WNBA's top second half-questions: How will Napheesa Collier elevate Lynx? Will Liberty sink or swim? And what about the trade… — Yahoo Sports

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

WNBA's top second half-questions: How will Napheesa Collier elevate Lynx? Will Liberty sink or swim? And what about the trade… — Yahoo Sports | AIPROPX

Life moves faster in the WNBA. It feels like yesterday that everyone was in Chicago lobbing up passes and accidentally blocking shots; now teams are preparing to restart regular-season games three days after the 2026 All-Star festivities ended .

The majority of teams are closer to having played two-thirds of the 44-game schedule, and the competition at the top is tight. The top four teams are divided by 3.5 games, and the eight playoff-spot teams are within seven games of each other. How that plays out the rest of the way is one of the many questions heading out of the All-Star break.

Some inquiries are more simplistic. Will Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson win a historic fifth MVP ? She’s the odds-on choice leading the league in scoring average (26.1 ppg) for a third consecutive year and in blocks (2.0) for the fifth season. Can her Las Vegas Aces repeat again? Last year proved it’s never wise to count them out . Will anyone challenge Olivia Miles for Rookie of the Year? Maybe Azzi Fudd is about to make a stronger case following a smooth 3-point competition win .

Can either of the expansion teams, Portland (11-16) or Toronto (10-16), reach the playoffs? They’re currently in ninth and 10th, respectively, but trail the playoff picture by more than three games. Might they decide the lottery is a better spot?

Here’s what questions we’ll see answered over the next two months before the postseason arrives.

Could the trade deadline change the top contenders?

The 2025 trade deadline featured season-changing moves by that campaign’s top teams. The Lynx acquired wing DiJonai Carrington from the Wings in a deal that cost the franchise essentially nothing. But their championship hopes unraveled swiftly, partly because of a late-season injury to Carrington. The Liberty didn’t need the trade deadline, but did sign center Emma Meesseman, only to fall in the first round.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is a prime trade candidate for New York, with multiple DNP designations this season. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) Minas Panagiotakis via Getty Images

Will any contenders shore up their rosters this time? Will the Lynx go big again, even knowing who is back in the fold?

“We’re certainly a team that’s been ‘open for business,’ open-minded to things that are being talked about,” Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve told local reporters on Monday. “It will be a busy week for us.”

With such a significant jump in salaries and the salary cap, there is more monetary room than ever for in-season movement. It used to need to be almost a perfect one-for-one salary swap to work, as teams fit in their 11-to-12 player rosters as close to the cap as possible. There were also tweaks in the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that allow additional signings due to injuries, pregnancy exceptions and two developmental spots.

Portland ($2M) and Washington ($1.8M) are operating with the most cap room of the $7M cap, according to Her Hoop Stats WNBA Salary Cap Database. As for players on the move, Liberty wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has multiple Did Not Play (DNP) designations and said “we’re working on things” when asked directly earlier this month if she expected to be with the Liberty through the end of the season.

How will World Cup impact standings, playoffs?

It’s a FIBA World Cup year , meaning the league will take a break from action between Aug. 31 and Sept. 16. The group phase consists of 16 teams and begins Sept. 4 in Germany. The gold medal game is Sept. 13.

That brief spell could help some teams whose core stays home, and hurt others depending on how many players and which caliber are going overseas to compete. Coaches on WNBA and national team duty will also be away, leaving the clipboard to assistants. Those named to their national teams will have additional travel and game action, with another tight turnaround to WNBA games, which start back up on Sept. 17.

Every team plays exactly four games in the week before the regular season ends on Sept. 24. Some schedules are more difficult than others. New York, for example, plays Minnesota immediately afterward and finishes with two against Atlanta. Minnesota finishes with two against Indiana. With playoff positioning at a premium, those games will matter, and teams won’t want to rest their tired stars, even with a long postseason on the horizon.

Team USA has not yet announced its roster. The Australian national team released its roster on Monday; it includes six active WNBA players: Alanna Smith (Wings), Ezi Magbegor (Storm), Jade Melbouorne (Storm), Steph Talbot (Aces), Chloe Bibby (Sky) and head coach Sandy Brondello (Tempo).

The WNBA last took an in-season break for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Fever used an 8-2 run out of the break to finish 20-20 and in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. It was Caitlin Clark’s rookie season.

Can Lynx run the table re-incorporating Napheesa Collier?

There is no more surprising team than the Minnesota Lynx (22-6). They enter the second half sitting in first place on a seven-game winning streak and fresh off the return of their two-time MVP runner-up.

the return of Phee was one you needed to see 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YxgHyOOIb2

— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) July 23, 2026

Napheesa Collier made her season debut last week following offseason surgery on both of her ankles. She scored 24 points in 22 minutes , an encouraging sign to incorporate back in with the league’s second-best offense and defense. Their net rating of 10.3 outpaces the Fever (7.2).

Collier’s extended absence, combined with the free agency loss of reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year Smith and first-time All-Star Jessica Sheperd, made the Lynx unpredictable. Instead, forwards Natasha Howard and Nia Coffey took over for a team scoring nearly half of their points in the paint (44....