heavy modern W (especially considering that it started with an 11-win slog in 2023). The Storm took an in-season chance in adding Brittney Sykes this time around, and they wound up giving the eventual champion Aces all they could handle in a three-game opening set.
What happens next isn’t so assuring beyond the fact that the Storm reached as far as it could go with Quinn, who performed respectably after she was thrust into the top spot amidst Dan Hughes’ early exit in 2022. Seattle entered this season with the oldest opening roster in the Association and has some decisions to make on such experienced talent like Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, and Erica Wheeler.
The Seattle Storm and head coach Noelle Quinn are parting ways.
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 21, 2025
Quinn led the Storm to the playoffs in 4 of 5 seasons but never captured a title. This year ended with a first-round exit.
✍️@SaraJGamelli on what it means & what’s next for Seattle.
👉https://t.co/8FXgirhnPG pic.twitter.com/bn3WqGJOfg
The most recent No. 2 pick, Dominique Malonga, is an intriguing project to work with, especially with the way she closed out her freshman tour, and is one of several leftovers on contract. That group also includes intriguing young projects Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl, but they’re both recovering from ACL injuries that wiped out their respective 2024 seasons.
A good bit of the allure of the Pacific Northwest will ultimately come down to how they’re able to reshape or retain the current roster once the CBA dust settles, and that’s something ownership (featuring Bird and Seattle Seahawks legend Bobby Wagner) will no doubt keep an eye on. Whether it’s enough to raise legitimate, lasting challenges to Western Conference sisters like Las Vegas and Minnesota, however, remains to be seen, placing an aura of uncertainty over the job as it stands.
2. New York Liberty
Outgoing: Sandy Brondello
Patience is a virtue, but it’s more of a polite suggestion in Brooklyn at this point on the franchise timeline, which is still less than a year removed from the first championship in franchise history and just underwent a title defense plagued by injuries, looking for more.
On paper, the Liberty likely has one of the most, if not the most, attractive WNBA head coaching opportunities in recent memory. There’s a dedicated commitment from management, headlined by general manager Jonathan Kolb, and two-way sensation Leonie Fiebich, who is still on her rookie contract (as is 2024 Finals heroine Nyara Sabally). Stewart offered a verbal commitment shortly after New York’s first-round elimination, and there’s no reason to believe that fellow franchise face Sabrina Ionescu is going anywhere.
New York Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb on parting ways with Sandy Brondello:
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 25, 2025
“It was very much under consideration last season.”@GrantAfseth highlights New York’s struggles and what the Liberty want in their next head coach.
👉https://t.co/WoXBM6QNrK pic.twitter.com/l8OOTaWtkf
Kolb said in a season-closing press conference that he has the “utmost confidence” that a good bit of the elite New York core, which also features Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, will make its way back. Combine that with the continued dedication of the Tsai family in the owner’s box and New York figures to stick around in the W’s penthouse for the foreseeable future.
But the fact that the Liberty bid farewell to an accomplished boss in Brondello hammers home a championship or bust mentality, one that may not be attractive to incoming suited sideline talents. Metropolitan management believes that the pressure may be part of the attraction, but it’s clear that whoever takes up the seafoam spot better understands what they’re getting into.
1. Dallas Wings
Outgoing: Chris Koclanes
Dallas finished at the bottom of the league last season, and it’s not like a good bit of their second-half games were relatively close. Nonetheless, there’s a palpable sense of excitement around North Texas basketball, where opening expectations are modest, and it feels like there will be room to grow organically.
What truly works out in the Wings’ favor is that they’re are flying relatively high when it comes to their list of players under contract: the presence of newly-minted Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, who fulfilled expectations and then some after going No. 1 last spring, speaks for itself while the Wings are also set to carry the potential-packed cases of Maddy Siegrist and Diamond Miller.
4 minutes of Paige Bueckers bag work👀
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 16, 2025
(via @pitlessball) pic.twitter.com/jB7JFpkuNP https://t.co/m8EkUwx4IK
The case of Miller is particularly intriguing, as the second overall pick of the 2023 draft was acquired in the DiJonai Carrington deal at the last trade deadline. She is seeking to regain the narrative of her WNBA career after injuries and veteran emergence ate away at her opportunities with the Lynx.
Other young projects under contract include Aziaha James and JJ Quinerly, as well as international project Lou Lopez Sénéchal. Dallas also carries the best odds to land the top pick in the 2026 draft, which could well be used on Bueckers’ personal and professional partner, Azzi Fudd, who is set to embark on a college career-closing championship defense at UConn.
That will give the new coach a solid, young foundation to work with, and the investment from management is there with the promise of a 70,700-square-foot team facility due to open before next season. Dallas is no doubt a fixer-upper, but it’s the type of renovation project that can be fun.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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