With the WNBA’s 30th season kicking off in three days, social media has been flooded with all kinds of storylines and opinions about who will prevail and who may struggle. If you ever wanted to hear how the league’s general managers feel about all the buzz, you’ve come to the right place: the 2026 GM Survey has been released and Winsidr is here to break it down.
A’ja Wilson heavily favored to win her fifth MVP award
If you’ve watched even a possession of Las Vegas Aces basketball in the past 6 or so years, you know A’ja Wilson is the best basketball player in the world. WNBA GMs agree: 60 percent of them predicted that Wilson would win her fifth MVP award this season, followed by Breanna Stewart (27 percent), Caitlin Clark (7 percent), and Allisha Gray (7 percent).
GMs also consider Wilson to be the W’s best leader (79 percent), best interior defender (73 percent), best overall defensive player (53 percent), and the player who forces opposing coaches to make the most adjustments (60 percent).
Wilson’s teammate Chelsea Gray is heavily considered to be the league’s best point guard (73 percent), followed by Clark (20 percent).
Aces vs. Liberty likely to meet again in the finals
43 percent of GMs predict that we will get a rematch of the 2023 finals that featured the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty. The second most likely matchup, according to the survey, is Las Vegas vs. the Atlanta Dream (29 percent).
40 percent believe that the Aces will repeat as champions, with 33 percent pulling for the Liberty.
Olivia Miles projected Rookie of the Year
A stunning 73 percent of GMs selected Minnesota’s No. 2 pick Olivia Miles to win 2026 Rookie of the Year, beating out No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd (20 percent). Two-thirds of GMs expect No. 3 pick Awa Fam Thiam to be the best player from her draft class in five years.
GMs high on Paige Bueckers and the Wings
A third of the league’s general managers said that, if they had to start a new franchise today, they’d choose reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers to build around. A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark were tied for second at 20 percent each.
Two-thirds GMs consider the Dallas Wings to be the league’s most improved team—following the additions of Azzi Fudd and 2025 Co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith—followed by the Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks, at 20 and 13 percent respectively. GMs are excited to watch this new Dallas system, with 36 percent of them anticipating that the team will be the most fun to watch.
Key changes to the league
42 percent the league’s GMs anticipate that the implementation of developmental roster spots will have the biggest impact on league operations. The addition of the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire—the league’s newest expansion teams—came in second, with 25 percent of the votes.
