2023 WNBA Training Camp Roster Breakdowns

Detailing where every roster stands heading into training camp, from salary cap situations to the number of genuine job opportunities for each team

Apr 27, 2023

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A long and eventful WNBA offseason is finally nearing its conclusion, with training camps opening up across the league on Sunday. That means it’s time for our yearly look at where all the teams stand heading into camp, and the decisions they have left to make before the regular season begins on May 19. Below we detail which teams are tight against the cap and can barely fit in the minimum of 11 players, which have more cap space than they know what to do with, and where the open spots and roster battles appear to fall on every roster.

In one slight change to the rules this year, the league is allowing rostered replacements for players unable to play due to pregnancy. As I understand it, the teams will have to submit a legal roster by the standard deadline, but can also retain a replacement on their applicable minimum salary for players out due to pregnancy or childbirth. So those replacements won’t have to pass through waivers and then be re-signed, but can just be retained at the end of camp. However, as usual, the League hasn’t been wildly clear on these processes, so that information is subject to change.

The names in bold on the rosters below are those I consider virtually certain to make the team. That doesn’t always equate directly to those with guaranteed salaries, information you can always find on our Her Hoop Stats cap sheets (the protected/guaranteed ones are in green). The names in parentheses are either pregnant players not expected to participate, or players who were drafted by the team but haven’t officially signed contracts yet. Several of those players, especially those from overseas, may not be participating in the WNBA at all this season but are included for the sake of completeness.

On to the breakdowns.

Atlanta Dream

PG: Danielle Robinson/Aari McDonald/Leigha Brown

SG: Allisha Gray/AD Durr/Mikayla Pivec

SF: Rhyne Howard/Haley Jones/Nia Coffey

PF: Monique Billings/Naz Hillmon/Laeticia Amihere

C: Cheyenne Parker/Iliana Rupert/Lorela Cubaj/Alaina Coates

Likely Roster Size: 12, plenty of cap space remaining

The acquisitions of Danielle Robinson and Allisha Gray turned out to be the only major offseason outlays for the Dream, apart from re-signing their own players. That means they still have lots of cap space to work with, and can comfortably start the season with 12. In fact, if someone like Robinson or Nia Coffey were to be outplayed badly enough in camp, the Dream could even swallow one of their guaranteed deals and still keep 12 players. But that doesn’t seem likely.

Exactly who the 12 will be is still somewhat up in the air, although you could easily pencil in one or two more than I have bolded above. Laeticia Amihere is something of a project, but after spending the No. 8 pick on her she’ll almost certainly make the roster. Iliana Rupert, picked up off waivers after Las Vegas let her go, looks the favourite among the backup centers - if she shows up for camp. As a French player in a EuroBasket Women year, that can’t be considered a certainty. AD Durr seems the most likely to fill out the perimeter group after their promising moments last year, but after their 2022 season was ended by injury will have to earn it again.

Chicago Sky

PG: Marina Mabrey/Dana Evans/Angel Baker

SG: Courtney Williams/Feyonda Fitzgerald(/Kayana Traylor)

SF: Kahleah Copper/Rebekah Gardner/Anneli Maley/Robyn Parks(/Kseniya Malashka)

PF: Isabelle Harrison/Alanna Smith/Morgan Bertsch

C: Elizabeth Williams/Ruthy Hebard/Li Yueru/Kristine Anigwe

Likely Roster Size: Now that Astou Ndour-Fall’s contract is gone, they can keep 12 if they want

It initially looked like the Sky were set up to begin the season with an 11-player roster, unless they were expecting Alanna Smith and Astou Ndour-Fall to battle for one veteran backup post spot in camp. Then Ndour-Fall decided to skip the 2023 season, was suspended for the year, and her $115,000 contract was removed from the equation. Now they can keep Smith (or someone else, if she’s outplayed in camp), and still fit in 12.

