The WNBA regular season is nearly at the halfway point, and rosters continue to fluctuate as teams address injuries, absences and rosters additions while staying under the league’s salary cap.

As teams do their best to balance their lineups, Just Women’s Sports will be tracking who’s in and who’s out.

Tuesday, July 19 — Nikolina Milic signed to rest of season contract by Minnesota

After releasing her from her third seven-day contract, Minnesota opted to re-sign Nikolina Milic to a rest of season contract.

Milic has appeared in 25 games this season for the Lynx, averaging 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Monday, July 18 — Connecticut Sun sign Bria Hartley

Three days after she was cut by Indiana, Bria Hartley has signed with the Connecticut Sun. The former seventh overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, she was signed to a rest of season contract.

She had a particularly good season in 2020, averaging 14.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game while with the Phoenix Mercury. Hartley has spent the last two seasons making her way back from a season-ending knee injury, however, appearing in just 16 games last season (six regular season, 10 playoff).

Friday, July 15 — Indiana Fever waive Bria Hartley, sign Rennia Davis

The Indiana Fever waived Bria Hartley and signed Rennia Davis. Hartley appeared in 10 games for the team this season, averaging 2.5 points, 1.0 assists and 1.0 rebounds per game.

Davis was selected with the No. 9 overall pick by Minnesota in the 2021 draft. She was waived by the team in May after just one game, in which she scored two points and played just three minutes. She sat out last season due to a stress fracture in her foot.

Sunday, July 10 — Jazmine Jones, Joyner Holmes, Nikolina Milic released

Connecticut released Jazmine Jones and Joyner Holmes from their 7-day contracts, while Minnesota also released Nikolina Milic from her 7-day contract.

Monday, July 4 — Evina Westbrook signed to 7-day contract

Evina Westbrook was signed to a second 7-day contract by the Mystics, while Jennie Simms and Reshanda Gray each signed their second 7-day contracts with Phoenix.

Sunday, July 3 — Crystal Dangerfield signed to rest-of-season contract

The New York Liberty signed Crystal Dangerfield to a rest-of-season contract. She had been signed to a hardship contract in early June, then released on June 26 before signing a new contract Sunday.

Minnesota signed Nikolina Milic to another 7-day contract while Joyner Holmes and Jazmine Jones each signed their second 7-day contract with Connecticut.

Friday, July 1 — 2022 draftee Lorela Cubaj cut by New York Liberty

The New York Liberty announced they had waived Lorela Cubaj on Friday. Drafted by Seattle with the 18th overall pick in April’s draft, Cubaj was acquired by the Liberty via a trade on draft night.

Through 11 games for New York, Cubaj averaged eight minutes and contributed 2.1 rebounds and 0.7 points per game. The move was intended to clear enough cap space for the Liberty to re-sign point guard Crystal Dangerfield on Sunday.

Sunday, June 26 — New York releases Crystal Dangerfield from hardship contract

After signing Crystal Dangerfield in late May, the Liberty released the guard but could bring her back in early July with some roster finagling. Dangerfield scored a season-high 11 points while adding two steals on June 12, .

Connecticut re-signed Joyner Holmes and Jazmine Jones to 7-day contracts while Minnesota re-signed Nikolina Milic.

Saturday, June 25 — Phoenix agrees to contract divorce with Tina Charles

On Saturday, the Mercury announced that they had agreed to a contract divorce with Tina Charles.

Charles had made 16 appearances with Phoenix, averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. It was later announced that she is expected to sign with Seattle.

Friday, June 24 — Minnesota waives Evina Westbrook

A flurry of waives happened Friday, with the Lynx waiving Evina Westbrook.

Connecticut also waived Joyner Holmes and Jazmine Jones while Seattle waived Reshanda Gray. Kristine Anigwe was waived by Phoenix while Washington let go of Kennedy Burke.

Thursday, June 23 — Atlanta signs Yvonne Turner, Minnesota releases Nikolina Milic

With the return of Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota announced that they had released Nikolina Milic from her hardship contract.

Also released on Thursday were Jennie Simms from Phoenix and Destiny Slocum from Atlanta. The Dream later signed Yvonne Turner to a hardship contract.

Tuesday, June 21 — Minnesota releases Elissa Cunane

Minnesota announced Tuesday that they have released Elissa Cunane from her hardship contract.

A former NC State standout, Cunane played limited minutes for the Lynx in three games, scoring just two points and contributing four rebounds.

Cunane initially was drafted by Seattle.

Sunday, June 19 — Las Vegas signs Iliana Rupert to rookie contract

A member of the French national team, Rupert was the 12th overall pick by the Aces in 2021.

After being picked by the Aces, Rupert finished her fourth professional season in France, where she plays for Bourges in the LFB and Euroleague. This past season in the French league, the center averaged 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The team won the league championship, with Ruper being named Finals MVP.

Wednesday, June 15 — Connecticut signs Jazmine Jones, Atlanta adds Destiny Slocum

The Connecticut Sun announced Wednesday that it has signed Jazmine Jones. Details of the contract were not released.

A former 12th overall pick, Jones averaged 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 20 games during her rookie campaign in 2020. She played in 27 games in 2021, averaging 5.9 points per game.

She was picked up by the Fever in February but waived by the team in late April.

