Breaking down the biggest WNBA free agency signings and trades

Two marquee players who didn’t play last season returned to the WNBA on Thursday, the first day that free agent contracts could be made official. Guard Skylar Diggins-Smith signed with the Seattle Storm and post player Tina Charles is headed to the Atlanta Dream.

Longtime Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud announced she was going to the Phoenix Mercury. Guard Jordin Canada, who had a breakout season in 2023, will join Charles in Atlanta via a trade from the Los Angeles Sparks, who continue to go all-in on the 2024 WNBA draft.

It was a busy day in the WNBA, as Feb. 1 has become each year, but there are still some big questions. Where will longtime Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike go in free agency? Will Elena Delle Donne play, and if so where? She was given the core designation by the Mystics but apparently doesn’t want to play there after six seasons in Washington.

Did any of the moves so far get teams closer to stopping the Las Vegas Aces’ hopes of a championship three-peat? We break down the moves and what they could mean for the 2024 season.

What’s next for Seattle after signing Skylar Diggins-Smith?

Adding Diggins-Smith fills the enormous void left at point guard for the Storm following Sue Bird’s retirement. After pursuing Courtney Vandersloot in free agency a year ago, Seattle ended up going with veteran Yvonne Turner and rookies Ivana Dojkic and Jade Melbourne at the position last season. Ultimately, the best option proved to be Sami Whitcomb, who’s more naturally a wing.

In Diggins-Smith, the Storm added one of the best point guards in WNBA history and someone who performed at an All-WNBA first-team level the last time we saw her on the court for Phoenix in 2022. That might not be a fair expectation for Diggins-Smith, now 33 and coming off giving birth to her second child, but she’ll undoubtedly help fellow Notre Dame product Jewell Loyd shoulder last season’s heavy offensive load.

Seattle might not be done. Trading Kia Nurse and this year’s No. 4 pick to the Sparks gave the Storm enough cap space to add two max contracts — and, importantly, the ability to protect both of those without running afoul of the WNBA’s limit on protected deals.

According to ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike, Nneka’s sister and a WNBA free agent, Seattle is one of three finalists for Nneka Ogwumike, who would function as the replacement for Breanna Stewart as the Storm seek to replicate the inside/outside balance of stars that brought the team WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020. ESPN’s Alexa Philippou also reported the Storm are…