Way-Too-Early WNBA Power Rankings: Liberty, Lynx start on top

New York Liberty won the WNBA championship for the first time in 28 years .

The Liberty should have the bulk of its core back next season .

Las Vegas Aces were the first team to win back-to-back WNBA championships since 2001 .

The Minnesota Lynx were No. 9 in ESPN 's Way-Too-Early Power Rankings.

Nneka Ogwumike enters free agency after one season in Seattle .

Washington Mystics started 0-12 but rallied to contend for a playoff spot in 2024 .

The Mercury never quite lived up to their promise in 2024 , but they made the playoffs under first-year coach Nate Tibbetts .

Atlanta Dream is one of four franchises that currently don't have a coach.

Golden State Valkyries Expansion team that begins WNBA competition in 2025 The Valkyries don't have any players yet, but they have a new coach in Natalie Nakase , who spent the past three seasons as Becky Hammon's assistant with the Aces and also has extensive NBA experience. With nothing else to go on, the Valkyries are in the last spot of the Power Rankings . For comparison's sake, the past two WNBA expansion teams had the league's worst record in their first seasons : Chicago was 5-29 in 2006 , and Atlanta was 4-30 in 2008 ..