The Washington Mystics have moved beyond simply being a bad team and into what many are now openly calling shameless tanking. The evidence has become too consistent and too blatant to dismiss as growing pains or simple incompetence. In recent games the Mystics have had winnable situations and appeared to hand victories away through a series of head-scratching coaching decisions, lineup choices, and a noticeable lack of urgency that stands in stark contrast to last season’s competitiveness.
One of the most glaring examples came in a game the Mystics had positioned themselves to win. Up by one with roughly 30 seconds remaining, they chose to run their offense through Shakira Austin, who proceeded to turn the ball over for the fifth time in the contest. Rather than simplifying the action, dribbling out clock, or getting the ball into the hands of more reliable creators, Washington ran a set that invited disaster. The turnover handed momentum and ultimately the game to their opponent. It was the kind of possession that felt less like a mistake and more like a decision that prioritized something other than winning in that moment.
The final possession in another contest raised even more questions. With four seconds left and the ball about to be inbounded, Lauren Betts — a player whose length and rim protection could have altered the play — remained on the bench. Instead, smaller players were left to contest a potential lob or difficult entry pass. Betts’ presence on the floor would not have guaranteed a stop, but her absence made the defensive task significantly harder. The decision to keep her sidelined in that specific situation has been difficult for observers to rationalize as anything other than intentional.
Perhaps most telling has been the body language and expressions coming from the Mystics’ sideline. Coach Sydney Johnson has been caught on camera smiling in moments that would normally elicit frustration or disappointment from a competitive staff. In one widely circulated sequence, Johnson and guard Lucy Olsen were visibly smiling as Caitlin Clark rose for and converted her game-winning logo three-pointer. While sportsmanship and respect for a great play are part of the game, the timing and context of the reaction have been interpreted by many as further evidence that the outcome was not entirely unwelcome from Washington’s perspective.
These moments have not occurred in isolation. The Mystics’ offensive execution has been marked by a lack of aggression and shooting volume from players who are supposed to be primary options. One player logged 40 minutes while attempting only 12 shots. For a team that needs its experienced and All-Star caliber players to create offense, that level of passivity has been glaring. Sonia Citron has emerged as a notable exception, showing poise and “ice in her veins” with clutch free throws and timely scoring. Yet even Citron’s efforts have been undermined by the broader lack of shooting and creation around her. Georgia Amoore, for example, entered one recent game shooting just 23 percent from three on the season before a hot night inflated her numbers. Most of the roster has been similarly inefficient from beyond the arc, with the team’s best three-point shooter hovering around 30-33 percent.
The contrast with last season makes the current trajectory even more striking. Through the first 28 games of 2025, the Mystics were competitive, sitting at 14-14 and at one point ahead of the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces in the standings. They showed signs of growth and identity under Johnson, who had previously demonstrated he is capable of coaching winning basketball. The team was on a path that could have led to the playoffs with a strong finish. Instead, they collapsed down the stretch, winning only a handful of their final games and missing the postseason by a significant margin. That late-season fade now looks like a precursor to the more overt self-sabotage being displayed this year.
Current results reflect the shift. The Mystics sit at approximately 4-6 or 4-7, a record that on paper looks merely mediocre but feels worse given the manner in which games have been lost. They have shown an ability to compete for stretches only to revert to low-energy execution and questionable decision-making when it matters most. The team that once looked capable of fighting for a playoff spot now appears more focused on something else entirely — positioning for the upcoming draft.
The “why” behind the tanking speculation is straightforward in the eyes of many observers. By continuing to lose, Washington improves its draft position in a league where high picks can accelerate rebuilds. The presence of young talent and the perception that certain other teams (including a struggling Chicago Sky) might also finish poorly has created a scenario where intentional losing could yield significant long-term benefits. When a team that demonstrated competence last year suddenly makes decisions that only make sense if the goal is to lose, the conclusion becomes difficult to avoid.
Sydney Johnson’s role in this narrative is particularly complicated. He has shown in the past that he can coach. The early success last season proved that. Yet the pattern of late-game choices — lineups that lack size when it is needed, offensive sets that invite turnovers in crunch time, and an overall lack of urgency — has led many to believe the losing is no longer accidental. Johnson is not an incompetent coach. Therefore, the argument goes, the decisions must be deliberate.
For Sonia Citron and the handful of players still playing with visible effort, the situation is unfortunate. Citron has been a consistent bright spot, attacking when others hesitate and delivering in pressure moments. She cannot, however, carry an entire roster that appears to have accepted losing as the short-term strategy. The lack of shooting, creation, and defensive intensity around her has made her individual contributions feel like they are occurring in a vacuum.
The broader implications for the franchise are significant. Tanking, even when obvious, carries risks. Fan engagement suffers when games feel predetermined. Young players can develop bad habits when winning is deprioritized. And the message sent to free agents and future draft picks is that the organization is willing to sacrifice the present entirely for a better future. Whether that calculation ultimately pays off remains to be seen, but the current product on the floor has left many Mystics supporters disillusioned.
Last year’s team showed it could compete. This year’s version has chosen a different path. The shamelessness of the tanking — the visible body language, the late-game decisions that invite defeat, the lack of shooting and aggression — has removed any plausible deniability. Washington is not merely bad. They are actively playing like a team that has decided losing serves a greater purpose.
How long this approach continues and whether it produces the desired draft capital will determine if the strategy is viewed as ruthless pragmatism or a damaging admission that the franchise has given up on competing in the present. For now, the Mystics are delivering exactly what many suspected: a season defined less by development and more by the pursuit of a higher pick. The games may still be played, but for a growing number of observers, the outcomes already feel decided long before the final buzzer.
