through historical events WNBA After the season ended, eight head coaching vacancies were open across the league. The Golden State Valkyries needed their first coach in franchise history, while the Indiana Fever, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky all departed. He was also in talks with a coach for 2024 and was looking for a coach as well.
Five of the eight vacancies have already been filled. The Fever hired Stephanie White after two years at Sun. The Dream and Sparks scouted NCAA talent, hiring Carl Smesko and Lynn Roberts, respectively. The Valkyries and Sky poached experienced assistants from the Las Vegas Aces, hiring Natalie Nakase and Tyler Marsh.
However, three teams still need to find a head coach: the Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, and Dallas Wings. This is notable because the team has to submit six protected players to the Golden State Valkyries this week. The WNBA will hold an expansion draft for the Valkyries on December 6th. After that, the next big day is the WNBA Draft scheduled for mid-April.
washington mystics
The Mystics currently have vacancies in two key leadership positions and are searching for both a head coach and general manager. Fresh off a 14-26 season, Washington parted ways with general manager Mike Thibault and his son, head coach Eric Thibault.
The Mystics are owned by Monumental Sports, which also owns the NBA's Wizards and the NHL's Capitals. Michael Winger manages both the Mystics and Wizards as part of his role as President of Basketball Operations at Monumental. The winger is reportedly planning He will take on a larger role as Mystic's operations move forward. The fact that the Wings and Mystics have the same person in charge differs from the ownership structure of other NBA/WNBA teams.
dallas wings
The Wings have a new general manager, Curt Miller, and the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. However, they are still looking for a new head coach after firing Latricia Trammell after two seasons at the helm.
Miller said winning the draft lottery should help in that pursuit.
“What a great opportunity for someone like me who is just starting to look for a head coaching job to sit down and talk to the head coaching candidates to take over the Dallas Wings coaching position. We have the next No. 1 pick. Because I know it's there,” Miller told reporters shortly afterward. Wings won the lottery.
san, connecticut
Stephanie White leaves the Sun after two winning seasons that saw the arrival of the Sun close They qualified for the WNBA Finals, but still lost in the semifinals several years in a row. White will be the head coach of the Indiana Fever next season.
Sun President Jen Rizzotti Maggie Banoni of Connecticut Insider said: She said she wants to find a head coach who will be with the organization all year.
“Ideally, we'd like to find someone who is committed to Connecticut, to the organization, during the season and offseason, 12 months out of the year,” Rizzotti said. “We haven't had that. It probably hasn't always been necessary, but it's probably going to be very important for a lot of franchises going forward.”
Rizzotti also pointed to the fact that Sun has been a stable organization in recent years.
“I think a lot of coaches are looking for a sense of security and an overall sense of support,” Rizzotti said. “And there's no denying that the Connecticut Sun organization has been very strong and secure over the past 20 years. There have been no major disruptions.”
