Bleav in the W

If it weren't for the Chicago Sky trading Angel Reese, the Rickea Jackson trade would have been the biggest blockbuster move of the offseason. The Los Angeles Sparks shipped off their star third-year player for veteran presence and improvement on defense. That set the table for a 2026 season that projects the Sparks to leap forward. The Sporting Tribune's Rey Moralde joined the show to dissect why the Rickea trade was made. Tyler and Rey also discuss Nneka Ogwumike coming back home in free agency, how the moves will make Kelsey Plum more of a distributor on offense, Rae Barrell's growth, the non-controversy surrounding Cameron Brink and debate the true ceiling of the team. Follow Rey Moralde on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/rey-rey.net Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It was a free agency that could have been transformative for the Phoenix Mercury. Instead, the Mercury focused on continuity in their offseason plans despite the loss of All-Star Satou Sabally. Pair that with the Mercury's focus on international scouting and Aya Abdeen reports that Phoenix is high on their aspirations for 2026. Last season, the squad made it all the way to the WNBA Finals, led by superstar Alyssa Thomas. Just the presence of AT on the squad will probably be enough to keep this team in the mix come the postseason. Follow Aya Abdeen on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/ayabdeen.bsky.social Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This Minnesota Lynx season will be defined by both Napheesa Collier's injury and her revealing conversation with NPR. But despite being without Phee for a month AND losing two starters in Alanna Smith and Bridget Carelton, Minnesota is still a team with the coaching and star power to be a contender come the playoffs. Other topics include a disappointing free agency, where the team fell short in luring other key players to Minnesota and a star new point guard on the roster in Olivia Miles. NPR's full story and interview with Napheesa Collier: https://www.npr.org/2026/05/05/nx-s1-5793789/napheesa-collier-wnba-salary-increase-womens-sports Follow Terry Horstman on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/terryhorstman.bsky.social Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Beyond just Paige Bueckers and adding her girlfriend, Azzi Fudd, the Dallas Wings roster has massively improved. Not just from a talent standpoint, but also from a roster construction perspective, that brought in Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith and Lynx teammate Jessica Shepard. Tyler breaks down how this could be the building block season for the Wings that will propel them to not only success this year, but beyond as they build a core around Bueckers and Fudd. Playoffs should be the baseline goal for the season and there is reason to be optimistic for me. Listen to more on the Paige and Azzi relationship pod - Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paige-bueckers-speaks-on-relationship-with-azzi-fudd/id1895276693 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ffavLT7s8pPM3gjvrlURG Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What an inaugural season it was for the Golden State Valkyries, surprising everyone by making the WNBA Playoffs and finishing .500 in the standings. This year, they have another tall task ahead of them and Marisa Ingemi, who covers the Valkyries for her independent publication Valkyries Beat, joined Bleav in the W, to project what they can do this year. The big focus is that Golden State brought nearly everyone back from last season's squad, including a healthy Kayla Thornton. Is the defense going to be good enough to make up for the talent gap, like it was last year? Then there's a deep discussion in the Flau'Jae Johnson draft pick trade and why the Valkyries HAD to trade the pick to make the cap space all work out. We wrap things up with a discussion on how Marisa thought this could be a breakout season for Kate Martin, who was waived following the recording of this podcast. Subscribe to Valkyries Beat for as low as $5 per month: https://www.valkyriesbeat.com/subscribe Marisa's story on Kate Martin: https://www.valkyriesbeat.com/p/valkyries-insider-is-this-kate-martin-s-breakout-season Follow Marisa on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mingemi.bsky.social Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many folks have mixed opinions on how the Chicago Sky approached their offseason, centering their moves around the decision to trade franchise centerpiece Angel Reese. But when you look at last year's roster and compare it to this year's, there's no doubt they improved and doing so in every position up and down the roster. Trading Reese will give Kamila Cardoso the space to take a leap forward. Azura Stevens will come in with All-Star aspirations. Rickea Jackson is now the young centerpiece and of course, there will be the veteran playmakers of Skylar Diggins-Smith, Natasha Cloud and Courtney Vandersloot guiding the way. All of those stars project them to be a playoff team, but I have them on the outside looking in. They need to make that postseason run, though, because GM Jeff Pagliocca and head coach Tyler Marsh may be on the hot seat. Stay all the way to the end for a projected starting lineup, all players who are either All-Stars or could be shaping up for an All-Star season. Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tyler Byrum welcomes esteemed guest Bonnie Bernstein to unveil her new weekly show coming to ABC affiliates nationwide, 'The Champions Edge with Bonnie Bernstein.' 'The Champions Edge with Bonnie Bernstein' is a groundbreaking women's sports leadership series, showcasing industry leaders, entrepreneurs and newsmakers harnessing life skills honed as athletes to drive career success. The series is inspired by research revealing an astounding 94% of female C-suite executives played sports, more than half of whom were college athletes. An Academic All-American gymnast at the University of Maryland, Bernstein has channeled her "inner athlete" during her three-decade career covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and college football and basketball, while also founding her company, Walk Swiftly Productions. Bonnie and Tyler also discuss girls' participation in sports and the stagnant coverage of women's sports. There is hope that change may soon be on the horizon. Follow Bonnie on X/Twitter: https://x.com/BonnieBernstein Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's very clear where the Washington Mystics are building to with a young core of Shakira Austin, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. But are the playoffs an aspirational goal for the team this season? That's what the players want. Tyler is joined by his former beat-mate Kareem Copeland, now with ESPN, to preview the Mystics' season and discuss if head coach Sydney Johnson could put it all together with their young stars for a playoff run. They also bring attention to how important a season it is for both Austin and Georgia Amoore in their development and for the ceiling of this year's team. Then, they look at how the player development shift and how that is starting to permeate throughout the rest of the WNBA. Follow Kareem on Twitter: https://x.com/kareemcopeland Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Toronto's first season in the W will have some spice. Some of the league's best characters, Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes and Julie Allemand, will all lead the expansion Tempo in their own way. Tyler starts by breaking down how Toronto won the coaching carousel by nabbing Sandy Brondello, a mere year removed from coaching a team to a championship. Then, it's time to break down the uber-talented guard room where Tyler makes it clear who is going to be the star player of the eclectic bunch. But the end goal for all of the Tempo's guards will be show No. 6 overall pick Kiki Rice the ropes. The podcast ends with projecting who has the best chance to be a breakout player - much like Kayla Thornton was last year in Golden State and what the ceiling is for this team. It may very well be competing for the playoffs in Year 1. Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's the final season in Connecticut before the Sun move to Houston to bring the Comets back into the WNBA. And to discuss the happenings of this final version of the Sun, Emily Adams from the Hartford Courant joins Bleav in the W to chat about everything from the signing of Brittney Griner to the outlook of the young pieces. We break down and analyze the entire saga of the Mohegan Tribe's sale process, the WNBA involvement and why the move to Houston was made. It's also a chance to reflect back on their stewardship of the franchise, helping bring professional basketball to Connecticut, one of the hubs of women's basketball. Of course, there's also Brittney Griner's decision to come to the Sun for a one-year deal and how she can guide a team of promising young players, including Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers and Aaliyah Edwards. The podcast ends with a discussion of the career and legacy of Tina Charles, who announced her retirement this week and won her MVP award with the Sun in 2012. Follow Emily Adams on X/Twitter: https://x.com/eaadams6 All of her work covering the Connecticut Sun and the UConn Huskies can be viewed here: https://www.courant.com/author/emily-adams/ Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A year removed from many picking the Seattle Storm as a dark-horse team in the WNBA Playoffs, the franchise has decided to lay dormant in free agency and jump into a rebuild. Joining Tyler to preview the Storm is Jeff Brown from Storm Chasers, an independent substack for in-depth coverage of the team. Topics range from why the organization decided to fully jump into a rebuild when there was an opportunity to be aggressive. We also revisit the 2026 WNBA Draft class and how the Storm walked away with Awa Fam and Flau'Jae Johnson, then