WNBA free agency is underway, and Friday provided our first big surprise: Nneka Ogwumike is leaving the Seattle Storm to return to the Los Angeles Sparks, according to ESPN. The Sparks selected Ogwumike No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft, and in 2016, she was named the MVP while helping the Sparks win the title. Now, after a short sojourn in Seattle, she has decided to return to Los Angeles to team up with Kelsey Plum. The Sparks have not made the playoffs since 2020, which is the longest drought in the league. Ogwumike’s return will give them a real chance to get back to the postseason. 

What will be the busiest and most expensive free agency period in league history began on Monday (April 6), when teams were first allowed to hand out qualifying offers and core designations. 

Kelsey Mitchell, who finished fifth in MVP voting last season after putting the Indiana Fever on her back, was the first player to receive a core designation. Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Kelsey Plum (Sparks), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Ariel Atkins (Chicago Sky), Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire) and Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo) all received core designations as well. 

Elsewhere in the league, the Sky started the week by shockingly trading All-Star Angel Reese to the Dream for a pair of draft picks.

As of Wednesday (April 8), teams were allowed to begin negotiating with outside free agents. Notably, A’ja Wilson told reporters that she plans to re-sign with the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, while Breanna Stewart and Ionescu have indicated they plan to stay with the Liberty. On the flip side, Satou Sabally has said that she will not return to the Phoenix Mercury.  

On Thursday, the Aces retained another key piece of their core as they were finalizing a one-year deal to bring back Jackie Young, per ESPN. Additionally, ESPN reported that Alyssa Thomas will return to the Phoenix Mercury and Brionna Jones will return to the Atlanta Dream. 

Here’s a look at the free agency schedule:

WNBA free agency key dates

• April 6-7: Teams can make qualifying offers and “core” player designations
• April 8-10: Teams can begin negotiating with free agents, but no deals can be signed
• April 11: Players can officially sign contracts and offer sheets

With a new CBA agreed to by players and the league, this is the biggest free agency class in league history. Aside from Kalani Brown and Lexie Brown, every single player not on a rookie scale contract is a free agent, including Wilson, Collier and Stewart. This will also be the richest free agency class in history. Thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, the minimum salary in 2026 will be more than $100,000 higher than the supermax in 2025. 

The supermax in 2026 is set at $1.4 million, and players like Wilson, Collier and Stewart are expected to sign it and stay with their incumbent teams.

2026 WNBA salaries

There will inevitably be some movement and some surprises, however. And we’ll be keeping track of the most notable moves right here during 2026 WNBA free agency. Below is our free-agent tracker for the top 50 players in the class.

2026 WNBA free agency tracker

With the 2026 NFL draft now less than three weeks away, there will soon be an influx of new talent in Minnesota following this year’s Vikings draft. It will be a dream come true for the rookies entering the league, but after this year’s draft is finished, some current players will be looking over their shoulders.

Six Vikings Feeling Immediate Heat From Incoming Draft Class

When the time comes to cut down to a final 53-man roster in August, it would be a surprise if any drafted rookie didn’t make it, assuming they are healthy. That leaves those on the edge of the roster in jeopardy, as players are drafted at their position. There are several players currently on the Vikings roster that aren’t expected to be there come the start of the season, barring a phenomenal preseason performance.

However, there is a group of players who would be penciled in on the 53-man roster right now, but could be out come January, especially if this year’s Vikings draft sees rookies drafted at their position. There are six that should be watched carefully during the draft.

Michael Jurgens — Center

The Vikings have confirmed that Blake Brandel is moving to center and looks set to be the starter as it stands. I’ve gone on record with my doubts about that and suggested drafting a center early is required to make that plan more viable. If Minnesota drafts a center on Day 2 it pushes Jurgens down to third choice, however, he has the versatility to play guard.

The Vikings look very weak at guard outside the two starters, which could give Jurgens a way to stay on the roster, but the Vikings probably need to look to strengthen the offensive line on Day 3. Jurgens has been in Minnesota for two years now and got the opportunity to start a couple of games last season. We didn’t see anything to suggest he was about to break through.

Joe Huber — Guard

As stated above, the depth at guard in Minnesota is weak and desperately needs attention. Joe Huber got limited playing time during last season’s OL injury crisis, and last year’s undrafted rookie struggled.

He may show development during his second preseason, but the Vikings absolutely need to bring in some depth and competition at this position. Huber should only be on the final roster if he’s earned it; right now, he’s getting on there by default.

Ben Yurosek/Gavin Bartholomew — Tight End

TJ Hockenson will remain the Vikings’ TE1 this year, but his reworked deal sees him as a free agent at the end of the season. Josh Oliver is a good TE with excellent blocking ability, but not the dynamic passing TE that Kevin O’Connell’s offense needs.

Rather than waiting until next year, the Vikings could look to draft that player a year early if the board falls the right way during the draft, giving them a Kenyon Sadiq or Eli Stowers.

If that did happen, it would leave at least one of Ben Yurosek or Gavin Bartholomew facing the chop. Both entered the league last year, Bartholomew as a sixth-round pick and Yurosek undrafted. Bartholomew lost his rookie season to injury, allowing Yurosek to jump ahead of him.

