There is no set timetable on when a new General Manager is hired. But the direction the team takes will likely be determined based on what happens with the Draft Lottery next Sunday
The 2025 WNBA season will be an inflection point for the league, right before a new Collective Bargaining Agreement takes shape for 2026. There will be a lot of team uncertainty due to the free agency bonanza that is expected to take shape. And for the Washington Mystics, these next couple seasons will be very important because a new General Manager will be tasked to build the next championship team after Mike Thibault was let go a couple weeks ago.
There have been a large number of WNBA head coaching and General Manager vacancies this offseason. Some of those vacancies have been filled, while the Mystics’ hasn’t been. That can certainly raise concerns with some of you as fans. After all, it hasn’t been that long ago when the team won the WNBA championship. Five years is a long time ago in a sports career, but it also isn’t THAT long ago either, if you know what I mean.
It’s hard to say why the Mystics haven’t hired anyone yet. But my feeling is that the desirability of the Mystics General Manager job depends on what happens in the 2025 WNBA Draft Lottery next Monday. If Washington gets the No. 1 pick (though they have just a 10 percent chance of getting it), there would be a lot of interest in that vacancy right away. UConn guard Paige Bueckers will almost definitely be the pick and the Mystics will be quick to build around their new franchise player. Perhaps Washington could also be able to keep at least some of their current top players as well.
But the odds are more likely that the Mystics will get the No. 4 pick. If this happens, it’s likely that Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger will implement his “deconstruct and build through the draft” strategy like what’s happening with the Washington Wizards. Does that mean that the Mystics General Manager vacancy becomes undesirable? Not necessarily.
In the “Bueckers falls in the Mystics’ lap” scenario, one could assume that the Mystics would be expected to compete sooner rather than later — and they would also get a lot of marketing exposure. But in the more likely “No. 4 pick scenario,” the new General Manager could have a clean slate, which is made easier because of the 2026 CBA.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.