Washington Mystics 2026 Season Preview

The Washington Mystics' rebuild is set to continue into the 2026 season with their opener against the Toronto Tempo happening at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Washington is coming off of a 16-28 campaign last year, and it has one of the youngest rosters across the WNBA. Eight of the 13 players on the roster are rookies as the Mystics will have a new-look rotation this season.

Here's who to know on the Mystics as the season gets underway this week.

Key returners

Washington has some productive players back for another season, headlined by center Shakira Austin, guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen.

Austin was the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year after averaging 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. She recently signed a new three-year deal to return to the Mystics, so she gives a veteran presence to the frontcourt.

In the backcourt, Citron is returning for Year 2 following a rookie season that saw her become a WNBA All-Star reserve. She averaged 14.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as Washington's No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 draft, so she's one of the notable young players the team is building around.

Similarly to Citron, Iriafen enjoyed a productive rookie season after getting selected No. 4 overall in the 2025 draft, also earning a WNBA All-Star reserve honor. She averaged 13.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, guard Georgia Amoore didn't play last season due to injury, but she could still offer the team her upside as she was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Amoore is set to make her WNBA debut once the season starts.

Key additions

After selecting six players in the 2026 draft, the Mystics bolstered their roster with a bunch of rookies. Most notably, Washington made three first-round picks in UCLA center Lauren Betts, UCLA forward Angela Dugalić and Ole Miss forward Cotie McMahon.

Now, McMahon won't start the season healthy as she recently endured an elbow injury, but she likely will provide production as a scorer once she returns. McMahon averaged 19.5 points per game with 45.1% shooting from the field last season with the Rebels.

Otherwise, Betts and Dugalić are set to make impacts right away as Betts could even make a push to earn a starting job while Dugalić will likely be in the rotation. Both of them were key contributors to UCLA's national championship run during the 2025-26 season.

In free agency, the Mystics signed forward Michaela Onyenwere, who played for the Chicago Sky last season. With five years in the WNBA, Onyenwere gives a young Washington team a veteran who's averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in her career.

Potential starting five

With the season starting soon, the Mystics' starting five could still be up in the air as the team mixes in returning players with rookies.

At point guard, Amoore seems to slot in as the starter since she averaged 5.5 assists per game in her collegiate career. Through two preseason appearances with the Mystics this year, Amoore had 2.0 assists per game.

Elsewhere, Citron likely starts at shooting guard while Iriafen should start at power forward due to their proven production at the WNBA level. Small forward and center might not be as set in stone with who will be starting.

The Mystics could go with Onyenwere at small forward and Austin at center to have more veterans in the lineup. However, it's also possible that McMahon and Betts slide into starting roles if the team wants to showcase its youth more.