The Las Vegas Aces are the team to beat—and the WNBA's general managers agree. In the league's latest GM survey, released Tuesday ahead of the 2026 season tip-off on Friday, the Aces dominated an impressive 17 of the 42 categories. That's a clear signal that the defending champions are poised for another deep playoff run.

When it comes to picking this year's champion, GMs overwhelmingly favor Las Vegas over the New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream. And at the center of it all is A'ja Wilson, who is projected as the 2026 WNBA MVP for a record fourth time. Wilson's dominance on both ends of the floor has her ahead of Breanna Stewart, while Caitlin Clark and Allisha Gray also received votes.

The Aces swept all four individual position categories. A'ja Wilson earned the nod as best forward (47%) and best center (57%). Chelsea Gray claimed best point guard with 73% of the vote—a huge jump from last year's tie with Clark—while Paige Bueckers (7%) rounded out the top three. At shooting guard, Jackie Young took the top spot (27%), with Bueckers close behind at 20%.

Speaking of Bueckers, the reigning Rookie of the Year is making waves. She overtook Caitlin Clark as the player GMs most want to build a franchise around. Bueckers earned 33% of those votes, while Clark tied with Wilson at 20%. Clark, who missed significant time in 2025 due to soft-tissue injuries, still received votes in five categories but didn't top any of them heading into her third season.

General managers from all 15 teams participated, evaluating players, coaches, offseason moves, and more across 42 questions. They were not allowed to vote for their own team or personnel, and percentages are based on the pool of respondents for each question. With the Aces leading the charge and a new generation of stars like Bueckers rising, the 30th WNBA season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive yet.