Ruthy Hebard’s $83,194 is guaranteed by virtue of the altered rules for fourth-year options on rookie-scale deals. They could cut her, pay the money and still keep a legal 11-player roster, but that probably isn’t likely. Add her to the bolded players above and you get to eight, which still leaves plenty of spots to play for. Li Yueru would probably stick, if she shows up - which doesn’t seem remotely certain after her early departure last season. The $100,000 deal they gave Smith suggests they want her, despite previous stints in Phoenix and Indiana that didn’t prove much at the WNBA level.

On the perimeter there are clearly spots to fight for among the backups, with largely unknown quantities battling for at least one spot, maybe more. Anneli Maley had some impressive moments in her few games last year before being squeezed out by their roster crunch, but still has to prove that she has a WNBA position.

Connecticut Sun

PG: Natisha Hiedeman/Tyasha Harris/Alexis Morris/Kiara Smith

SG: Tiffany Hayes/DiJonai Carrington/Nia Clouden/Jayla Everett

SF: DeWanna Bonner/Rebecca Allen

PF: Alyssa Thomas/Lauren Cox/Mikiah Herbert Harrigan/Caitlin Bickle

C: Brionna Jones/Olivia Nelson-Ododa/Victoria Macaulay/Khallia Hillsman/Ashten Prechtel

Likely Roster Size: Definitely 11, and only certain permutations of 11 work

Despite reshaping the roster somewhat this offseason, with Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas the primary sacrifices, Connecticut have left themselves with similar issues as in previous years - very, very little cap space.

After acquiring her exclusive negotiating rights from Atlanta, the Sun gave Tiffany Hayes every last possible cent they could legally give her under the team cap. So if they were to keep every regular contract currently on the roster – i.e. add Carrington, Clouden and Nelson-Ododa to the seven in bold above – then the final spot on the roster would have to be filled by an absolute base minimum salary. That means Alexis Morris wouldn’t fit because as a second-round pick she’d be scheduled to make $65,290 this year, rather than the $62,285 minimum. So if Morris is going to make it, she likely has to beat out Clouden or Carrington. Hayes and Natisha Hiedeman also have unguaranteed deals, but aren’t likely to be going anywhere.

For roster balance, that 11th spot should be going to a post anyway. Nelson-Ododa will probably stick after a decent rookie season in Los Angeles and being the main return from the Jasmine Thomas trade, but the other backup post spot looks wide open.

Dallas Wings

PG: Veronica Burton/Crystal Dangerfield

SG: Arike Ogunbowale/Lou Lopez Sénéchal/Abby Meyers/Jasmine Dickey(/Paige Robinson)

SF: Satou Sabally/Diamond DeShields/Kitija Laksa/Ashley Joens

PF: Natasha Howard/Maddy Siegrist

C: Teaira McCowan/Awak Kuier/Charli Collier/Kalani Brown

Likely Roster Size: Probably 12, but close enough to the cap that it can’t be absolutely any 12

It looked like the cap situation in Dallas was becoming much more complicated partway through the offseason, but ultimately the combination of Allisha Gray and Marina Mabrey being traded away opened things up again. They're in position to once again keep 12 players to start the season.

It can't be absolutely any 12, but it's pretty close. If you add Crystal Dangerfield to those in bold above - which seems pretty likely as she's the only point guard besides Veronica Burton, and was signed to a very reasonable deal after being acquired via trade - then the final two spots couldn't go to Charli Collier and Kalani Brown, because they're too expensive. However, two extra posts would seem unnecessary anyway, so that's likely irrelevant.

The final cuts could still be painful for the Wings front office. Do they finally give up on Collier, who's been thoroughly unimpressive in the WNBA so far but was the No. 1 overall pick only two years ago? Are they willing to cut Abby Meyers if Kitija Laksa is more impressive in camp, despite spending a first-round pick on Meyers earlier this month? These are the decisions you're left with when you keep piling up more and more draftees every year.

Indiana Fever

PG: Erica Wheeler/Destanni Henderson/Grace Berger

SG: Kelsey Mitchell/Kristy Wallace/Maya Caldwell

SF: Victoria Vivians/Lexie Hull/Taylor Mikesell/Rennia Davis

PF: NaLyssa Smith/Emma Cannon/Victaria Saxton

C: Aliyah Boston/Queen Egbo/Bernadett Határ/LaDazhia Williams

Likely Roster Size: Plenty of room for 12, despite still carrying a cap hit from Jantel Lavender’s buyout last year

This roster remains very cheap due to its youth, with the money handed out to Erica Wheeler and Victoria Vivians this offseason barely making a dent. If some other team is looking to dump a contract to make their own roster work, Indiana is still the first place to call.

There are lots of spots to fight for on this roster, but that also results in an unusual amount of uncertainty. Kristy Wallace and Maya Caldwell both had impressive stretches last season in Atlanta, but the Fever also spent the No. 7 pick on rookie guard Grace Berger. Is there room for all three? Lexie Hull was poor as a WNBA rookie but productive in the recent Athletes Unlimited season, and could find her spot under threat from all those guards or rookie Taylor Mikesell. Vivians is only in bold above because they gave her two years of guaranteed money this offseason.

All that cap space means that guaranteed money doesn't necessarily come with a guaranteed roster spot in Indiana. The two years at a total of over $270,000 means Vivians probably isn't going anywhere, but Emma Cannon's one-year, $80,000 could be swallowed if necessary. Giant Hungarian center Bernadett Határ is a useful player, so there are still threats among the backup posts too.

Las Vegas Aces

PG: Chelsea Gray/Sydney Colson/Alexis Peterson

SG: Kelsey Plum/Riquna Williams/Aisha Sheppard/Brittany Davis

SF: Jackie Young/Alysha Clark/Kierstan Bell

PF: A’ja Wilson/Courtney Range

C: Candace Parker/Kiah Stokes/Cayla George

Likely Roster Size: Definitely 11, barring very unlikely cuts (or similarly unlikely League intervention)

Due to all their expensive vets, this is clearly an 11-player roster going into the season, even with the discounts various Aces have taken. The only way that changes would be if Riquna Williams's unguaranteed deal was cut, which isn't remotely likely, or the League actually came back with a decision on their investigation into the Aces and voided a player contract or two. That, especially at this stage when the season is nearly upon us, also seems wildly unlikely.

As things stand, there appear to be a maximum of two spots up for grabs. For some mystifying reason they gave Cayla George a guaranteed contract, so she'll stick. Last year's first-round pick Kierstan Bell will probably get another year, but after an unimpressive rookie season still has a lot to prove. The final spot could go to pretty much anyone else on the roster, although Aisha Sheppard and Sydney Colson were both part of the successful squad last year so may well be first in line.

Los Angeles Sparks

PG: Jasmine Thomas/Jordin Canada/Layshia Clarendon/Yang Liwei

SG: Lexie Brown/Zia Cooke

SF: Dearica Hamby/Crystal Bradford/Karlie Samuelson/Rae Burrell(/Katie Lou Samuelson)

PF: Azurá Stevens/Reshanda Gray/Joyner Holmes

C: Nneka Ogwumike/Chiney Ogwumike/Monika Czinano

Likely Roster Size: Probably 11 initially (theoretically 12, but only with unlikely options). Then at least one extra as a pregnancy replacement

This is a roster in transition with their new head coach and general manager trying to reshape everything after the mess Derek Fisher left behind. As the limited number of names in bold above illustrates, this could be a competitive camp as players fight for spots that are genuinely up for grabs.

Both Lexie Brown and Zia Cooke probably make it, but Yang Liwei could play off the ball as well. It seems likely they keep one of Jordin Canada or Layshia Clarendon but not both. Although if Yang looks good enough in camp, then maybe 'neither' is an option. Dearica Hamby and Crystal Bradford could both end up playing more 4 than 3, which would thoroughly shift the perimeter/post balance of the roster above, but someone's going to have to play on the wing.

