MEDLEY, Fla. — On the eve of WNBA free agency beginning last Tuesday, several league decision-makers gathered under the same roof.
Inside Unrivaled’s Wayfair Arena, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon sat next to a basket stanchion with team president Nikki Fargas to her left, watching the end of the 3×3 league’s opening weekend. Dallas Wings front office members observed the action across the court from them. Seattle Storm brass sat off the floor in one corner of the show court, and the Los Angeles Sparks representation was a few rows up. The Atlanta Dream contingent watched closer to center court.
WNBA teams attended to support their players as well as the launch of a new league that could shift historic offseason routines and keep more star players in the U.S. during the offseason. But there was other work in Florida: Free agency negotiations officially began Tuesday.
With some convenient scheduling, Unrivaled became the epicenter of all the chatter, gossip and deal-making.
“This is the best place to be able to recruit free agents,” said Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud, who is playing on Unrivaled’s Phantom Basketball Club.
The beginning stages of Unrivaled overlapping with WNBA free agency wasn’t one of the league’s original goals, co-founder Napheesa…
