Week 14 WNBA Standings Check-In

We run through Week 14 WNBA standings, then zoom in on the teams hovering just outside the playoff line and why one major trade could shake up the final seeds. We also debate whether the Lynx own the best starting five in the league, question the Dream’s true ceiling, and dig into what expansion and franchise value say about where the WNBA is headed.  
• Week 14 standings rundown and the small seed swaps that matter  
• Sparks and Mercury as the two teams outside the playoff race  
• Kelsey Plum trade impact and the pressure on Phoenix to make the postseason  
• Lynx starting five case built around health, balance, and matchup wins  
• How the Liberty and Aces compare when fully healthy  
• Dream inconsistency and what a top-four push would prove  
• Cleveland Sirens expansion in 2028 and why the name matters  
• Golden State Valkyries valued at $1 billion and what valuation signals for the league  

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Transcript

Welcome And Quick Housekeeping

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, Get a Bucket. I'm your host, Trey and as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're going to talk about the week 14 WNBA updates. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. Try and get the ratings up a little bit, you know, just a little bit. And if you wonder where you heard this before, that's because you've been listening with me Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your support.

Week 14 Standings And Bubble Teams

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Now, told y'all, week 14, WNBA standings. Y'all know how this goes. Let's get it popping. We're going to add a little slight twist to it from the usual, right? But it's going to be the same old, same old. More than likely. More than likely. Lynx number one, Ace's number two, Valkyrie's number three, wings number four, fever number five, dream number six, Liberty number seven, Mystics number eight. Now I know what you're I know what you're wondering. What's the little wrinkle I'm about to throw, right? Well, I'm going to talk about two additional teams that could crack the playoff race. And we got currently my Sparks at number nine and the Mercury at number 10. Now keep in mind the only changes that really occurred, Aces and Valkyrie, they flip-flop seeds, okay? Aces are number two, they were three last week. Valkyrie are three, they were two last week. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's the major change. Liberty and Mystics, they did flip-flop, but then they flipped back to the where they were. So again, you know, that was the those are the major changes this week. But the biggest jump might have been the Mercury. And I told y'all this before. Well, actually, yesterday, but you know, Kelsey Plum getting signed, uh, or not signed. Well, yeah, yeah, technically signed, not for by free agency, but via trade to the Mercury. It's gonna be interesting to see how they jump up. And remember, I told y'all this before. I thought my Sparks had a shot at making the playoff race, right? That was before the Kelsey Plum trade. So now, point in time, I did say too though, the Mercury could make a jump. And it's funny because now those are the two teams directly outside of the playoff race. So keep in mind, Sparks, Mercury, it's gonna be very interesting to see which team can potentially make the playoff race. They're both gonna be trying to usurp the Liberty or the Mystics for that eighth seed, unless a team above them make a mean drop. I don't foresee that happening, but you never know. Things can get a little tricky. But right now, that's what we're looking at. And I will say this: if my Sparks can make the playoffs and the Mercury can't, that's gonna be an interesting storyline over the offseason for the Mercury because remember Kelsey Plum, number one option. That's what people are trying to peg her out to be. And if you're playing with Alyssa Thomas, you're playing with Khalia Copper, you play with Neko Gumake, you play with Derek Ahambey, and you cannot hit the playoffs. And this will be the second season in a row now. We gotta have some conversations. So Kelsey got a little chip on her shoulder, even with her coming off of injury, right? But again, ladies and gentlemen, those are standing updates. Let's see how the season continues to progress. What do I want to talk about today?

Do The Lynx Have The Best Five?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

