Layup Lines: Commissioner’s Cup breakdown

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA. The Valkyries have been a model organization so far, but cutting Julie Vanloo right after she missed Belgium’s Eurobasket championship celebration to get back to the Bay Area is not a good look.

• Scheduling note: The W is off tomorrow, so we’ll be back in your inbox Thursday to break down the five game slate.

This 496 word newsletter should take about 2 minutes to read.

Today’s game

• We’re 45-39 this season with a $141 profit off an initial $1,000 budget.

• Tonight’s Commissioner’s Cup final featuring Indiana @ Minnesota starts at 8pm on Prime Video. The winning team splits a prize pool of $500k and $120k in crypto — not nothing in a league where the minimum salary is $66k.

  • Caitlin Clark has missed Indiana’s last two games with a groin injury and is a “game time decision” after reportedly not being at shootaround. My guess is she doesn’t play.

  • For the Lynx, becoming the first repeat Cup champions is just the next step on the revenge tour.

    • Bet: Minnesota -8.5, $50 to win $47.

Take of the day

• The league is doing some interesting geographical clumping with the new expansion plans. By 2030, we’ll have six West Coast teams, five in the Midwest (six with neighboring Toronto) and four on the East Coast. Atlanta and Dallas are the only teams without a neighbor.

• This:

  • Cuts down on cross-country travel by having enough teams in one region for a full road trip.

  • Creates a powerhouse in the Midwest through young superstars (Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Napheesa Collier), the best team in the league (Minnesota) and two expansion teams that are going to actively try to outspend each other.

  • Makes the league’s next expansions pretty clear — the South is ripe for it. If the W does want to keep growing, I’d bet that the 2030s welcome teams in Nashville, Austin, Houston, Miami or Charlotte.

Trade news

• The Wings getting a 2027 first round pick from the Aces for NaLyssa Smith is good business. Dallas frees up playing time for Li Yueru while getting a pick in a loaded draft while the Aces can now rely less on Kiah Stokes.

• Smith has underperformed as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA draft but is still talented and might play better for a contender.

  • Tweeting “sick to my stomach dawg” after being traded from a five-win team to a championship contender is very funny, but Dijonai Carrington still plays for Dallas and nobody likes having to go long distance.

All-Star starters to go

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— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor