Connecticut Sun free Agents 2026: Who’s Up, What Each Status Means, and Why The New WNBA CBA Matters

Connecticut’s 2026 offseason is a classic WNBA roster puzzle: a young core under contract, plus several rotation veterans whose deals are up — and a leaguewide free-agency market that’s unusually massive because so many players positioned themselves to be free agents ahead of the next CBA.

Just as important: ongoing WNBA–WNBPA negotiations have already disrupted the typical offseason flow, and league business like expansion and free agency timing/rules can hinge on the new agreement.

Quick glossary (so the free-agent list makes sense)

• UFA (Unrestricted Free Agent): Can negotiate with any team.
• RFA (Restricted Free Agent): Can negotiate, but the prior team can keep them by matching an offer sheet (“right of first refusal”) if it tenders a qualifying offer.
• Reserved player: If the team extends a reserved qualifying offer, the team holds exclusive negotiating rights.
• Core designation (“cored”): A one-per-team lever that functions a bit like a franchise tag; the team controls negotiations unless a sign-and-trade is worked out.

Connecticut Sun free agents for 2026

Unrestricted free agents (UFA)

• Marina Mabrey (UFA): A high-usage shot creator who can bend defenses with pull-up shooting and playmaking. If Connecticut wants continuity on offense, her next contract is one of the biggest dominoes.
• Tina Charles (UFA, “uncoreable”): A veteran centerpiece who can anchor the paint and carry scoring possessions. She’s listed as an uncoreable UFA and ineligible in ESPN’s expansion-draft protection exercise — a reminder that veteran/expansion rules can get nuanced.
• Lindsay Allen (UFA): A steady guard option who can organize lineups, keep turnovers down, and help younger pieces get into sets.
• Bria Hartley (UFA): A scoring guard who can provide spacing and secondary creation — the type of veteran swing piece teams often chase once top-of-market names start signing.

Restricted free agents (RFA)

• Olivia Nelson-Ododa (RFA): A frontcourt player whose status gives Connecticut leverage if it tenders the qualifying offer — the Sun can match outside offers rather than losing her outright.
• Haley Peters (RFA): A wing/forward role player whose restricted status similarly keeps Connecticut in control — especially valuable when you’re trying to maintain depth without overpaying on the open market.

Reserved players / rights-holders

• Mamignan Touré (Reserved): If Connecticut extends the reserved qualifying offer, it can retain exclusive negotiating rights — a common way teams keep developmental or depth pieces in the pipeline.
• Nikolina Milić (Reserved): Listed in offseason guides/expansion exercises as reserved/rightsholder territory — the kind of name that can become relevant quickly if roster spots open.

Why the CBA matters for Connecticut (and for these free agents)

This isn’t just normal free agency. The 2020 CBA included an opt-out after the 2024 season, and reporting has noted that nearly all veterans positioned themselves to hit the market at once — precisely because a new CBA could significantly change compensation and roster-building rules.

What that can mean in practical terms:

• Timing can shift: In a typical year, negotiating windows and signing dates are structured (with signing often tied to early February), but labor uncertainty can move the whole calendar.
• Team “control” tools matter more: Qualifying offers (RFA/reserved) and the core designation can be the difference between “must re-sign” and “can replace.”
• Expansion effects ripple out: With Toronto and Portland entering the league, expansion rules and protection lists add another layer to who’s valued — and those rules have been directly linked to the CBA process.