# Not Quite Contenders: Big Questions for the WNBA’s Middle Tier Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-women-s-basketball-show-6528302/not-quite-contenders-big-questions-for-the-wnba-s-middle-tier Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-women-s-basketball-show-6528302/not-quite-contenders-big-questions-for-the-wnba-s-middle-tier.md Podcast: [No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-women-s-basketball-show-6528302) Published: 2026-05-01T10:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/no-offseason-the-athletic-womens-basketball-show/episodes/not-quite-contenders-big-questions-for-the-wnbas-middle-tier Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6818a0d4eb737caf8ca3e31e/e/69f4060f8466468ab00f289b/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/no-offseason-the-athletic-women-s-basketball-show-6528302/episodes/not-quite-contenders-big-questions-for-the-wnba-s-middle-tier Duration seconds: 3627 ## Resource Sabreena and Annie take a closer look at the league’s middle tier—teams with something to prove. They evaluate the future outlook of the Minnesota Lynx, explore whether the Golden State Valkyries can find success again in year two, and consider what lies ahead for the Los Angeles Sparks. We also dive into the pressure facing the Chicago Sky amid roster changes, and the challenges confronting Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury.   Finally, we’ll tell you where to set your screens! REFERENCES:  As Angel Reese returns to Chicago with Dream, Sky work to re-imagine their future by Annie Costabile Angel Reese fits right in with Dream, beats Sky in first game since trade: Takeaways by Annie Costabile __ No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network Email us: NoOffseason@theathletic.com Sign up for the No Offseason newsletter! YT:  @No-Offseason  IG: @tanooffseason TikTok: @no_offseason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/no-offseason-the-athletic-women-s-basketball-show-6528302/episodes/not-quite-contenders-big-questions-for-the-wnba-s-middle-tier/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-women-s-basketball-show-6528302/not-quite-contenders-big-questions-for-the-wnba-s-middle-tier.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.