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/

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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