In terms of the money, a 12-player initial roster is just about possible, but would likely require either Brown or Chiney Ogwumike being cut. More likely is an 11-player roster when initially submitted to the League, followed by either one pregnancy replacement (for Katie Lou Samuelson) or two (if Dearica Hamby isn't yet ready to fully participate). So yes, this one is complicated.

Minnesota Lynx

PG: Lindsay Allen/Rachel Banham/Kiana Williams/Keishana Washington

SG: Aerial Powers/Bridget Carleton/Tiffany Mitchell/Stephanie Watts

SF: Kayla McBride/Diamond Miller/Brea Beal/Taylor Soule

PF: Napheesa Collier/Nikolina Milic/Dorka Juhász/Myah Selland(/Natalie Achonwa)

C: Jessica Shepard/Damiris Dantas/Maya Dodson(/Maïa Hirsch)

Likely Roster Size: Almost certainly 11 initially, plus an extra as a pregnancy replacement for Achonwa

As with the Sparks, there are several spots available to be fought over in Minnesota, and then an extra one to be added at the end via the new pregnancy exception. Barring very unlikely cuts this will be an 11-player roster initially, with most of the question marks hanging over the primary ballhandlers and backup posts.

The Lynx have five wings who aren't going anywhere - four vets with guaranteed money, and this year's No. 2 overall pick in Diamond Miller. Exactly who's going to be running the offense is anyone's guess. They may only be able to keep one of those point guard options in the initial group, because presumably they'd want two backup posts behind Collier and Shepard. Damiris Dantas has a long history of solid production with the franchise but left midway through last season and didn't return, so is something of an unknown. Bosnian forward Nikolina Milić had several positive stretches last year as a rookie and was given a $90,000 deal to return. So Dantas and Milić may be at the front of the queue, but without any guarantees.

An extra big or an extra ballhandler could be added as the pregnancy replacement for Achonwa, so making a good impression in camp in Minnesota could definitely be worthwhile.

New York Liberty

PG: Courtney Vandersloot/DiDi Richards/Morgan Green

SG: Sabrina Ionescu/Marine Johannès/Epiphanny Prince

SF: Betnijah Laney/Kayla Thornton/Jocelyn Willoughby/Stephanie Mawuli(/Okako Adika)

PF: Breanna Stewart/Sika Koné

C: Jonquel Jones/Han Xu/Stefanie Dolson/Nyara Sabally

Likely Roster Size: Definitely 11

This is a talented, crowded roster, and they're not going to be able to keep everybody they might want to. The only reason Marine Johannès isn't in bold above is because her club season will run late in France, and the French national team will already be in training for June's EuroBasket Women by the time she's finished, so exactly when we'll see her in the US can't be certain until she lands stateside.

However, barring a full-season suspension, Johannès will likely be part of the opening-day roster, whether she's actually in town or not. They have to include her anyway and count her on the cap if they want her to play later on in the season. Assuming Han Xu arrives as expected, that makes ten names that seem like virtual locks (the other eight in bold above all have guaranteed money, so aren't going anywhere unless they're traded). That leaves only one spot to be fought for by everybody else, including veteran ballhandler Epiphanny Prince, fan favourite DiDi Richards, young Malian talent Sika Koné, and last year's No. 5 pick Nyara Sabally.

More than 11 of the players currently under contract to the Liberty could be on 2023 opening-day rosters, they just won't necessarily all still be in New York. Don't be surprised if they make a trade or two during camp to try to gain a little value from players they'd otherwise just have to cut.

Phoenix Mercury

PG: (Skylar Diggins-Smith/)Moriah Jefferson/Shey Peddy/Destiny Slocum/Essence Booker

SG: Diana Taurasi/Sydney Wiese/Jennie Simms/Sug Sutton

SF: Sophie Cunningham/Michaela Onyenwere/Destiny Harden/Sam Thomas

PF: Brianna Turner/Kadi Sissoko

C: Brittney Griner/Megan Gustafson/Kylee Shook/Liz Dixon

Likely Roster Size: Definitely 11 for the initial list, plus a replacement for Diggins-Smith assuming she’s out due to her pregnancy

The maths looks fairly straightforward here - it's an 11-player roster with no hope of crafting room for 12. The actual roster makeup is far more open to speculation. Beyond the bolded players above, virtually anyone could make it. If she's healthy, Shey Peddy is a near-certainty, but after her 2022 season was ended by a ruptured Achilles, that can't be taken for granted. After that, anyone in their camp has a chance to make the team.

