2024 WNBA free agency tracker: Candace Parker re-signing with back-to-back champion Aces, per report

The 2024 WNBA free agency period is now underway, which means the long offseason is just heating up. As of Feb. 1, teams can officially sign players to new contracts, and there’s been plenty of action across the league. Most recently, two-time MVP Candace Parker reportedly agreed to re-sign with the Las Vegas Aces on a one-year deal. 

For much of the league’s history, free agency didn’t matter all that much. Key players rarely became free agents due to the length of contracts and the number of times a franchise could use the core designation. That all changed with the new collective bargaining agreement in 2020. Now, free agency is a key aspect of the calendar, just like any other league. Already some major deals have been struck. 

Former MVP Jonquel Jones has agreed to re-sign with the New York Liberty, while reigning Most Improved Player Satou Sabally will be back with the Dallas Wings. Skylar Diggins-Smith decided to leave her previous team, the Phoenix Mercury, to sign a reported two-year deal with the Storm, and will be joined by Nneka Ogwumike. In one of the most surprising moves, former MVP Tina Charles signed with the Atlanta Dream after sitting out of the 2023 season. 

We’re still awaiting decisions from four other former MVPs: Breanna Stewart (2018, 2023) and Elena Delle Donne (2015, 2019). That’s in addition to seeing what Brittney Griner will do. 

One way or another, the league is going to shift this winter. Ahead of all the action and intrigue, here’s everything you need to know:

When does free agency start? Teams can start talking to free agents on Jan. 21, but nothing can officially be signed until Feb. 1. Those rules will always be skirted to some extent, but teams caught breaking them will be punished under the league’s tampering rules. The Seattle Storm were fined in 2022 for jumping the gun on Sue Bird’s re-signing.

How does WNBA free agency work? WNBA free agency largely operates just like the NBA. There is a moratorium period where teams can speak to players but not offically sign anything, and free agents are grouped into different classifications that dictate how both they and teams can operate. The two main groups are unrestricted free agents, who can speak to and sign with any team they want, and restricted free agents, who can speak to and sign with any team they want, but can have that offer matched by their prior team. 

The WNBA also has a reserved category, which is for players who hit free agency with fewer than three years of service. Often, these are veterans who entered the league later in their career, but they can also be younger players who, for whatever reason, were not on a typical rookie-scale contract. The prior team has exclusive negotiating rights with said players.

Furthermore, in rare instances players’ contracts can expire while they are suspended. When this happens, players are technically found to be “withholding service,” according to the CBA, and are listed as “suspended — contract expired.” In practice, these players are treated much like reserved players, though the prior team does not have to extend a qualifying offer. 

Finally, there is the core designation, which is most analogous to the NFL’s franchise tag. If a team uses the core designation on a player, they gain exclusive negotiating rights with them, even if that player was set to be an unrestricted free agent. Teams must use this machination wisely, however, as each player is only allowed to be “cored” two times in their career as of 2024. 

