The number is 342.7. That is the combined TPV of the Las Vegas Aces' projected starting five: Wilson, Young, Gray, Loyd, and Turner. No other team in the league is above 310. Vegas did not just win free agency. They built a roster that, on paper, has no statistical equal.
Here is every team in the WNBA ranked by what they built this offseason. Not by brand. Not by jersey sales. By the math.
1. Las Vegas Aces. Total roster TPV: 498. Wilson signed the largest contract in league history. Gray came home. Loyd arrived from Seattle. Young re-signed at $1.19 million. The Aces have four players above 52 TPV and a bench that includes Chennedy Carter, who shot 44 percent from three on high volume last season. The concern is depth beyond the top six. The Aces are spending 62 percent of their cap on five players. That leaves roughly $2.7 million for seven roster spots. If anyone gets hurt, the fallback options are thin. But when healthy, this is the best starting five in the league by a significant margin.
2. New York Liberty. Total roster TPV: 476. Stewart, Ionescu, Jones, and Sabally. Four players above 60 TPV on one roster. The Liberty added Sabally without losing anyone from their core. That is the definition of a luxury move. The question is coaching. Sandy Brondello left. Chris DeMarco is a first-time WNBA head coach coming from the Warriors staff. He inherits the most talented roster in franchise history and has to figure out minutes distribution for four max-caliber players. The talent ceiling is the highest in the league. The execution risk is real.
3. Indiana Fever. Total roster TPV: 441. Boston locked in at $6.3 million over four years. Mitchell tagged at $1.4 million. Clark on a rookie-scale deal that makes her the best value in the league at 51.9 TPV for $650,000. Indiana's top three cost $3.6 million combined. That is efficient. Sophie Cunningham adds shooting. Monique Billings adds rebounding. The Fever are the youngest contender in the league with the clearest cap trajectory. They have room to add next year without losing anyone. That flexibility is worth more than any single signing.
4. Atlanta Dream. Total roster TPV: 429. Brionna Jones anchors the paint at 71.9. Allisha Gray creates on the wing. Reese adds 58.5 TPV and the best offensive rebounding rate in the conference. Hillmon re-signed on a three-year deal. This is a top-heavy roster with real questions about backcourt creation, but the frontcourt is physical enough to compete with anyone in the East. The Reese trade cost two firsts. The question is whether she produces enough to justify it by October.
5. Minnesota Lynx. Total roster TPV: 387. Collier at 82.0 is the second-best player in the league. After that, the roster gets thin. Natasha Howard transferred from Indiana and Kayla McBride provides veteran shooting, but the Lynx lost Diamond Miller and multiple rotation pieces. Olivia Miles is the draft pick who has to produce immediately. If Miles plays like a starter, Minnesota is a top-four team. If she needs half a season to adjust, the Lynx are a play-in team until she arrives.
6. Phoenix Mercury. Total roster TPV: 371. Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper give Phoenix one of the best wing tandems in the league. DeWanna Bonner is 38 years old and still producing at a rotation-level TPV. The Mercury's problem is the same problem they have had for three years: no reliable point guard and inconsistent three-point shooting. Copper cannot do everything alone.
7. Connecticut Sun. Total roster TPV: 358. Griner in the post changes the defensive identity completely. Aaliyah Edwards is a year older and stronger. Kennedy Burke is an underrated two-way guard. But this is the Sun's final season in Connecticut before the move to Houston. The "Sunset Season" framing is emotional but the basketball reality is a transitional roster that lost Alyssa Thomas and Marina Mabrey and replaced them with Griner and draft picks. This team will be better than people expect and worse than the Sun fans deserve in a farewell year.
8. Chicago Sky. Total roster TPV: 352. This is the most interesting rebuild in the league. Diggins runs the point. Rickea Jackson provides young scoring. Kamilla Cardoso anchors the paint. Gabriela Jaquez adds UCLA-level versatility. Jacy Sheldon can defend. Elizabeth Williams and Stevens provide veteran stability. Chicago will not contend in 2026. They will be competitive enough to develop young players in real games. That is exactly what a rebuild should look like.
9. Los Angeles Sparks. Total roster TPV: 348. Ogwumike came home. Plum provides elite guard scoring. Atkins adds two-way wing play. Cameron Brink is the wild card, returning from injury. If Brink is healthy and produces at her pre-injury level, the Sparks jump into the top six. If she is limited, this is a middle-of-the-pack roster with two expensive veterans and not enough depth.
10. Dallas Wings. Total roster TPV: 341. Ogunbowale and Fudd give Dallas one of the most exciting backcourts in the league. Paige Bueckers adds star power. Jessica Shepard provides rebounding. The Wings drafted well and signed intelligently. The concern is defense. Dallas ranked 11th in defensive rating last season and did not add a single plus-defender in free agency. You cannot outscore everyone for 36 games.
11. Golden State Valkyries. Total roster TPV: 334. Gabby Williams is the best addition. Veronica Burton runs the offense efficiently. Kate Martin is a fan favorite who plays winning basketball. Tiffany Hayes provides veteran scoring off the bench. The Valkyries went 23-21 in their first season. Improving to 25-19 would be a success. The roster is competent but lacks a true star. Nobody on this team finished above 67.5 TPV last season.
12. Washington Mystics. Total roster TPV: 298. Shakira Austin at $3.57 million is the centerpiece. Sonia Citron is the future. Lauren Betts adds size. But this is a roster that is two years away from competing. The Mystics made the right call matching Toronto's offer sheet on Austin, but the supporting cast is thin. Washington will be in the draft lottery and that is probably the plan.
13. Seattle Storm. Total roster TPV: 291. Ezi Magbegor is the franchise player at $1.4 million. After that, the roster is a collection of role players and draft picks. Seattle lost Loyd, Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, and Diggins in one offseason. That is a full-scale teardown. Flau'jae Johnson and Awa Fam are the rookie investments. This is a development year.
14. Toronto Tempo. Total roster TPV: 284. Mabrey at $1.2 million is the franchise cornerstone. Sykes provides defense. Kliundikova is the frontcourt anchor. Kia Nurse is the first Canadian player. Kiki Rice is the draft investment. The Tempo have a clear identity and a realistic path to 12-15 wins. Year 1 is about development and establishing culture at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Anything above 15 wins is a bonus.
15. Portland Fire. Total roster TPV: 271. Bridget Carleton at $1.4 million leads the roster. Emily Engstler and Maya Caldwell provide frontcourt depth. The Fire are building for 2028, not 2026. This roster will compete on effort and struggle on talent. That is the expansion experience.
The cap changed everything. The teams that understood the new math built rosters with clear identities and sustainable cap structures. The teams that did not are stuck in the middle, spending enough to be mediocre but not enough to contend. The first 15-team, $7 million-cap season starts in three weeks. These are the rosters that will play it.
[ End Report ]