That’s not just because the Mystics are set to return two foundational pieces in guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen. Each were named WNBA All-Stars and broke several franchise records as rookies in 2025.
It’s also because, under general manager Jamila Wideman and Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger, the Mystics are committed to a slow and steady rebuild. That ethos didn’t change when the team went a surprising 11-11 before the All-Star break, as Wideman later traded veteran guard Brittney Sykes for a 2026 first-round draft pick.
That ethos isn’t changing now, either, as the franchise heads into its first full offseason under Wideman after she was hired last December. When a reporter asked Wideman in her exit interview on Monday what the next phase of the rebuild is, she said, “This may be a boring answer, but I think it’s more of the same.”
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Wideman also didn’t directly answer a question about whether making the playoffs is a reasonable goal for 2026. Instead, she emphasized that one of the Mystics’ goals in 2025 was to create the habits that eventually help teams make playoff runs.
“Whether [next season] includes the playoffs or not, I think the important thing for us is to remember that we are building for something even bigger than that,” she said. “I think we are building with an aspiration to create a culture of competitiveness that lets us have the playoffs in our sight year in and year out. And so I think we’re one year into building that foundation, and we look forward to continuing to build next year.”
Wideman’s comments suggest that, like in 2025, the Mystics will focus more on player development than outcomes in 2026. They want development to be “part of the core of [our] culture,” Wideman said, not a one-year emphasis. And they’re expected to have a young roster again: Four 2025 rookies and second-year guard Jacy Sheldon are under contract for next season, and the team has three first-round draft picks in 2026.
The Mystics were pleased with their player development in 2025, whether it was helping Iriafen be a better offensive rebounder, playing forward Emily Engstler at three positions or having Citron handle the ball more. Player development lead Clinton Crouch told The Next on Sept. 6 that he tries to strike a balance between adding to players’ games and reinforcing their strengths.
“As we’re adding new things to their game, I think it’s imperative that we always remind them, ‘Don’t forget who you are,’” he said. “‘Don’t forget what got you here. That’s always gonna be your foundation, but we also have to expand and build on that.’
“So we’ll do it in small doses. We’ll do it in practice first; we’ll go through reps in private workouts. We’ll watch a bunch of film so … it’s not brand new in the game. But the discomfort is just part of the process. I encourage players to be uncomfortable because … that’s when you grow the most, or you get the opportunity to grow the most.”
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The Mystics will also focus heavily on player development this offseason, even as players are scattered around the world. In the days after the season ended on Sept. 9, Wideman and head coach Sydney Johnson met with players individually. Those meetings included sharing feedback from the coaching staff, but also a lot of listening.
“[We’re] trying to receive as much as give out [feedback] because, frankly, that’s kind of how we roll,” Johnson told reporters in his exit interview on Sept. 10. “So we certainly have an idea of what we’re looking to do and what our culture is … but we also want to hear back.”
This offseason, some Mystics players will go overseas. Guards Jade Melbourne and Lucy Olsen will play in Australia’s WNBL, and guard/forward Madison Scott will play in Italy. Others will play domestically in the 3×3 league Unrivaled or in the 5×5 league Athletes Unlimited. Guards Sug Sutton and Georgia Amoore will stay in Washington to train and rehab an ACL injury, respectively.
Wherever they are, Wideman hopes that the healthy players can experience competitive basketball in some form. Johnson echoed that, saying, “Your one-on-one skills in the gym don’t really mean a lot if you can’t marry it to four other players.”
Each player will have a personalized development plan targeting specific areas for improvement. That plan comes from “a million notes” that the staff took on each player during the season, Johnson said. And the staff will keep in touch with each player to help them reach their goals, whether by working with them in Washington, visiting them elsewhere or connecting virtually.
Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen (right) listens to assistant coach Barbara Turner before a game against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Aug. 21, 2025. (Photo credit: Chris Poss | The Next)
Several Mystics players also spoke in their exit interviews about how they want to improve their games. “I’m excited because I feel like there’s so many things to work on,” Iriafen said, specifically mentioning that she wants to develop her 3-point shot so defenses have to guard her all over the court. The 6’3 Iriafen worked on that throughout the season but took just 11 threes as a rookie, making two.
Melbourne, who is just 23 years old but is entering her sixth season with the Canberra Capitals, wants to “take that point guard position with two hands” this offseason. That means studying the game at a higher level and leaning into a leadership role as a team captain. She also wants to improve her 3-point shooting and finishing at the rim.
For center/forward Shakira Austin, it will be her first fully healthy offseason in a few years after battling several injuries, including tendinitis early in the 2025 season. Though she won AP Comeback Player of the Year this season after averaging 12.7 points in a career-high 38 regular-season games, she said she “wasn’t proud” of her performance overall.
Austin — who will be a restricted free agent this winter — wants to make the most of her offseason by prioritizing her nutrition, sleep and recovery alongside her on-court work. On the court, her goals include improving her one-on-one defense so she can be a complete defensive stopper.
And Citron shared an extensive list of things she wants to work on, including getting stronger, dealing with physicality better, shooting quicker, developing her midrange game more and honing her ball-handling. She also spoke about being more aggressive when her team needs her to be. That’s something she didn’t always have to do as the third option at Notre Dame but did once she became the Mystics’ top option after Sykes was traded.
“I’m very much a flow player, so my shots and all that come with the flow of the game,” Citron said. “So sometimes that’s a great thing. Sometimes not so much if [the game is] not going how we want [it] to go. And I think that’s where I kind of need to insert my aggression more.”
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Beyond player development, the Mystics will also look to get better this offseason through free agency and the WNBA draft. The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Oct. 31, so there is a lot of uncertainty regarding things like the salary cap and contract terms for 2026 and beyond. However, nearly every WNBA veteran’s contract is expiring after the 2025 season, so plenty of players will be available in free agency.
The Mystics will likely look for players who can play fast, which is something Johnson tried to implement this season but didn’t fully achieve. They will also prioritize 3-point shooting after finishing last in the WNBA in threes made and attempted per game. Their lack of shooting encouraged opponents to clog the paint, which made it even harder for the Mystics to score quickly.
However, Wideman also noted that individual skill sets aren’t the only factors that determine how a team can play. Tactics are important, too — like having plays that free up 3-point shooters or spacing that creates bigger gaps for players to get downhill. The Mystics will aim to leverage both in 2026.
Injured Washington Mystics guards Jacy Sheldon (left) and Georgia Amoore stand together before a game against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Aug. 21, 2025. (Photo credit: Chris Poss | The Next)
In the 2026 WNBA draft, the Mystics have six total picks, and their three first-round picks are all expected to be within the top 11. Wideman could potentially trade some of those picks for other players or future assets. But if the Mystics keep all of their first-round picks, they will likely look to give them — along with Amoore, who missed all of 2025 with her injury — room to play and find success, like Citron and Iriafen had this season.
“When we look at what we did this year that gave some of our rookies some space to grow and look at what they were able to accomplish, I think that grew out of not only a commitment to development, but also a commitment to try things,” Wideman said. “I think Coach Johnson and his staff did a wonderful job this year of being willing to put out different lineups [and] different schemes, both offensively and defensively. And in some ways, those were an attempt for us to get a look at what we’ve got.”
Ultimately, Wideman summed up the Mystics’ plan to rebuild the franchise as “time and talent.” The Mystics are preaching patience — just as Winger has urged while rebuilding the NBA’s Washington Wizards. The big question is how long it’ll take for the Mystics to move to the next stage of their rebuild, when they acknowledge that the playoffs are again a goal and emphasize outcomes alongside continued development.
Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the group that owns the Washington Mystics, holds a minority stake in The Next. The Next’s editorial operations are entirely independent of Monumental and all other business partners.