A record-low number of draft picks coupled with a slew of veterans not making rosters raises the alarm for expansion, and roster expansion, in the WNBA.
The 2023 WNBA season officially got underway on May 19. Meanwhile, the 2023 draft class is currently seeing only 41.6 percent, out of 36 picks, on a roster. Of note, there are also seven draft picks whose rights are suspended as they opted not to show up for training camp this season*.
Just 15 of the 36 picks from the 2023 #WNBA Draft made an opening day roster: pic.twitter.com/mhShzyaQdu
— AllThingsWNBA (@AllThingsWNBA) May 19, 2023
*Stephanie Soares (4th), Maia Hirsch (12th), Shaneice Swain (14th), Okako Adika (30th), Paige Robinson (31st), Txell Alarcón (32nd), and Kseniya Malashka (35th).
Concurrently, the number of veteran players forced out of the league due to salary cap limitations is also alarming. Tina Charles, 17th in the league in 2022 in scoring, remains unsigned and not playing. Liz Cambage played overseas in Israel this winter but doesn’t appear interested in returning to the WNBA. Other veterans currently not on a roster are: Angel McCoughtry, Odyssey Sims, Kennedy Burke, Crystal Bradford, Kalani Brown, and Jazmine Jones. The Dallas Wings waived the 2021 top overall draft pick, Charli Collier, before the start of the season. The fourth overall picks in 2018 (Gabby Williams), 2020 (Chennedy Carter), 2021 (Kysre Gondrezick), and 2022 (Emily Engstler) are also not on a roster currently.
Multiple top draft picks have been waived during WNBA training camp:
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 17, 2023
🔹Charli Collier: No. 1 pick in '21 draft
🔹Emily Engstler: No. 4 pick in the '22 draft
🔹DiDi Richards: No. 17 pick in '21 draft
🔹Abby Meyers: No. 11 pick in '23 draft
🔹Destanni Henderson: No. 20 pick in… pic.twitter.com/eUXQ2NmL3o
International impact
Moreover, there’s a significant amount of foreigners sitting out this season. Notables include: Emma Meesseman, Julia Allemand, Ji-Su Park, Raquel Carrera, Luisa Geiselsöder, Leonie Fiebich, Maria Vadeeva, Maite Cazorla, Maria Conde, and Temi Fagbenle. Top foreigners tend to not want to spend their summers in the WNBA after a long season in Europe and the low rookie salaries. A higher rookie salary might enable foreigners to show up. The 2024 WNBA draft also appears to have some top international talent as well with Australia’s Isobel Borlase, Nyadiew Pouch, and Dallas Loughridge, plus France’s Carla Leite and Mali’s Maimouna Haidara.
Draftee history
Looking back at the five previous draft classes causes some red flags at the amount of younger players, not on a roster. Starting with the 2022 draft, here’s the breakdown by rounds of players currently on a roster.
16 total players (44.4%)
- First round: 9 Players
- Second round: 4 Players
- Third Round: 3 Players
We have waived forward Emily Engstler.
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) April 26, 2023
🔗 https://t.co/mOQZWiHoGR pic.twitter.com/KVlKdRvQFk
8 total players (22.2%)
- First round: 4 Players (*Iliana Rupert currently temporarily suspended by Atlanta)
- Second round: 3 Players
- Third round: 1 Player
10 total players (27.7%)
- First round: 6 Players
- Second round: 3 Players
- Third round: 1 Player
The Los Angeles Sparks have waived Chennedy Carter, the team announced.
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) March 17, 2023
Carter averaged 8.9 PTS, 1.9 REB, and 1.9 AST in 16.4 minutes per game in 2022. pic.twitter.com/M6QlVozdAy
18 total players (50%)
- First round: 10 Players
- Second round: 7 Players
- Third round: 1 Player
13 total players (36.1%)
- First round: 9 Players
- Second round: 4 Players
- Third round: 0 Players
Gabby Williams has not yet decided on her status in the WNBA this season, her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, told ESPN.
— espnW (@espnW) May 22, 2023
The Seattle Storm hold Williams' rights as a restricted free agent. https://t.co/x1iBiMqQJv
Expansion history
The case for expansion (and roster expansion) is very clear and will only be worse, considering how deep the 2024 and 2025 draft classes appear to be. However, the current CBA likely prohibits roster expansion due to the league’s hard salary cap. The current CBA isn’t available for renegotiations until after the 2025 season. Moreover, the league has consistently talked about expansion for the past 15 years only to remain stagnant on actually expanding.
Early on in the first four years of the WNBA’s assistance saw, the league doubled in size. The league launched with eight teams and then immediately expanded with the Washington Mystics and Detroit Shock in 1998. In 1999, the league added the Orlando Miracle and Minnesota Lynx. Furthermore, in 2000, the league expanded with four more teams: the Miami Sol, Indiana Fever, Portland Fire, and Seattle Storm. The league’s last expansion team was the Atlanta Dream in 2008.
Unfortunately, at the end of the 2008 season saw the league contract with the Houston Comets ceasing operations. Additionally, after the 2009 season, the league had the Sacramento Monarchs cease operations. Since 2010, the WNBA has been holding steady with just 12 teams. From 2002 – 2010, the league had six teams fold (Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Cleveland Rockers, Charlotte Sting, plus the Comets and Monarchs). Meanwhile, the league also saw two other franchises relocate, with the Utah Starzz moving to San Antonio and the Orlando Miracle moving to Connecticut to become the Sun in 2003.
You can only bring back one 🤔
— ESPN (@espn) May 10, 2022
Share you answers 👇 #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/shcie1Dd8I
Expansion delays and what expansion would look like
Though no expansion has occurred in 15 years, the league has seen two franchises relocate. In 2010, the Detroit Shock relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Then, in 2016, the Tulsa Shock relocated to Dallas and was renamed the Wings. The only other relocation happened in 2018 when the San Antonio Stars relocated to Las Vegas and were renamed the Aces. Current WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, has repeatedly delayed expanding with various final candidates named for expansion locations. The league held its first WNBA game in Toronto on May 13 in front of a sell-out crowd of 19,800 fans. Toronto remains a frontrunner for WNBA expansion.
"We're getting ready for expansion"
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) May 19, 2023
– WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert on increasing league roster spots
(via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/bDBtdNGuE7
In the end, the necessity for expansion is immediate. There’s the possibility that the NBA and Adam Silver will ultimately make the final decision. However, after the success of the 2023 Women’s Final Four, the league should be striking the iron while it is scalding hot. The ease of the league’s hard salary cap could be loosened and enable every team to carry 13 players. A luxury tax for teams going over the cap would be issued and thus granting everyone the ability to have 13 players.
The 13th player would act as a developmental player or be used as an injured reserved spot. Finally, adding in two more teams would then create a total of 182 guaranteed roster spots. Currently, half of the teams can only carry 11 players due to salary cap restrictions. Adding two more teams and expanding rosters to 13 players would create 42 more roster spots.
Check out Beyond Women’s Sports for more women’s sports coverage. Todd Roman is on Twitter too. Follow Todd @TBRBWAY.
