WNBA preview: The injury epidemic, the return of Cameron Brink and the best matches of the week

The WNBA commercial deadline is officially a week and a half away, with teams that have until August 7 at 15:00 ET to get all shops before the WNBA regular season to reach 70%. Like school huff explained last weekIt is reasonable to believe that Dallas’s wings and Washington’s Mystics will be sellers in the next ten days. Dallas’s wings are still the second worst team in the league while the Washington Mysticles They have assumed it I have been entertaining calls to change the Sophomore forward Aaliyah Edwards.

But who could the buyers be? New York Liberty did its job soon gain a commitment from the Belgian Free Agent Superstar and WNBA Final 2019 MVP Emma Meesseman. It will arrive in August. But as Lynx will match, especially because they lost Karlie Samuelson For the season on July 4?

What about Seattle’s storm, a team that continues to lose the teams without so much talent? From now on, the storm is fifth in the WNBA standings, but has the ninth classified offense in the league. This must improve if Seattle wants to go to a deep playoff.

Before moving -next week, it is necessary to discuss the endemic of WNBA injuries. Last week Golden State’s Kayla Thornton achieve end of season Knee surgery after an injury he suffered in practice, Angel reese Lost two games this past week breastfeeding a bad back and BREANNA Stewart left the Freedom match on Saturday against sparks with allegedly A right beef strain.

Add –Su to the fact that Caitlin Clark He has been left out after injury to right ingenuity just before the All-Star pause. And MVP Naphesesa collier She has been playing something on her shoulder. She fight Bring a wrap to the shoulder on July 25 to mitigate some discomfort.

What is the cause of this and why do you feel like so many notable players are injured and hit themselves at the same time?

There has been one ton of heat This season for questionable and inconsistent officers of the WNBA referees, and although a little is justified, especially when the league looks more than ever, there is another part of this story. Poor officers are not just why the WNBA has been at the pace this season to record most injuries for a regular season in recent memory By Lucas Seeheak of Basketball IX.

Since 2021, the number of games played in the regular season has increased by 37.5%. Leaving the pandemic bubble season in 2020, there were 32 regular seasonal games because it was an Olympic year and the season’s footprint had to include a break for a month in the middle of the season. From 2022 to 2025, the number of games has gone from 36 games by 2022, to 40 games by 2023 and 2024, and then in 2025 there are 44 games during the regular season, the most than ever. Last season, in 2024 it was also an Olympic year.

Although the number of games played has greatly increased, the WNBA footprint or the number of days that include a regular season and the Playoff calendar has not done so. More games are being played in less time.

This past week, six Dream, Aces, Liberty, Mystic, Sun and Wings teams played all in the back games. This caused the WNBA analyst and former player, Rebecca Lobo, from the WNBA, to show a research that showed the dramatic decrease in the middle days between the parties during the regular season since 2021. The numbers through the researcher Espn, Garrett Gastfield, show that even in a non -Olympic year, the calendar is even more brutal than a season.

From now on, the WNBA and its players are participating in the ongoing CBA negotiations, and the time between the games should be considered, as well as a longer season footprint. While Commissioner Cathy Engelbert he gets ready To extend next season in November due to the World Cup of the FIBA of 2026 that takes place in September, the imprint of the long -term league calendar must be expanded instead of a season.

“We want to promote players safety,” Mercury Forward Satou Sabally He told journalists on June 19. “I think this is the biggest and we want to work together with the league, because we are the product, right?

The current model – 44 games in 119 days – has resulted in more players in a time when fans and new audiences wish to see their favorite players play instead of street clothes on the bench.

The following week

There is a topic at the games selected for this week. Each has specific playoff implications, as they are coincidences between teams very close to the standings.

From this writing, the only game I emphasized that it does not include only one game or two of each other in the standings is when Liberty finally faces Lynx on Wednesday night.

Liberty is still 3.5 games behind Lynx, but this should not deter any of them to see the resuscitation of the WNBA finals of 2024, which has the first two teams in the league that took two months to play. In addition, some of this week’s best games are nationally televised games. This is what deserves the push of the WNBA playoff.