A couple topics, right? Lynx. I was wondering about this because they still remain at the top. They were doing so without Nafisa Collier. Do they have the best starting five in the WNBA? Like I'm considering saying yes. Like when I look at the starting five, and I'm talking about teams when they're healthy, right? That's why when I bring up the Liberty, it may sound a little different than what y'all thinking. But the Liberty, if they're healthy, I think they rival the Lynx. They might even be able to be better, but at minimum rival the Lynx. Problem is the Lynx have not the Liberty have not been healthy. So I would put the Liberty below the Lynx. Point in time. Aces. Aces starting five. I think the team, I think the aces could beat the Lynx, but Aces starting five, I think the small forward spot and the power forward spot are a little bit questionable when we're talking about comparison's sake, right? So again, for me, and keep in mind, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, that's their one and two for me. If you want to like interchange somebody else, cool. I hear you. Jackie Young might even be the small forward on the team, but for this specific purpose, whichever whichever position Jackie Young does not play, if it's guard for you, the two guard, then it's the small forward spot. If she plays the small forward spot, then it's the two guard. Either way, the wing option, that's what's the struggle piece when we're comparing her to the wings. The wings, another good team, right? I'm looking at shooting guards, small forward, and center. Now keep in mind, Alana Smith, she does pretty well defensively, right? Co-depoy last year, heard you. AZ Fud on the team, heard you. That wing spot is a little tricky. And if we're going to compare the wings to the links, I think those, I think those areas may be a little tough. And keep in mind, I like Alana Smith. I like Awat Kouyeur. The center spot will be a little interesting. Now, Shepard's been playing some good basketball. That's the reason why I didn't say power forward, to be clear. But, ladies and gentlemen, and I do think Paige is right there in the thick of things with Olivia Miles. Might even be better. But again, ladies and gentlemen, I think the wings don't have a better starting five. You got Olivia Miles, you got Courtney Williams, you got Kaylin McBride, Nafisa Collier, Natasha Howard. That's a tough starting five, ladies and gentlemen. The fever, I don't think their point guard, small forward, or power forward cut the mustard. Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Balston are the only two players I think could actually win their matchup. Again, Caitlin Clark, good player. I don't think she beats Olivia Miles, especially with the talent that Olivia Miles has around her. Olivia doesn't have to do as much anymore now, and we've already seen what she could do. I would favor Olivia over Kelsey or over Caitlin personally. But like, best case scenario, we got the small forward and power forward spot. That's kind of dropping a little bit. So again, the Lynx beat the fever. The dream, I think they I think the dream actually matched up well. This will be a dream matchup for me personally if we saw him in the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, the Lynx could still win that matchup. But Olivia Miles versus Jordan Canada, I like that. Ryan Howard, Alicia Gray, Courtney Williams and Caleb McBuckets will have an interesting time for sure. But on the flip side, Angel Reese and Nas Hillman got to go up against Natasha Howard and Defisa Collier. I'm telling you right now, I'm actually kind of excited to see that matchup personally. It's all starting five. Don't worry about the benches, ladies and gentlemen. Just focus on starting five. And I'm not talking about the depth lineups, too. The finishing lineups, I'm not talking about those. We're talking about just starting fives. I think that'd be a quality matchup. And then also the Mercury. We could talk about the Mercury. It may be a little too early to tell given the Kelsey Plum trade, right? I think the Mercury starting five could be a little interesting to compare against the Lynx, but we got to see what the Mercury starting five is going to look like. Same with my Sparks, too, I will say that. Because again, that Kelsey Plum trade it is affecting us. So again, the Lynx may in fact have the best starting five, ladies and gentlemen. And that's kind of crazy to think about it. And I'm looking forward to seeing them in the playoffs. Barring injuries, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing them in the playoffs for sure. But best starting five in the WNBA could be the Lynx. I want to know if y'all have a different opinion, though. And I did give a couple of teams. If y'all think I missed a squad, please let me know. But I don't think I did. Now moving on down.

Are The Dream Actually Top Four?

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Moving on down. Ease on down the road. Atlanta Dream. Are they in fact a top four team? They did move up in the seeding, right? They're a sixth seed currently. They did get back to number four, though. They did. They went on a five-game losing streak. That's what dropped them. All right. But then at the end of July, they were on a five-game win streak. I've told y'all before this could be one of the most, this might be the most inconsistent team between them and the Mystics, that's the case for me. But the Mystics is explainable because they're young, the youth. The dream, I might give a little grace only because of the Angel Reese acquisition, but that's early on. Post All-Star break, I'm expecting them to not have as much inconsistency. They need to be a lot more constant going forward. So for me, I think the dream can be a top four seed. Again, they're still my contending team for sure. One of my four contending teams. I got to see them get into the top seeds, though. Because that's going to prove to me that they're ready this season. If not, then we got to keep kicking that can down the road. But the Atlanta Dream, five-game win streak, end of July, maybe that's a telltale sign that they're ready to get the ball rolling. And keep in mind, the Aces, the Liberty, they're starting to get older. I'm not saying they're old. I said they're starting to get older. So there may be a window where the dream could sneak in and steal a couple championship opportunities from some of these teams. The Lynx, that would be a nice matchup to watch in the finals. I'm telling y'all right now, ladies and gentlemen, especially if everybody plans at their potential. But the dream, gotta see, I gotta still keep him as a contender. Possibly slipping out, but a contender for now. But we'll wait and see, though, as the season progresses.

