2026 WNBA Futures Award Markets Odds, Analysis & Best Bets
The WNBA season tips off May 8 and will run until the playoffs this fall when season awards will be announced. Like the NBA, there are markets available for the main awards in the WNBA.
Odds are up at sportsbooks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved, 6th Player, and Coach of the Year. There are also Team Futures bets, win totals, and other long-term bets to make prior to the season opener.
In this article, we’re concentrating on the awards market to find the best bets and values to consider for WNBA futures wagers. We already discussed the WNBA MVP Market which you can find here with top contender analysis on players like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and more.
2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award Odds, Analysis & Best Bet
Bright stars have been coming out of the college ranks into the WNBA over the past decade-plus, led by the last two Rookie of the Year winners: Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.
The 2026 draft class is led by another UConn star, Azzi Fudd , who joins Bueckers on the Dallas Wings this year. Fudd is the favorite at +280 odds to win Rookie of the Year, an award that is less dependent on team success than MVP or other postseason awards.
Following Fudd is the No. 2 overall pick, Olivia Miles , a dual-threat guard who will be thrust into a bigger role early in the year for the Minnesota Lynx while MVP candidate Napheesa Collier misses the first month or more of the season.
Spanish center Awa Fam is expected to make a major impact for the Seattle Storm with an elite defensive skill set and a versatile offensive game. She will be paired with another exciting rookie, Flau’jae Johnson , who was traded to Seattle after being selected eighth overall by the Valkyries.
Coming off a run to the NCAA Championship, Lauren Betts stands even taller than Fam at 6-foot-7 and she is listed at 7/1 odds to win the award. Her former UCLA teammate, Kiki Rice, lands with the Toronto Tempo and is a longshot candidate to win Rookie of the Year at 12/1 odds.
There definitely is value in taking a player with longer odds in this market since Fudd isn’t the same type of “can’t miss” prospect that we’ve seen go No. 1 overall in recent WNBA drafts. Whether you like one of the names listed above, or want to take a shot on a relative unknown like Washington Mystics guard Georgia Amoore at 10/1, those tickets should be live late into the season unless Fudd has a truly fantastic start. We’ll take Johnson at 7/1 or better to take home the hardware after using the motivation of her post-draft trade for fuel all season.
Best Bet: Flau’Jae Johnson
2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Odds, Analysis & Best Bet
If A’ja Wilson doesn’t win WNBA MVP for the fifth time in six seasons, the Las Vegas Aces forward is still expected to take home her third Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Wilson is well ahead of the competition to earn the award, followed by Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston .
Boston is right next to Australian forward Alanna Smith , who shared the award with Wilson last year in a split vote. In the case of another split, “dead heat” rules would likely apply, thus splitting the stake in half to calculate the payout. So a $10 bet on Smith at +900 odds would profit $45 rather than the $90 it would have paid if she won the award outright.
But back to the candidates, Boston won Defensive Player of the Year in the Unrivaled league with a single-season record of 29 blocks over 14 games in that shorter season. The South Carolina product has averaged 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game over three WNBA seasons and could be poised for a big campaign.
Last year, Angel Reese won DPOY in Unrivaled’s first season and the LSU product is a lead candidate for the honor in the WNBA at 10/1 odds. Reese provides a huge lift for her team by rebounding, which adds to her candidacy.
Then we have theft artist Gabby Williams , a three-time Euroleague DPOY, and veteran Alyssa Thomas , who has won it twice in the Euroleague and was twice runner-up in the WNBA in 2022 and 2023. And don’t forget about another veteran, Breanna Stewart , who finished second-team All-Defense last season after three straight first-team selections.
Best Bet: Aliyah Boston
2026 WNBA 6th Player of the Year Award Odds, Analysis & Best Bet
The favorite for best reserve in the WNBA season is Aces guard Chennedy Carter . The past three winners of this award have brought as much or more value defensively as they have on the offensive end, and Carter fits that bill with aggressive on-ball defense to complement the Aces length in the paint.
Last year’s winner, Atlanta Dream guard Naz Hillmon , is listed at 10/1 odds, just behind L.A. Sparks forward Cameron Brink . At 6-foot-4 with a 6-8 wingspan, Brink can provide elite rim protection and she’s quick enough to defend on the perimeter. Foul trouble has been a concern for Brink, which is part of the reason she is coming off the bench for the Sparks.
Tiffany Hayes won the award in 2025 with the Aces and is listed 12/1 odds to win the award coming off the bench for the Valkyries this season. Hayes initially announced her retirement in 2023 but she is still playing at age 36. The other candidate at 12/1 is current Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd , a sharpshooter with more of an offensive approach than Carter, who is the odds-on favorite.
Best Bet: Chennedy Carter
2026 WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award Odds, Analysis & Best Bet
This award is always tough to predict and there are no shortage of longshots to consider when it comes to Most Improved candidates.
The preseason favorite is Frenchwoman Dominique Malonga , who stands 6-foot-6 with a 7-1 wingspan, but is quite raw at age 20. Could the second-year center break out after making the All-Rookie Team in 2025? She will have a lot of competition for minutes in a crowded Seattle frontcourt.
Brink is a candidate for Most Improved as well as 6th Player of the Year. The Stanford product has dealt with injuries throughout her career so far and could flourish if healthy throughout her third season. Mystics guard Sonia Citron is ahead of Brink in the market at +750 odds. Citron was taken third overall last year and scored efficiently en route to 14.9 points per game, but the market expects more from her this year.
Longshot candidates include Chicago Sky forward Kamilla Cardoso , Portland Fire guard Carla Leite , and Minnesota Lynx wing Dorka Juhasz who is coming off a Euroleague MVP campaign and will be thrust into a bigger role to start this season.
Photo Credit: AP/Rick Scuteri
