A year ago, the WNBA's star-studded free agency period headlined by MVP Breanna Stewart created a pair of superteams in the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, who went on to meet in both the Commissioner's Cup final (won by New York) and the WNBA Finals (won by Las Vegas).
In 2024, free agency delivered challengers to those two contenders. The Seattle Storm's addition of a pair of veteran All-Stars, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, has lifted them from the lottery to competing with the Aces for a top-four spot in the WNBA standings.
Although the Minnesota Lynx's additions of Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams weren't as heralded at the time, the players have proved to be key pieces as Minnesota has climbed the standings from sixth to third, resulting in a Commissioner's Cup triumph over the Liberty.
Let's break down the biggest moves from free agency last winter, which also feature a pair of players who have reestablished their careers after spending all of 2023 out of the league. We're looking only at players who changed teams as free agents, rather than those (like Stewart) who re-signed, and not those (like Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury) who moved via trade. With that in mind, here are my top five impact free agents -- plus a few honorable mentions who just missed the cut.
1. Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
2. Skylar Diggins-Smith, Seattle Storm
It's impossible to separate Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike in terms of their transformative impact on a Storm franchise building a new identity around holdover Jewell Loyd after Sue Bird's retirement and Stewart's departure for New York. With Diggins-Smith starting all 29 games at point guard and averaging a career-high 6.4 assists and Ogwumike earning a ninth All-Star appearance, Seattle matched last year's total of 11 wins in just 17 games.
Ogwumike, who is averaging 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds while closing on a career high in made 3-pointers, was the only All-Star to change teams in free agency last offseason. Meanwhile, Diggins-Smith has filled an enormous hole for the Storm at point guard and is a key factor in Seattle improving from the WNBA's second-highest turnover rate a year ago to third-lowest so far this season.
Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike are key parts of one of the league's top starting lineups. The Storm's current starting group with Jordan Horston at small forward has the WNBA's third-best plus-minus (plus-77) this season, trailing only those for Minnesota and New York, according to WNBA Advanced Stats.
3. Alanna Smith, Minnesota Lynx
Like Seattle, the Lynx added starters at two positions in free agency to what has been the WNBA's best lineup in terms of raw plus-minus this season (plus-145). No other lineup has outscored opponents by triple digits. Though Williams has stabilized Minnesota's point guard position after Cheryl Reeve cycled through options in recent campaigns, Smith has been the biggest reason the Lynx have elevated into the title chase.
After Smith went from a career reserve -- she'd started just one game in her first four WNBA campaigns -- to full-time starter for the Chicago Sky, finishing third in Most Improved Player voting, there was understandably some question whether she could maintain that level. Instead, she has improved on it, averaging career highs in points (11.0), assists (3.3) and blocks (1.7) per game in Minnesota. That could make Smith a candidate for Most Improved Player again this season.
Making a career-high 43.5% of her 3-point attempts, Smith has become the rare WNBA frontcourt player capable of both stretching the floor on offense and protecting the rim on defense. She's the only player in the league's 40/40 club of blocks and 3s, which just 11 players in league history had accomplished prior to this season, according to Stathead.com.
4. Chennedy Carter, Chicago Sky
Since averaging 17.4 points per game as a rookie in the 2020 Wubble and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting, Carter had made more headlines off the court than on it, playing just 35 games combined in 2021 and 2022 before spending all of 2023 out of the WNBA.
Brought back to the league by new Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon, Carter has thrived, playing the best basketball of her career. An early contender for the Sixth Player Award, Carter has averaged 21.1 points per game since moving into the starting lineup, and has particularly thrived with Lindsay Allen around to handle lead playmaking duties.
With Chicago in the midst of a post-Olympic slide, having gone 1-4 since the break, Carter's play might not translate into a playoff spot this season. But the 25-year-old, who will be a restricted free agent next offseason, gives the Sky a foundational piece on the perimeter to go with rookie frontcourt starters Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.
5. Tina Charles, Atlanta Dream
Like Carter, Charles spent the 2023 season on the sideline after short-lived stints with the Phoenix Mercury and Storm ended unhappily. Signed by Atlanta, Charles is back racking up double-doubles -- her 12 rank sixth in the WNBA, and every other player with at least 10 was an All-Star. Her 14.4 points per game rank third on the Dream.
After injuries derailed Atlanta's first half of the season, the Dream are 3-1 since the break and pushing for the last WNBA playoff spot. And Charles continues to make history. Having entered the season fourth in career scoring, she passed Tamika Catchings and most recently Tina Thompson to move into second on the leaderboard behind Diana Taurasi.
Honorable mentions (alphabetical order)
Jordin Canada, Atlanta Dream: Limited to just four games before the Olympic break by a pair of injuries, Canada is back healthy and showing why Atlanta traded Aari McDonald and swapped first-round picks to get her from the Los Angeles Sparks as a core player during free agency. Canada has averaged 11.2 points, 6.4 assists and 2.2 steals since the break.
Natasha Cloud, Phoenix Mercury: Cloud has been everything the Mercury expected, averaging 6.8 assists per game to rank third in the WNBA while defending multiple positions at the other end. Phoenix's defensive rating is 7.0 points per 100 possessions lower with Cloud on the court.
Stefanie Dolson, Washington Mystics: After serving as a reserve last season in New York, Dolson has started all 29 games, averaging 10.0 points -- her most since her lone All-Star appearance in 2017 -- and 2.9 assists while nearly doubling her career high with 59 3-pointers.
Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx: Having emerged as a point guard last season in Chicago, Williams continues to play a setup role for the Lynx, leading the team with 5.5 assists per game. Williams' career-best 47 3-pointers with the Sky, however, have not carried over. She has made just 19 3s thus far.