WNBA rosters: These 15 draft picks made the cut for opening day

Just 15 of the 36 selections from the 2023 WNBA Draft appear on opening day rosters, a sign of the league’s roster squeeze.

Stars from each of this year’s Final Four teams — including LSU’s Alexis Morris and LaDazhia Williams, Iowa’s Monika Czinano, South Carolina’s Brea Beal, and Virginia Tech’s Kayana Traylor — were among the cuts.

Not all the players left off the opening day rosters were waived by their teams. No. 4 overall pick Stephanie Soares, for example, is out for the season for the Dallas Wings as she recovers from an ACL tear, while No. 12 overall pick Maia Hirsch out of France is a draft-and-stash pick by the Minnesota Lynx.

Still, the lack of available spots has become a pressing issue as both rookie and veteran players alike find themselves on the wrong side of the cuts, with just 15 players from the 2022 draft and just eight from the 2021 draft on rosters for the 2023 WNBA opening weekend.

Which 2023 WNBA Draft picks appear on opening day rosters?

• First round
  • 1. Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
  • 2. Diamond Miller, Minnesota Lynx
  • 3. Maddy Siegrist, Dallas Wings
  • 5. Lou Lopez Sénéchal, Dallas Wings
  • 6. Haley Jones, Atlanta Dream
  • 7. Grace Berger, Indiana Fever
  • 8. Laeticia Amihere, Atlanta Dream
  • 9. Jordan Horston, Seattle Storm
  • 10. Zia Cooke, Los Angeles Sparks
• Second round
  • 15. Leigha Brown, Atlanta Dream
  • 16. Dorka Juhász, Minnesota Lynx
  • 19. Ashley Joens, Dallas Wings
  • 21. Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Seattle Storm
• Third round 
  • 25. Victaria Saxton, Indiana Fever
  • 29. Kadi Sissoko, Phoenix Mercury
• Total: 15 players

Which 2022 WNBA Draft picks appear on opening day rosters?

• First round
  • 1. Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
  • 2. NaLyssa Smith, Indiana Fever
  • 3. Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics
  • 6. Lexie Hull, Indiana Fever Round 1, Pick No. 6 
  • 7. Veronica Burton, Dallas Wings
  • 10. Queen Egbo, Indiana Fever
  • 11. Kierstan Bell, Las Vegas Aces
  • 12. Nia Clouden, Los Angeles Sparks
• Second round
  • 15. Naz Hillmon, Atlanta Dream
  • 18. Lorela Cubaj, Atlanta Dream
  • 19. Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Connecticut Sun
  • 21. Evina Westbrook, Phoenix Mercury
• Third round 
  • 29. Sika Koné, Chicago Sky
  • 30. Jasmine Dickey, Dallas Wings
  • 33. Jade Melbourne, Seattle Storm
• Total: 15 players

Which 2021 WNBA Draft picks appear on opening day rosters?

• First round
  • 2. Awak Kuier, Dallas Wings
  • 3. Aari McDonald, Atlanta Dream
  • 6. Michaela Onyenwere, Phoenix Mercury
  • *12. Iliana Rupert, Atlanta Dream
    • *Contract suspended to start season due to overseas commitment.
• Second round
  • 13. Dana Evans, Chicago Sky
  • 20. DiJonai Carrington, Connecticut Sun
  • 22. Arella Guirantes, Seattle Storm
• Third round 
  • 33. Maya Caldwell, Indiana Fever
• Total: 8 players