Las Vegas Aes @ Los Angeles Sparks

(Tuesday, July 29 at 10:00 pm et a la NBA TV)

ACES and Sparks contacted Tuesday, after winning a team of the team’s series. From this writing, the Aes are 13-13 and are 1.5 games in the sparks of 11-14. Los Angeles has a boost to set up a five -game winning streak where the sun and mystics have twice defeated and then defeated freedom in a Rickea jackson Saturday Buzzer Beatter. Although sparks have improved especially offensively, their victory took place against teams that are negative in the clean rating or in the case of Liberty he has just played the day before. While the donkeys exploded the 12th place Dallas Wings on Sunday, Las Vegas continues to look for coherence. Makes Jewell Loyd If you leave the bench, help the aces to move forward? In addition, on Tuesday sparks will be welcomed again Cameron brinkThe general selection of 2024 no. 2 who started his ACL and meniscus last season and since then has not played in a game.

New York Liberty @ Minnesota Lynx

(Wednesday, July 30 at 20:00 et a espn)

There is good news and bad news. First the good. After more than two months, the time the majority of WNBA fans have been waiting is almost here: the first revanx of the Epic 2024 finals, which passed five games and until the extension twice. The bad news is that the New York Liberty will probably play this game without BREANNA StewartIt seemed to be struggling with the lower right leg in the first quarter against the sparks. In addition, freedom will be most likely without Final Hero Game 5 Nyara Sabally WHO conform In the New York Post’s, Madeline Kenney, will be two to three weeks. Although Lynx has fought less wounds, they will not be completely healthy yet. They have missed the shot of Karlie Samuelson on the wing since he descended with a seasonal foot injury. Regardless of anyone who is and who is outside, there is still a lot of talent on the floor that will fight it on Wednesday. But without Stewart, it will be difficult to know -after this week, how these teams fit together with each other in 2025. Some good news is that both teams will be played three times in August.

Golden State Valkyries @ Washington Mysticles

(Thursday, July 31 at 19:30 et in the main video)

The Valkyries and the mystics have been fighting until the end. Both teams were exploited by opponents on Sunday and both sit at the end of the Playoff image. From Monday, Golden State Just Road Washington by half a game for the eighth place, and if the Valkyries still want to do the post -season, which is not true, especially considering their star. Kayla Thornton It is out of the season, this is an important game to win them. With a victory on Thursday night, the Valkyries would maintain the advantage of the season’s series against Mystics, although these two teams play each other twice before the end of August.

Phoenix Mercury @ Atlanta Dream

(Friday, August 1 at 19:30 et a ion)

When these two teams faced July 23, Brittney grinsThe return to Phoenix splashed with a competitive juice, as well as some genuine emotion. Wanted to show and defeat the franchise that I wanted to go in a different direction After playing the mercury for more than a decade. Griner succeeded in both tasks. He had 18 points and eight rebounds in the victory of his 90-79 dream on Mercury. I hope Griner wants to show off once again when mercury faces the dream in Atlanta on Friday. But in addition to the associated pride here, there are also implications in playoff. The Mercury is just a game above the dream in the standings from Monday, and if the dream defeat the mercury again on Friday night, Atlanta could get the series of the season, a valuable advantage of sowing if both teams end the same record at the end of the season.

Indiana Fever @ Seattle Storm

(Sunday, August 3 at 15:00 et a espn+)

Fever and storm are inverse one another. The fever has the third best offense in the league, but the inconsistency in the defensive end of the ball has caused sixth place in the standings. The storm, however, has the second best defense and the ninth classification. Seattle scored 58 points against the mystics who have a mediocre defense, classified Seventh best of the league. The storm’s offense is still so inconsistent. From Monday, the fifth Storm Square has an advantage of a game on fever in the standings. The fever has the advantage of the season series, and if they defeat the storm on Sunday, Indiana will have the advantage of the sowing if these two teams also ended on the last day of the season.