discuss when Awa is expected to join the team. Unlike other teams, the Storm have brought in veterans, like Stef Dolson, to lead the young Storm that has a ton of exciting young talent with Dominque Malonga, Jordan Horston and Jade Melbourne. The podcast ends with a debate on what will make this a successful season for Seattle. Make sure to check out Jeff's work at Storm Chasers here: https://www.stormchasersbasketball.com/ See his story on the Seattle Storm rookies detailing their experience at their first WNBA training camp: https://www.stormchasersbasketball.com/p/storm-wnba-training-camp-rookie-experience Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A quick preview of the Portland Fire's first season back in the WNBA. This expansion team isn't shaping up to have the same historic success that the Golden State Valkyries did last season but there are a handful of encouraging players on the roster. Tyler Byrum will explain why it shouldn't take long for the team to establish a culture and identity with players like Emily Engstler, Carla Liete, Karlie Samuelson and Meg Gustafson anchoring the squad. It's also an opportunity for Bridget Carelton to step up and be the focal point of a team for the first time in her career, earning big-time money in Portland. The podcast ends with reasonable expectations for the team this season and creating a framework to build on in 2027 and 2028. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bleav in the W host Tyler Byrum joins Tacarra Barnes and Courtney Lumpkin of The MidMajors for a special crossover episode to get you ready for the 2026 WNBA season. We take a larger look at the WNBA media landscape from roster cuts and player development to the impact of media coverage, race, and marketability in women’s basketball. We also dive into: The rise of Caitlin Clark and her impact on the league, the dynamic between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, WNBA roster strategies and surprising cuts, championship predictions and team outlooks, plus discussion on the Washington Mystics and more. Follow The MidMajors Podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-midmajors/id1831553850 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/02yTqhrOm25XHram7dqHOc Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Point guard Natasha Cloud has signed with the Chicago Sky for a reported $555,000, one-year deal, according to ESPN. How does Natasha Cloud fit with Skylar Diggins-Smith? What is the team's ceiling? A quick reaction to Cloud now joining the team and being on a roster in 2026. Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Last year's No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers spoke on Monday to reporters with a prepared statement on her relationship with this year's No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd. This continued a saga where just last week, the Dallas Wings' PR staff shut down a reasonable question asked by a reporter to Azzi about her and Paige's relationship. To an extent, their relationship should be none of our business. But when it comes to how it affects the Dallas Wings, their play on the court, how successful both Paige and Azzi can be, and their futures, those are questions that need to be asked. After all, it's a great story and great stories can't be written unless you ask the question. Full quotes from Paige Bueckers were from this Associated Press story: https://apnews.com/article/wings-uconn-paige-bueckers-azzi-fudd-a05e2857493da604be4711545b97f9eb Follow Tyler on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetylerbyrum.bsky.social Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is the Washington Mystics rebuild going in the right direction? After an encouraging Year 1 of the plan, this past offseason left Tyler with some areas of concern. Mystics beat reporter Jenn Hatfield from The IX Basketball joined Tyler to break down where things stand in the rebuild, Jamila Wideman parting ways with the team and the decision not to sign WNBA veterans this offseason. After that, Tyler and Jenn discuss what they saw from the play of rookies Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalic, Cotie McMahon, Georgia Amoore and Rori Harmon. The episode ends with a debate on whether the Mystics go over or under their 17.5 win total. Follow Tyler on BlueSky Follow Jenn on BlueSky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stay up to date with the latest in the WNBA. Hosted by long-time Mystics reporter Tyler Byrum, we'll go beyond the headlines and deep into the stories with commentary on the latest news and controversies. From the newest viral moment surrounding Caitlin Clark, to A'ja Wilson's dominance on the basketball court, to how the next young stars of Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron and Dominique Malonga are guiding their clubs forward, we have you covered. Expansion, the latest wrinkles in the new CBA will all be discussed as no topic is off limits. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.