2024 WNBA free agents Cored

PlayerPrior teamNew teamPositionStatusJordin Canada

Los Angeles Sparks

Atlanta Dream

G

Signed-and-traded

Elena Delle Donne

Washington Mystics

F

Cored

Brionna Jones

Connecticut Sun

Connecticut Sun

C

Signed

Breanna Stewart

New York Liberty

F

Cored

Unrestricted

PlayerPrior TeamNew TeamPositionStatusNatalie Achonwa

Minnesota Lynx

C

Unsigned

Lindsay Allen

Minnesota Lynx

Chicago Sky

G

Signed

Rebecca Allen

Connecticut Sun

Phoenix Mercury

F

Signed-and-traded

Kristine Anigwe

Connecticut Sun

F/C

Unsigned

Rachel Banham

Minnesota Lynx

Connecticut Sun

G

Signed

Monique Billings

Atlanta Dream

Los Angeles Sparks

F

Signed

DeWanna Bonner

Connecticut Sun

Connecticut Sun

F

Signed

Kalani Brown

Dallas Wings

Dallas Wings

C

Signed

Rae Burrell 

Los Angeles Sparks

Los Angeles Sparks

G/F

Signed

Emma Cannon

Indiana Fever

F

Unsigned

Bridget Carleton

Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota Lynx

F

Signed

Chennedy Carter

Los Angeles Sparks

G

Unsigned

Kaila Charles

Seattle Storm

G/F

Unsigned

Tina Charles

N/A

Atlanta Dream

F/C

Signed

Layshia Clarendon

Los Angeles Sparks

Los Angeles Sparks

G

Signed

Natasha Cloud

Washington Mystics

Phoenix Mercury

G

Signed

Alaina Coates

Las Vegas Aces

C

Unsigned

Nia Coffey

Atlanta Dream

Atlanta Dream

F

Signed

Sydney Colson

Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas Aces

G

Signed

Lauren Cox

Connecticut Sun

C

Unsigned

Lorela Cubaj

Atlanta Dream

F/C

Unsigned

Damiris Dantas

Minnesota Lynx

Indiana Fever

G/F

Signed

Diamond DeShields

Phoenix Mercury

Chicago Sky

G/F

Signed

Jasmine Dickey

Dallas Wings

G

Unsigned

Skylar Diggins-Smith

Phoenix Mercury

Seattle Storm

G

Signed

Liz Dixon

Phoenix Mercury

F

Unsigned

Ivana Dojkic

Seattle Storm

New York Liberty

G

Signed training camp contract

Stefanie Dolson

New York Liberty

F/C

Unsigned

Emily Engstler

Minnesota Lynx

Washington Mystics

F

Signed training camp contract

Cyesha Goree

Washington Mystics

F

Unsigned

Brittney Griner

Phoenix Mercury

C

Unsigned

Arella Guirantes

Seattle Storm

G

Unsigned

Megan Gustafson

Phoenix Mercury

Las Vegas Aces

F/C

Signed

Linnae Harper

Washington Mystics

G

Unsigned

Tiana Hawkins

Washington Mystics

C

Unsigned

Tiffany Hayes

Connecticut Sun

N/A

G

Retired

Destanni Henderson

Phoenix Mercury

G

Unsigned

Khaalia Hillsman 

Chicago Sky

C

Unsigned

Ashley Joens

Phoenix Mercury

F

Unsigned

Jonquel Jones

New York Liberty

New York Liberty

F/C

Reportedly agreed to two-year deal

Jantel Lavender

Seattle Storm

F/C

Unsigned

Rui Machida

Washington Mystics

G

Unsigned

Abby Meyers

Washington Mystics

G

Unsigned

Taylor Mikesell

Atlanta Dream

G

Unsigned

Chiney Ogwumike

Los Angeles Sparks

F/C

Unsigned

Nneka Ogwumike

Los Angeles Sparks

Seattle Storm

F

Signed

Candace Parker

Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas Aces

F

Reportedly agreed to one-year deal

Shey Peddy

Phoenix Mercury

G

Unsigned

Theresa Plaisance

Seattle Storm

C

Unsigned

Aerial Powers

Minnesota Lynx

Atlanta Dream

G/F

Signed

Epiphanny Prince

New York Liberty

G

Unsigned

Danielle Robinson

Atlanta Dream

G

Unsigned

Karlie Samuelson

Los Angeles Sparks

Washington Mystics

G

Signed

Katie Lou Samuelson

Los Angeles Sparks

Indiana Fever

F

Reportedly agreed to deal

Jennie Simms

Phoenix Mercury

G

Unsigned

Odyssey Sims

Dallas Wings

G

Unsigned

Alanna Smith

Chicago Sky

Minnesota Lynx

F

Signed

Taylor Soule

Chicago Sky

Minnesota Lynx

F

Signed training camp contract

Kiah Stokes

Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas Aces

C

Signed

Jasmine Thomas

Los Angeles Sparks

N/A

G

Retired

Sam Thomas

Phoenix Mercury

G/F

Unsigned

Kristi Toliver

Washington Mystics

N/A

G

Retired

Kayana Traylor

Minnesota Lynx

G

Unsigned

Evina Westbrook

Los Angeles Sparks

G

Unsigned

Christyn Williams

Phoenix Mercury

Phoenix Mercury

G

Signed training camp contract

Courtney Williams

Chicago Sky

Minnesota Lynx

G

Signed

Gabby Williams

Seattle Storm

F

Unsigned

Madi Williams

Seattle Storm

G/F

Unsigned

Riquna Williams

Las Vegas Aces

G

Unsigned

Amanda Zahui B. 

Los Angeles Sparks

C

Unsigned

Restricted

PlayerPrior TeamCurrent TeamPositionStatusAD Durr

Atlanta Dream

G

Qualifying offer extended

Cayla George

Las Vegas Aces

C

Unsigned

Ruthy Hebard

Chicago Sky

F/C

Unsigned

Joyner Holmes

Seattle Storm

Seattle Storm

C

Signed training camp contract

Satou Sabally

Dallas Wings

Dallas Wings

F

Agreed to one-year deal

Yvonne Turner

Seattle Storm

G

Unsigned

Jocelyn Willoughby

New York Liberty

G/F

Unsigned

Reserved

PlayerPrior TeamCurrent TeamPositionStatusMorgan Bertsch

Chicago Sky

Phoenix Mercury

F

Signed and traded

Maya Caldwell

Indiana Fever

Indiana Fever

G

Signed training camp contract

Temi Fagbenle

Indiana Fever

Indiana Fever

C

Signed training camp contract

Rebekah Gardner

Chicago Sky

G

Qualifying offer extended

Bernadett Hatar

Connecticut Sun

C

Qualifying offer extended

Marine Johannes

New York Liberty

G

Qualifying offer extended

Li Meng

Washington Mystics

G

Qualifying offer extended

Nikolina Milic

Minnesota Lynx

F

Qualifying offer extended

Robyn Parks

Chicago Sky

F

Qualifying offer extended

Kianna Smith

Los Angeles Sparks

G

Qualifying offer extended

Sug Sutton

Phoenix Mercury

Phoenix Mercury

G

Signed training camp contract

Suspended — Contract Expired

PlayerPrior TeamCurrent TeamPositionStatusJulie Allemand

Chicago Sky

G

Unsigned

Han Xu 

New York Liberty

C

Unsigned

Astou Ndour-Fall

Chicago Sky

Connecticut Sun

F/C

Signed