Seven WNBA coaches were fired within a month. What's up? | WNBA

When news broke Monday that the Connecticut Sun had parted ways with coach Stephanie White after two seasons, it became clear that something was afoot in the WNBA.

In just over a month, seven teams — the Sun, Los Angeles Sparks, Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics — have fired or “parted ways” with their coaches. Four teams (the Mystics, Fever, Dream and the Las Vegas Aces) also parted ways with their GMs during the same period.

The reasons for each dismissal are not immediately clear; While some of the teams struggled during what was largely considered the greatest season in recent WNBA history, others seemed to thrive. Tanisha Wright led the Dream to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024; Christie Sides was credited with overcoming the fever after a terrible start to the season, and she seemed to work exceptionally well with new star Caitlin Clark; As a result, the Fever made it to the playoffs for the first time in almost 10 years.

Other reasons are obvious: Michael Winger is president of Monumental Basketball, which manages the NBA's Mystics and Washington Wizards. He and Mystics head coach Eric Thibault have disagreed about the team's future, and Winger had previously indicated that a shakeup of the team's leadership was always on the plan – and it's likely that the end of the season will be the perfect opportunity offered to do this. Eric's father, Michael Thibault, was also fired from his position as the team's GM.

Teams firing and hiring coaches is nothing new, but in a 12-team league, it's surprising that more than half are seeking new leadership. Why do so many WNBA teams fire their coaches?

The league itself remained quiet on the issue. Under general league operations, coaching staff decisions are left to individual teams, and requests for comment to both the league and individual teams went unanswered. Money is always an issue, and an influx of cash from the recently announced $2.2 billion media rights deal will soon see teams improve in more ways than one – including what they can offer new coaches.

Two teams – the Phoenix Mercury and the Aces – paid their head coach seven figures in 2024. The new deal could mean that several WNBA head coaches' salaries will match NBA assistant coach salaries, a change that will inevitably lead to the hiring of college coaches or the league even poaching talent from the NBA.

Aside from money, there are other things happening beneath the surface. There were rumors that the Sky were pursuing White prior to the Sun's announcement, but the team is dealing with the Fever who can bring White back to Indiana and give her a chance to coach one of the most exciting rookies in recent memory. The team also had early discussions with Curt Miller, formerly of the Sparks, and Latricia Trammell, formerly of the Wings.

Of these options, Trammell is the likely fit for Sky: she has previously worked with a team that doesn't have the highest budget. She is also known as a player-coach, something the Sky team (including Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter) appreciates.

The solution could lie in universities

Teams facing the search for a head coach will also have to contend with the fact that the WNBA doesn't have a deep pool of candidates, which could require looking at the women's college ranks. There are no league restrictions on how much a team can pay a coach, and with the right ownership and mentality, almost no one is off the table.

UConn's Geno Auriemma signed a five-year, $18.7 million contract this year that includes a clause calling for a $5 million buyout if he goes elsewhere (Seattle isn't looking – yet – but, remarkably, many are UConn alumni landed with Storm ). Coaches like Kim Mulkey, who signed a 10-year extension keeping her at LSU through 2033, and WNBA legend Dawn Staley, who signed her own groundbreaking $22.4 million contract with South Carolina in 2021 , seem to be emotionally and financially tied to their teams – But there are plenty of other coaches for WNBA teams to look at. Louisville's Jeff Walz is under contract with the team through 2029, increasing his annual salary to $1.7 million per year – an amount not out of reach for some teams.

Any coach could be bought out of any contract with the right offer, and the opportunity to coach in the best women's league in the world could be just that. It's unlikely that the direction and plans of each team's front office will become clear until new coaches are hired and their impact is felt – a process that won't be complete for months. But the journey there is already looming and will make this one of the most unpredictable offseasons in years.

It appears that WNBA owners are (finally) taking their teams more seriously, and the search for new coaches reflects a new reality that brings with it an increase in money and fans. With three (possibly four) expansion teams on the horizon, now is the time for new energy – and these teams seem well aware of it.