Rebuilding Mystics open WNBA season with eyes on rookies, new leadership

The WNBA’s Washington Mystics won’t host their most popular games — the annual Camp Day and visits from superstars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark — at the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena this summer. It will be under construction.

It’s an apt comparison for a Mystics squad that opens the 2025 season on Friday at CareFirst Arena with their eyes on a continued rebuild. 

The franchise fired the father-son duo of general manager Mike Thibault and coach Eric Thibault this offseason after they failed to reach the postseason.

Owner Ted Leonsis and Michael Winger, the executive in charge of basketball operations for the Mystics and Wizards, hired coach Sydney Johnson and general manager Jamila Wideman to revamp the team.

Elena Delle Donne is gone — the former MVP officially retired from basketball this year after sitting out last season.

Ariel Atkins, the last player remaining from Washington’s 2019 championship squad, will also be absent when the Mystics open the season at home on Friday night against the Atlanta Dream. 

Wideman traded the guard to the Chicago Sky in exchange for a first-round pick in the only blockbuster move for the Mystics this offseason.

It’s all part of the plan for the Mystics — move on from the past, build for the future. 

“On the court, we hope to build and watch our players thrive, which will undoubtedly take time,” Wideman said last month. “Off the court, we just want to build and emphasize some of the cultural pieces.”

The off-court culture has centered around player advocacy and mental health, according to Wideman, who worked with the NBA as a vice president of player development. 

“We have, in our players, not just great athletes, but great people. They have expressed an awareness of wanting to have an impact on the team, this community, on the game,” Wideman said last month. “We want to be part of building that nest for our team and for the sport.”

The Mystics entered last month’s WNBA draft with three first-round picks. They left with a trio of potential building blocks — forward Kiki Iriafen and guards Georgia Amoore and Sonia Citron.

The predominant thought among league analysts is straightforward — the Mystics will likely lose a lot of games this season, but at least the young players will receive plenty of playing time. 

But the tough road has only gotten tougher throughout the preseason. 

Amoore suffered an ACL injury during training camp that will likely sideline her for the entire season.

Aaliyah Edwards, last year’s first-round pick who impressed in the 3x3 Unrivaled league this winter, suffered a back injury that kept her out of Washington’s two preseason games. 

The Mystics haven’t said whether Edwards will play in the season opener.

With Edwards, Delle Donne and Atkins removed from the rotation, the Mystics will likely rely on veteran guard Brittney Sykes to lead a young core. 

A league-led survey of WNBA general managers pegged Sykes as the best player in the District. She received votes as the most athletic player in the league, the best defensive player and the best perimeter defender. 

No other Mystics were named in any of the other on-court categories. 

Washington’s offseason was, according to other WNBA franchises, underwhelming. Despite building a foundation of young talent, no general managers expect the Mystics to be one of the most improved teams in 2025. 

The biggest move — sending Atkins to Chicago — was predominantly considered a win for the Sky. More than 15% of general managers said the guard was the most underrated acquisition of the offseason. 

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gave the Mystics only a 16.2% chance to make the postseason. It’s safe to say the Mystics aren’t expecting to make a title run in 2025. 

“Success would be that we are a work in progress, but that we’re improving every single day,” Wideman said at the start of training camp. “That’s what we ask of the players who are out there, and I think that’s what we ask of ourselves as well.”

After Friday’s home opener, the Mystics will hit the road to face the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.