Outside of people speculating about trades, we haven't heard a lot about Skylar Diggins-Smith during the offseason. Assuming her pregnancy continues to keep her out, the Mercury will be eligible for the same extra player via pregnancy exception we've talked about with LA and Minnesota. So there's another open spot. This is one of the teams that will likely be keeping half an eye on who's cut elsewhere in case they can nab an upgrade from the waiver wire.

Seattle Storm

PG: Sami Whitcomb/Jade Melbourne/Ivana Dojkic

SG: Jewell Loyd/Arella Guirantes/Yvonne Turner/Jade Loville

SF: Kia Nurse/Jordan Horston/Kaila Charles/Madi Williams

PF: Ezi Magbegor/Theresa Plaisance/Jasmine Walker

C: Mercedes Russell/Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu

Likely Roster Size: Plenty of room to keep 12, unless someone like Gabby Williams shows up last minute and swallows a huge chunk of cap space

Only one player from Seattle's starting lineup in last year's playoffs is still on the Storm roster, so there's plenty of work to be done rebuilding the team and several spots available to be fought for. The (limited) positive side is that they have acres of cap space and can keep whichever 12 they want.

The point guard spot is particularly open. Sami Whitcomb was brought back and may well get a chance there, but she's much more effective off the ball. After her, there are inexperienced options like Jade Melbourne and Ivana Dojkic, aging slasher Yvonne Turner, or Puerto Rican scorer Arella Guirantes (who had a very impressive year overseas and deserves another WNBA opportunity). Kia Nurse was picked up in free agency and may also be given a chance as the lead ballhandler, but that never went particularly well in her New York days.

There are open spots elsewhere as well. Theresa Plaisance has been a moderately effective WNBA backup for a lot of years and was given a $90,000 deal that indicates she might be first in line to back up Ezi Magbegor and Mercedes Russell inside (although Plaisance has transitioned into more of a combo-forward role in recent years). After that, it could be anyone, including players not currently on the Storm roster. When you're in a rebuild you keep your eyes open for talent anywhere, and that could well include players being cut elsewhere.

Washington Mystics

PG: Natasha Cloud/Kristi Toliver/Evina Westbrook/Elena Tsineke

SG: Ariel Atkins/Shatori Walker-Kimbrough/Jazmine Jones(/Txell Alarcón)

SF: Brittney Sykes/Li Meng/Alisia Jenkins

PF: Elena Delle Donne/Myisha Hines-Allen/Tianna Hawkins/Stephanie Jones

C: Shakira Austin/Amanda Zahui B

Likely Roster Size: Another clear 11

This is another team where the maths is relatively simple - they'll be starting with an 11-player roster, and there's no remotely realistic way for them to get anywhere close to fitting 12. However, unlike some, they have the room to keep almost any 11 they choose.

After trading two second-round picks for her rights, Amanda Zahui B seems likely to make the team as a backup big. The way the Mystics were talking about Kristi Toliver when she was re-signed recently also makes her spot seem virtually secure, despite how bad she looked in LA last year (on the rare occasions she was healthy and available to play). That likely leaves Tianna Hawkins and Stephanie Jones fighting over a final backup post role, and everyone else battling for the last perimeter spot. Any of them could plausibly win out, with one tiny caveat. The four players to add to those in bold above can’t be Toliver, Zahui B, Hawkins and Elena Tsineke. That group would be fractionally too expensive to fit in their remaining space (as with Alexis Morris in Connecticut, Tsineke carrying a second-round pick salary makes the difference). Any other permutation from their camp roster works.

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