The primary wave of WNBA preseason video games over the weekend additionally introduced the primary massive wave of coaching camp roster cuts. Because of the restricted variety of roster spots on WNBA groups and the wage cap restrictions, many WNBA coaching camp attendees don’t make groups. Groups will signal anyplace from 18-21 (ish) gamers to camp, and reduce their rosters right down to 11-12 by the point the season begins.
Most groups will wait till after their first preseason recreation to start to trim down their roster, at the very least getting a take a look at everybody earlier than making selections. One transfer that bucked that pattern was the untimely reduce to Shyanne Sellers by the Golden State Valkyries. After being projected to be drafted within the first spherical of final month’s WNBA Draft, Sellers dropped to No. 17, the place Golden State snatched her. But, she was reduce from the roster earlier than even getting the possibility to play in Golden State’s first preseason recreation.
Sellers was solely certainly one of a number of cuts revamped the weekend. On Friday, the LA Sparks reduce Alyssa Utsby and Anneli Maley from their coaching camp roster, whereas New York made its first reduce by waiving Kaitlyn Davis. All of those strikes had been made earlier than their groups had been in a position to see these gamers in a preseason recreation.
After Sellers on Saturday, a wave of cuts formally got here by the WNBA Transactions web page on Sunday. After the Dallas Wings opened their yr with a preseason recreation in opposition to Las Vegas on Friday, they waived McKenzie Forbes and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. Chicago performed their first preseason recreation on Friday as nicely, dealing with the Brazilian Nationwide Staff at LSU. After that recreation, they determined to waive Arella Guirantes, Tilly Boler and Sammie Puisis.
Not one of the gamers waived this weekend, aside from Sellers, had been anticipated to make ultimate WNBA rosters this season. It’s simply the character of this cutthroat league — you might want to be within the elite tier of expertise to even get a shot. The state of affairs appears to be getting a bit higher because the league expands, however the addition of the Valkyries this season shouldn’t be fixing this drawback, because the Sellers transfer proved.
Golden State has opted to go together with a particularly worldwide roster for his or her opening season. They used their enlargement draft picks to amass a ton of European expertise, and used their 2025 No. 5 decide on “draft and stash” European Juste Jocyte. With Sellers waived, the one 2025 draft decide nonetheless on the roster is Kaitlyn Chen, who they drafted thirtieth total out of UConn.
The fallout from waiving Sellers induced an enormous debate on-line about WNBA enlargement and which gamers groups needs to be prioritizing with these new roster spots. Many expressed that they assumed WNBA enlargement would imply there can be extra up-and-coming NCAA-bred expertise within the WNBA, as an alternative of bringing over extra gamers from Europe. That was known as out as a really “American” take by different worldwide followers.
I’ve conflicting opinions in regards to the above takes, being a basketball fan in Canada myself. For one, I understand how arduous it’s for worldwide expertise to be acknowledged in any respect — how there are so few alternatives for them to make it to the WNBA. The on-edge and defensive Canadian that 2025 has morphed me into desires to right away name out People for his or her perpetual single-mindedness. But, part of me additionally will get that the rhetoric being spewed for the previous few years was enlargement = extra probabilities for NCAA expertise to make it. Now that isn’t essentially taking place, as groups choose to as an alternative convey over these skilled worldwide gamers. It’s honest for followers of ladies’s faculty basketball to really feel a bit misled.
Ultimately, I feel globalizing the sport is an effective factor. For years, worldwide leagues have accepted American ladies’s basketball gamers onto their rosters when there weren’t spots for them within the WNBA — why not now return the favor? If it’s a matter of American over extra proficient gamers… nicely, that’s not an incredible course to guide the league in. The results of these younger latest faculty gamers getting reduce should not be “ban the Europeans,” however as an alternative making a system to develop younger expertise throughout the WNBA that isn’t simply drafting them, letting them get pleasure from coaching camp for just a few days, after which leaving them out to dry.
That is the place extra roster spots on groups may come into play, with the present official cap of 12 being too small now that there’s a lot extra expertise all over the world. Add in the truth that the WNBA’s arduous wage cap means most groups roll with 11 gamers, and the cuts go even deeper. The early wave of accidents within the WNBA has additionally uncovered holes within the present CBA in the case of wage and roster spots. When Seattle Storm ahead Katie Lou Samuelson was recognized with a torn ACL final week in coaching camp, it meant that she is going to nonetheless get her full season wage (which is sweet), however that cash will nonetheless rely in the direction of the Storm’s cap. That signifies that the Storm have her wage going in opposition to their finances, and Samuelson will take one of many 12 accessible roster spots regardless of being out for the complete season with this harm.
These are all points that will likely be addressed within the new Collective Bargaining Settlement (CBA), which the gamers’ union is already negotiating with the WNBA.
The WNBA preseason continues Tuesday as Golden State performs its first-ever recreation in opposition to the LA Sparks, Las Vegas performs Phoenix, and Minnesota performs Chicago. Extra roster cuts are positive to observe, as groups work in the direction of solidifying their 11-12 gamers. Opening day rosters are due on Might 15, the day earlier than the common season suggestions off on Might 16.
Right here is everybody who has been reduce from coaching camp rosters up to now:
- Mya Hollingshed (Connecticut Solar)
- Abbey Hsu (Connecticut Solar)
- Jordyn Jenkins (Las Vegas Aces)
- Kaitlyn Davis (New York Liberty)
- Alyssa Utsby (Los Angeles Sparks)
- Anneli Maley (Los Angeles Sparks)
- Shyanne Sellers (Golden State Valkyries)
- Arella Guirantes (Chicago Sky)
- Tilly Boler (Chicago Sky)
- Sammi Puisis (Chicago Sky)
- McKenzie Forbes (Dallas Wings)
- Mikiah Herbert Hannigan (Dallas Wings)
- Morgan Jones (Washington Mystics)
- Jojo Lacey (Washington Mystics)
- Bree Corridor (Indiana Fever)
- Jillian Alleyne (Indiana Fever)
- DeYona Gaston (Atlanta Dream)