When the WNBA season turns the corner after the trade deadline, the pressure mounts.
Despite feeling like it’s weeks away, teams have fewer than 20 games to go before the postseason. The top eight teams will advance in pursuit of a championship as the 2026 playoffs begin Sept. 27.
For some franchises, regardless of what happens during the journey to the WNBA Finals, head coaches will be safe. For others, what happens during the back half of the season will end (or extend) their head coach's tenure.
We're officially in hot seat territory. Whose seat is simmering? Whose seat is already boiling? USA Today Sports Studio IX breaks down the five coaches to keep an eye on over the next two months.
TIER 2: SIMMERING
New York Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco reacts on the sideline during the first half against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, July 20.
New York Liberty | Chris DeMarco
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The Liberty hired Chris DeMarco last December following 14 seasons with the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He replaced former head coach Sandy Brondello, who spent four seasons with New York, winning a championship in 2024, before being fired following a first-round playoff exit.
The Liberty started the 2026 season 3-4 before an eight-game winning streak. That ended June 19, and New York has been inconsistent since. The Liberty are 19-13, just above the cutoff line for projected playoff teams. While that shouldn't immediately induce panic and DeMarco could return next season, it's a far cry from the championship standards the front office has come to expect.
Phoenix Mercury | Nate Tibbetts
Tibbetts, who joined the Mercury in 2024, had been an NBA assistant coach since 2011. He signed the biggest coaching contract in WNBA history ($1.2 million per year), with the expectation of turning Phoenix around. The Mercury were coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons, where they failed to secure a record above .500 or advance past the first round of the playoffs.
Tibbetts and Phoenix could not get over the .500 hump in his first season, but blazed to the 2025 WNBA Finals after knocking off Minnesota and New York. Phoenix was swept by the Aces in the Finals.
The Mercury have struggled to a 12-20 record this season and will have to make a run down the stretch to sniff the postseason. If nothing changes, Tibbetts could find himself out the door.
TIER 1: BOILING
Los Angeles Sparks | Lynne Roberts
Roberts took over as head coach of the Sparks in 2025. She succeeded Curt Miller, who left the franchise after leading Los Angeles to a 25–55 record in two seasons. Roberts transitioned to the WNBA after two decades as a collegiate women’s basketball head coach, including nine seasons at Utah.
Roberts' first season in 2025 ended with a 21-23 record for Los Angeles, extending the franchise's streak of missing the playoffs to five seasons. This season, the Sparks are 11-18 and have one of the worst defensive ratings in the league (113.1), teetering on the record for worst defense in league history. To be fair to Roberts, the injuries facing the Sparks in her first two seasons have not helped, but Los Angeles has struggled to adjust.
Tyler Marsh could be on the hot seat in Chicago.
Chicago Sky | Tyler Marsh
Following Teresa Weatherspoon's departure after one season, Chicago went all in on Marsh. He joined the Sky after spending two seasons as an assistant coach and the head of player development with the Las Vegas Aces. Marsh helped the team win back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. Before his time with the Aces, Marsh was an assistant for the Pacers and Raptors in the NBA.
Marsh was 10-24 in his first season, and the Sky are currently 12-19, on track to miss the playoffs barring a late rally. Like Roberts, Marsh has faced a slew of injuries, and Chicago's core roster has changed. Still, Marsh has yet to find a sustainable winning formula.
Connecticut Sun | Rachid Meziane
In 2024, Stephanie White left to become the Indiana Fever's head coach after guiding the Sun to back-to-back trips to the semifinals. Meziane, who spent five years coaching Belgium Women's Basketball in FIBA competition, was brought in as her replacement.
The roster has been completely overhauled following departures, trades and draft hauls over the last two seasons. The young roster has struggled to keep up with the rest of the league. After winning 11 games in 2025, the Sun are 7-23 this year. This is the team’s final season playing at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The franchise will move and be rebranded as the Houston Comets in 2027. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Sun see a new coach for its Houston era.