Cleveland Sirens Return In 2028

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Um, speaking of the season progressing, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we're getting a new team. 2028. We have the Cleveland Sirens coming. They used to be the Cleveland Rockers. That was 1997. Okay, they were one of the first teams that joined the WNBA. And they disbanded in 03, 2003. Now keep in mind their overall record was 108 to 112. They had four playoff appearances in the seven seasons that they were around. Their most notable player, Merlachia Jones. Again, maybe I shouldn't say the most notable. The most notable could have been somebody else. But the best player on the Rockets in terms of their history, it was Merlackia Jones. Remember, this is an all-well, and I say all-time, this is an all-WNBA caliber player. She was awarded three-time All-Stars, right? And she played for all the seasons that the Rockers were affiliated with the WNBA. So from 1997 to 2003, she played with them, ladies and gentlemen. Quality bucket getter for sure. The easily the most points in the in the Rockers organization. But she was averaging a good amount of points too, like 13, which ain't bad, especially during that time period. Penny Taylor might actually be the most notable, the most accomplished player by the Rockers, right? She was a two-time all-WNBA player, three-time champ, three-time all-star, right? Like, ladies and gentlemen, we do have a little love in history for the Cleveland fans when it comes to the WNBA. So when I'm thinking about the Sirens in 2028, we get new history. I am curious why they chose the word sirens, why they chose the name sirens. They could have gone with Rockers again, but again, something new maybe nice and wonderful. I did ask a Cleveland fan, hey, what did they think about the name Sirens? They're cool with it. They liked it. I saw somebody else. I don't know if they're a Cleveland fan or not, but they like the name as well, too. So it's going to be interesting to see how the Cleveland Sirens move. But let's remember, too, though, if I'm the Sirens, if I'm the organization, I'm trying to acknowledge, hey, we did have a history, a positive history. Let's get back to the playoffs early on, especially with the Valkyries performing the way that they're doing. Might be a thing. Maybe we can make that work. So again, Cleveland Sirens, 2028, ladies and gentlemen, I'm looking forward to seeing their expansion draft and who they draft first. Because 2028, let's say Juju Watkins decides to stay. I don't know if they're going to get, or they can't really get a top pick. So that'd be unfortunate. But what happens if they might be in the thick of things for like another player? Because if Juju's there, that means we got to expect that the draft is going to get pushed down a little bit in terms of order, right? Because Juju got to be a top pick, a top three pick. So that means if they're going to be a top five pick guaranteed, let's figure out who they could draft with their first pick. That'll be interesting to watch. But like I said, the Cleveland Sirens, I can't talk but so much about them because they're not here yet. So wait for them. 2028. We got a few more things to talk about at that time period.

Valkyries Valuation And Money Talks

SPEAKER_00 12:42

Speaking of the Valkyries, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, before we close up shop, real quick, I did not know this, but the most valued team in the WNBA, in fact, is the Golden State Valkyries. At $1 billion, by the way. That's what they're valued at. Keep in mind the New York Liberty are next, right? They're the runner-up at $600 million. Again, Valkyries with a B. Liberty with an M. Like in the NBA, I saw that the Liber I saw that the Knicks used to be the most valued franchise in the NBA. Now, it ain't them. It's not. I want to say it's the Warriors. And the Valkyries is right there too. Golden State is doing some things. They are really doing some things. And I wouldn't care about this as much if I didn't see that the Valkyries were a top three seed in the WNBA this season. They made it to the playoffs in their inaugural season. Ladies and gentlemen, we gotta talk, we have to take the Valkyries seriously. Again, I'm not saying that they're my favorites to win this season. But there are some notable things that I'm paying attention to that are making me start to think, could they win it this season? And I've been had that thought. This isn't the first time that I'm thinking this. This is just another element that's making me realize there may be something in the water in Golden State. So again, kudos to the Valkyries, right? And it's funny too because the fever are third up in terms of most value, then the aces, then the storm, then the Mercury. My sparks are seventh. I hate that. I personally hate that. I'd love for that to rise up. Lynx eighth, sun ninth, sky 10th. It'll I'm I'll be curious what the Houston comments value will be because again, they're gonna be taking over for the sun now, because the sun will be disbanding. Comments will come up, so I'm wondering where the comments are gonna be. But that's the top 10, ladies and gentlemen, in WNBA in terms of most valued teams, most valued organizations. So shout out to the Valkyrie for winning that race. Okay, you know what I'm saying? If you lose this this season, it's okay. Y'all the most valued team, kudos. You got a little, you got a little trophy if that matters to y'all. But no, I thought that was very surprising. And I'm curious going forward, what would the Valkyries look like? Because clearly they'll have some money to spend and they can make some quality investments in their players. And I'll be wondering what the other expansion team, what those new teams coming up, will look like financially, and how will that affect the product that is the WNBA? Because we've seen what the Valkyries could do, but maybe the Valkyries are on a different level because, again, they're the most valued team in the WNBA currently. So let's pay attention to these financials too, ladies and gentlemen.

Final Thoughts And Listener Prompt

SPEAKER_00 15:32

But that does conclude the end of the episode, to be clear. I just wanted to make sure I noted that. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I hope you all enjoyed the episode. Please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone about the show. And let me know your thoughts too in the comment section below. But also pay attention to the WNBA. It's a pretty good show, it's a pretty good product. I can't lie to y'all. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, my name is Trey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.