Whether it is for a final spot on the roster or to determine who is TE3, this could be an interesting training camp battle.

Dwight McGlothern — Cornerback

Another of the many undrafted players who have gotten onto the Vikings roster in recent seasons. There was a lot of hope surrounding Dwignt McGlothern, but despite cornerback not being a strong position for the Vikings, he has seen minimal playing time.

McGlothern doesn’t play much special teams either, often finding himself inactive on game day. With the signing of James Pierre in free agency, if the Vikings look to add at CB in the draft, McGlothern’s days could be numbered.

Theo Jackson — Safety

Theo Jackson has done a solid job as a good depth player in Minnesota over the last four seasons. 2023 fourth-round draft pick Jay Ward has developed to a point that he should be ahead of Jackson now. While the future of Harrison Smith still seems uncertain, safety is the favored position for the Vikings to select in the first round of this year’s draft, according to most draft analysts.

Whether that is the case or not, I would expect a safety to be drafted at some point. With Tavierre Thomas re-signing as a special teams specialist, it would leave Jackson on the edge of the roster bubble.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.

Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the toss and elected to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match 16 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Friday. Rajasthan Royals made a change to their XI with Brijesh Sharma coming in for Tushar Deshpande, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru bolstered their pace attack by bringing back Josh Hazlewood in place of Jacob Duffy, adding experience and control to their bowling lineup. Riyan Parag said the pitch was expected to be dry, but rain could leave early moisture, while stressing that his side has been clinical and focused on playing strategic cricket as planned before the tournament. Parag also noted he is content having less to do personally as long as the openers continue their strong form at the top.

“We are going to be bowling first. It was supposed to be a dry wicket, but it has been raining, and there will be some moisture on this pitch. We would like to extract the most from the pitch,” said RR captain Parag.

Rajat Patidar said the strong crowd support is making it feel like a home game for his side, while confirming that Duffy has missed out with Josh Hazlewood coming into the lineup, describing him as an experienced addition. However, just as he spoke, rain returned to interrupt proceedings, halting momentum after it seemed the weather had cleared.

“This is the first away game. Thanks to everyone. You are making us feel that it is a home crowd. We all love you. Unfortunately, Duffy misses out on this game. Josh Hazlewood is in the team in place of Duffy. Duffy also bowled brilliantly in the last two games. We know Josh is an experienced player. His presence will definitely put us in a good frame of mind,” said RCB captain Patidar.

Playing XIs:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood

Impact substitute: Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Kanishk Chouhan

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma

Impact substitute: Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tushar Deshpande, Ravi Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Featured Video Of The Day

Tushar Deshpande’s Brilliant Final Act Ensures Thrilling Win For RR Over Gujarat Titans

Real Madrid are reportedly considering France head coach Didier Deschamps as their potential head coach option this summer. Los Blancos could consider changing the leadership if Alvaro Arbeloa fails to lead them to any significant titles in this campaign.

Arbeloa took over the helm after former boss Xabi Alonso parted ways with Real Madrid mid-season in January. However, his stint has been a mixed bag so far. Los Blancos bowed out of the Copa del Rey and are seven points behind Barcelona in the LaLiga table. As such, Arbeloa’s future at the club may depend on how the Spanish giants end the season. They still have a fair chance of winning the Champions League and could make a comeback in LaLiga, but winning neither could spell trouble for the current coach.

According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins (h/t One Football), Real Madrid are considering France head coach Didier Deschamps as a potential option to replace Alvaro Arbeloa this summer. Deschamps is set to leave the France national team after the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will be available.

The report states that Los Blancos are specifically impressed by Deschamps due to three factors. The Frenchman has an exceptional record of winning with Les Blues, having led them to two consecutive World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022, and winning the first time. He also boasts a stellar record with clubs like AS Monaco, Marseille, and Juventus.

Secondly, Didier Deschamps’ closeness to Kylian Mbappe is reportedly another factor behind considering his candidature. Mbappe will remain an integral part of Real Madrid’s plans, and Deschamps’ close relationship with him could help the side. Finally, Deschamps is well-experienced in handling big dressing rooms, which is essential for the Spanish giants.

The final decision could depend on how Arbeloa handles things for the rest of the season, with both the Champions League and LaLiga at stake.

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane set to take over the France national team as head coach after Deschamps’ departure: Reports

Reports from French outlet Le Parisien last month suggest that Real Madrid legend and former coach Zinedine Zidane is set to succeed Didier Deschamps as the France head coach after the World Cup. He has reached a verbal agreement with the French Football Federation to take over the helm.

In an interview with Le Figaro, FFF President Phillipe Diallo mentioned that they’ve already finalized Deschamps’ replacement, although he did not mention Zidane.

“Yes, I know his name. We need a profile that ticks many boxes and that can also garner the support of the French people, since this French national football team is the team of the French,” he said.

Zinedine Zidane has been away from management since working with Real Madrid in the 2020-21 season, which marked his second managerial stint with the club. The midfield legend boasts a stellar record with Los Blancos both as a player and as a coach, having led them to three consecutive Champions League titles in his first stint.