In most seasons, tanking is the way to go for a team like the Mystics. But 2026 is the free agency bonanza season, and Washington unlike most teams, know that most of their bigger contributors are already locked in.
The Washington Mystics sit at 9th place in the WNBA standings as the 2025 season moves into the summer grind. This is a team in flux, sitting squarely in the league’s middle class: they’re not contenders, but they’re not tanking, either.
For fans, and even for me, it’s easy to focus on the lack of a bona fide superstar. There’s no A’ja Wilson or Breanna Stewart on this roster, and the Mystics didn’t win the Paige Bueckers lottery. Yet what Washington does have is quietly building into something intriguing.
The team’s rookie class has been one of the most productive in the league. Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron are providing consistent energy and two-way production. Iriafen was the May Rookie of the Month. And if I want to be very optimistic here, both could be future All-Stars, and they’ve helped stabilize a roster that’s been forced to retool following the departures of players like Ariel Atkins in Citron’s case and Iriafen has filled Washington’s general frontcourt void.
Finally, Washington’s leading scorer, Brittney Sykes, is averaging a career-high 20.6 points, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game this season. She remains one of the WNBA’s top defenders and should be a lock to make the All-Star Game next month.
While the Mystics lack the “brand name” top-end talent of the league’s elites, their depth and cohesion have kept them competitive on most nights. They’ve beaten up on basement teams they faced so far this season including the Connecticut Sun last Sunday and even beat the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever, teams that figure to make deep playoff runs.
Ultimately, I believe that the Mystics will either sneak into the playoffs this season or miss it, but I don’t anticipate seeing them “tank” for 13th place either. Why? That’s because every WNBA team is looking to make adjustments for the 2026 season when practically every WNBA rotation player not on a rookie scale contract becomes a free agent. Therefore, every team is looking to make a case on the court to show why free agents should consider them.
For GM Jamila Wideman and Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger, there’s a real pitch to make heading into the 2026 offseason: Washington offers young talent, a big-market location, and a chance to be “the missing piece” on a team ready to break through. While the Mystics aren’t an instant contender, the young foundation is there—especially if a veteran star wants to step into a leadership role and push this group over the top.
Washington was that rebuilding team from 2013-16 with a squad led by a combination of Emma Meesseman, Cloud, Stefanie Dolson, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, Tayler Hill and veteran guard Ivory Latta for most of those years. They played solid basketball but ultimately weren’t talented enough to be a contender. That gave an opportunity for then-Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne to come to Washington in 2017 via trade (and yes, she wanted to leave the Sky at the time). Now, at some point, Washington will have another superstar again. Hopefully, it won’t take an extended rebuild (or more) for that to happen.
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