The 2023 WNBA season tips off on Friday, which means rosters are being finalized this week.
Entering its 27th season, the WNBA still has only 12 teams with just 12 roster spots on each of those squads. Often, that means younger talent gets pushed out.
On Monday, a first-round draft pick from THIS YEAR was waived. On Tuesday, a former All-Rookie selection was waived. On Wednesday, the No. 1 overall pick from 2021 was waived.
Roster squeeze season in the WNBA can be brutal. It’s one of the reasons why many have argued for the league to expand. And if the WNBA isn’t ready to add more teams, it should – at the very least – add roster spots.
The way things are now, these players have nowhere to go when they get cut. There’s not a practice squad and there’s nothing like the NBA’s G-League where players can still progress in their development. The lack of roster spots is a serious problem for the WNBA. It’s why several players who might’ve been first-round picks this year decided to return to college for another season. Because in the WNBA, even if you’re a first rounder, there’s no guarantee you make a roster.
*Draft new players with fans who are ready to support them and the league
*Player gets waived because not enough spots *Fans no longer want to support the league as a whole
Ugh this is stressful 🤦🏾♀️— Rhyne Howard 🤟🏾🈳 (@howard_rhyne) May 17, 2023
Let’s take a closer look at the high-profile players who suddenly became free agents this week.
Charli Collier
Collier was the No. 1 overall pick out of Texas in the 2021 draft. She performed decently as a rookie, posting per game averages of 3.4 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor in 28 games – 18 of which were starts. But her stats took a nosedive last season. And the Dallas Wings – which had three first round picks this season – had some tough decisions to make. The Wings waived her on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-5 center is the latest casualty from the 2021 class. Among the 12 first-round selections from that season, just four are currently on WNBA rosters: No. 2 Awak Kuier (Dallas), No. 3 Aari McDonald (Atlanta), No. 6 Michaela Onyenwere (drafted by New York but traded to Phoenix) and No. 12 Iliana Rupert, was waived by Las Vegas but later added by Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Dana Evans – selected 13th overall in that draft, the first pick of the second round – is in line for a bigger role with the Chicago Sky this season after the team recently exercised her fourth-year option.
God doesn’t make mistakes. pic.twitter.com/DX9bPcdfpE
— Charli Collier™ (@charlicollier) May 17, 2023
Jazmine Jones
Jones was waived by the Washington Mystics on Wednesday. She’s been a solid role player in the WNBA since being drafted out of Louisville 12th overall in 2020, averaging 16.8 minutes per game in 55 appearances across three seasons. She hasn’t quite been able to regain the form from her rookie season though, where she averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Liberty.
🙃 Jesus take the wheel 🙏🏾
— Jazmine Jones (@Jazmine_Jones4) May 17, 2023
Emily Engstler
The No. 4 overall pick from the 2022 draft has now been waived twice this preseason. Engstler was cut loose by the Indiana Fever a few weeks ago, but latched on with the Mystics for the remainder of the preseason, until they waived her on Wednesday too.
Engstler, who led Louisville to the Final Four in 2022 and was a standout and versatile defender in college, put up solid numbers for the Fever last season. She stuffed the stat sheet with 5.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 35.6 percent from behind the arc – doing a little bit of everything for the Fever.
She is widely seen as one of the top available free agents at the moment and was a difficult cut for the Mystics.
Mike Thibault said if they had an extra spot, Emily Engstler would have made the team. Also doesn’t expect to pick up anyone waived over these next couple days. #wnba
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) May 17, 2023
Abby Meyers
Meyers was a picked in the first round of the 2023 draft, selected 11th overall just a few weeks ago. A lot of folks at the time thought the pick was a bit of a reach by the Dallas Wings, but the former Maryland Terrapin and Princeton Tiger fit the profile of what the team was looking for: a reliable shooter and perimeter playmaker.
The problem is that Meyers didn’t really get the chance to prove herself in game action, playing a total of just six minutes in the Wings’ pair of preseason games. Dallas waived her on Monday.
Anyways, it’s a real shame we didn’t get to see Meyers attempt this shot in a game:
Abby makes it look easy 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EddVhl7TZq
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) May 4, 2023
DiDi Richards
Richards helped lead Baylor to the 2019 national championship and was drafted 17th overall by the Liberty in 2021. She quickly became a fan favorite for her defense and swagger, and averaged 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists last season.
The Liberty made several high-profile additions this offseason though, landing the likes of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot, among others. That meant a few players were going to get squeezed out, and Richards happened to be one of them. The Liberty waived her on Tuesday.
Larger media rights deal + expansion = more teams, more spots, charters, pension…
— Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) May 17, 2023
Taylor Mikesell
Drafted 13th overall by the Indiana Fever just a few weeks ago, Mikesell was waived on Wednesday.
It sure feels like someone will pick her up and give her a chance though, considering she has been one of the most lethal 3-point threats in women’s college basketball since 2018. In each of her five collegiate seasons, Mikesell shot better than 40 percent from behind the arc. And in the past two seasons with Ohio State, she knocked down an average of at least three 3’s per game.
Mikesell scored five points in 13 minutes in her lone preseason appearance for the Fever.
Phoenix, Seattle, Atlanta should all try out Taylor Mikesell. she looked like a great offensive piece in Indy's first preseason game, but got no minutes against the Wings despite the Fever's other wings not exactly lighting it up https://t.co/9RxSIqusLO
— Em🌹🏳️🌈 (@em_adler) May 17, 2023
And these players too…
- Kalani Brown
- Monika Czinano
- Destanni Henderson
- Brea Beal
- Nia Clouden
- Caitlin Bickle
- Sika Koné
- Alexis Morris
- Rae Burrell
- Stephanie Jones
When playing women’s basketball professionally you always have to have a What’s Next mentality. Rejection may suck but it’s not the end of the world!
— Caitlin Bickle (@caitlin_bickle) May 16, 2023
If we can’t make roster spots for rookies, cut the vets 🫠
— Steelo (@AlexisMorrisWBB) May 17, 2023
