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The New York Liberty won their first WNBA title in franchise history last year and find themselves first in championship odds ahead of the 2025 season tipping off. Will New York pull off back-to-back titles, or will a different team be celebrating at the end of this campaign?

The Liberty are the +210 favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the WNBA title, followed by the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces each at +360. The Indiana Fever were big movers this offseason after opening as high as +2500 in the market. They now sit in the fourth spot at +430. 

New York returns Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones after the trio delivered a championship run. The Liberty also acquired Natasha Cloud to solidify their point guard position. Where the Liberty have question marks is with their wings, as top defender Kayla Thornton was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton appears likely to miss the season after offseason meniscus surgery. Second-year sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich will need to step up, and she did come up clutch in last year's WNBA Finals by averaging 13 points per game and playing at least 30 minutes in all five games of the series. 

The Lynx were the biggest surprise of last season, closing with a win total of 16.5 before a remarkable 30-10 regular season and losing in five games to the Liberty in the WNBA Finals. There wasn't too much roster turnover from the 2024 squad, and Minnesota is headlined by MVP candidate Napheesa Collier and lethal shooter Kayla McBride. The Lynx were the most dangerous team from beyond the arc last season, leading the WNBA by shooting 38% from 3-point range. By bringing back a veteran group that has great chemistry, there's no reason to expect a drop-off from Minnesota. 

The Aces finished in fourth place in the regular-season standings in 2024, their lowest finish since 2019 when they also finished in fourth. Having unanimous MVP A'ja Wilson was not enough for a third straight championship, and Las Vegas opted for a major offseason shakeup after trading away Kelsey Plum and landing Jewell Loyd in a massive three-team trade with the Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks. Loyd finished with a career-best 24.7 points per game in 2023, but ended up with a career-worst 36.0% shooting percentage from the floor in 2024 and a dreadful 27.4% mark from three (her worst since her rookie year in 2015). But the fact Loyd doesn't have to be the primary scoring option here could help with defenses locked in on Wilson instead of her. Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray are also back in Las Vegas to form a starting lineup that has combined for 21 WNBA All-Star appearances.

After Caitlin Clark's historic rookie campaign, the Fever were figured to have major hype coming into this season. Those expectations have only gotten higher after an offseason filled with huge additions, including veterans De'Wanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and Sophie Cunningham along with new head coach Stephanie White coming over from the Connecticut Sun. With those exciting new faces to pair with last season's three top scorers (Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston) all returning, the Fever have as high of an upside as any team in the WNBA. In fact, their regular season win total of 31.5 at FanDuel is the second-highest in the league, only behind the Liberty at 32.5. 

Beyond that top tier of teams, another squad to keep an eye on is the Phoenix Mercury, who have the fifth-lowest title odds at +1300. It's a new era in Phoenix after Diana Taurasi retired and Brittney Griner left for the Atlanta Dream. Kahleah Copper broke out in her first season with the Mercury and the ninth year of her WNBA career, finishing with the third-highest PPG in the league at 21.1. The Mercury added Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally this offseason, who have combined for three top-5 MVP finishes over the past two seasons. Copper, Thomas and Sabally are one of the most dangerous trios in the league, but the questionable depth behind them is a key reason why there's a clear gap between the Mercury and the four top teams.

In the middle of the odds board for title odds are the Seattle Storm at +2700, the Atlanta Dream at +3200, the Los Angeles Sparks at +5500, the Chicago Sky at +6000 and the Dallas Wings at +6500. Meanwhile, the biggest longshots are the Washington Mystics at +29000, followed by the Connecticut Sun and expansion Golden State Valkyries each at +50000.

PICK: Liberty +210

All the top teams have questions heading into the season. Besides the Liberty's issues at wing, wiill Stewart be among the WNBA's elite again after a slight drop-off last season and offseason surgery? Did the Lynx reach their ceiling in 2024 and will they have some shooting regression after being lights out from outside? Can the Aces improve a mediocre defense that was their downfall, despite their offseason additions not exactly suggesting they will? Will the Fever be able to get with so many new pieces?

In the end, the Liberty still have the most complete roster and a bunch of star power along with their championship pedigree. It's going to be really tough for any team to knock them out in the postseason, especially if Fiebich makes the expected leap in Year 2.