The Dream also signed Destiney Slocum to a hardship contract. A former 14th overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft, she’s played in two games so far this season. On the 17th against Chicago, she scored 10 points while adding two rebounds and two assists.

Friday, June 10 — Elissa Cunane, Nikolina Milic signed by Minnesota

NC State standout Elissa Cunane, who was the 17th overall pick in the 2022 WNBA draft, was signed to a hardship contract by Minnesota. The team also signed Nikolina Milic following a knee injury to Sylvia Fowles that will keep her out indefinitely.

Thursday, June 9 — Julie Allemand activated by Chicago

The Chicago Sky activated Julie Allemand. Allemand had been overseas playing in the French LFB and marks the final overseas player to return to the team. Allemand last played in the WNBA in 2020, averaging 8.5 points, 5.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Indiana Fever.

Jennie Simms, who last played in the WNBA in 2017, was signed by Phoenix. Through two games so far she’s averaged 4.0 points per game, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 10.5 minutes.

New York also re-signed Crystal Dangerfield to a hardship contract.

Wednesday, June 8 — Kristi Toliver activated by Los Angeles

Kristi Toliver, who had been finishing up her coaching with the Dallas Mavericks, was activated by the Sparks. Toliver is a two-time WNBA champion and three-time All-Star.

Marine Johannès was signed by the New York Liberty, marking her return to the WNBA. She helped lead the Liberty to a win over Indiana on Friday, contributing 11 points, six assists and two rebounds.

To open up a roster spot for Johannès, New York traded AD Durr to Atlanta in exchange for Megan Walker and the rights to Raquel Carrera. The team subsequently waived Walker.

Tuesday, June 7 — New York waives Crystal Dangerfield

New York announced that it had waived Crystal Dangerfield, the beginning of a flurry of roster moves. The Liberty re-signed her on Thursday.

Los Angeles waived Amy Atwell, who last played on May 23 and had three points in five minutes. Alaina Coates, who was averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game, was waived by Indiana.

Sunday, June 5 — Indiana signs Emma Cannon

The Indiana Fever signed Emma Cannon to a hardship contract on Sunday. Cannon played 20 total games in 2021, averaging 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Earlier this season, she appeared in one game for Phoenix, scoring three points while adding two rebounds and one assist.

Thursday, June 2 — Seattle waives two

Both Kaela Davis and Kiana Williams were released by Seattle on Thursday. They would re-sign Williams the next day before releasing her once again on June 4.

Wednesday, June 1 — Kamiah Smalls signed to hardship contract

A still-struggling Minnesota Lynx signed Kamiah Smalls to a hardship contract on Wednesday. The 28th pick in the 2020 draft, Smalls played in just seven games for Indiana that season averaging 3.9 points and 2.0 assists per game.

She’s played in two games so far this season, registering two points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Tuesday, May 31 — Connecticut signs Stephanie Jones to hardship contract, Minnesota adds Elissa Cunane

The Sun signed Stephanie Jones to a hardship contract, with Jasmine Thomas out for the season with a torn ACL.

Jones signed a training camp contract with the Sun in 2021, making the team roster. During her rookie campaign, she notched 25 points and 22 rebounds through 18 games.

Waived by the team in early May, she was picked up by the Mystics before being waived once again.

Elissa Cunane was signed to a hardship contract by the Lynx after the team announced Moriah Jefferson and Natalie Achonwa will remain out indefinitely due to injuries.

Saturday, May 28 — Storm add Kaela Davis

A four-year WNBA veteran, Davis was picked up by Chicago to begin the season before being cut. The Storm then signed her, with Davis appearing in their May 29 game. She scored 11 points, adding two rebounds and two steals through 18 minutes.

Friday, May 27 — Seattle signs Kiana Williams to hardship contract

Williams was drafted by the Storm with the 18th overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft. She appeared in the Storm’s game on May 29, scoring five points while adding three assists and two rebounds through 14 minutes.

Wednesday, May 25 — Phoenix signs Karlie Samuelson to hardship contract

As Phoenix continues to deal with illness on the team, the Mercury signed Karlie Samuelson to a hardship contract. The sister of Katie Lou Samuelson, she played in 14 games last season averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

Monday, May 23 — Chicago Sky activate Li Yueru

The Chicago Sky activated Li Yueru to their roster. Li has finally made her way to Chicago from China, where there were hangups with her work visa.

As a result, the team released Anneli Maley from her hardship contract.

Saturday, May 21 —  Liberty sign Crystal Dangerfield on hardship contract

The New York Liberty announced that the team has signed 2020 WNBA Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield on a hardship contract.

The team was eligible to bring on Dangerfield without dropping to the emergency hardship threshold as DiDi Richards and Jocelyn Willoughby will be out due to injury for more than three weeks.

Dangerfield played her first two WNBA seasons with Minnesota before being picked up by Indiana in 2022, but the guard was waived by the Fever in May.

Friday, May 20 — Chicago activates Kahleah Copper, releases Tina Krajisnik

The Sky announced that they have activated Kahleah Copper to their roster.

Copper had been with Perfumerias Avenida in Spain, where she won the Spanish League Championship and was crowned league MVP. The 2021 WNBA Finals MVP led Avenida with 21.4 points per game.

In a corresponding move, Chicago released Tina Krajisnik from her hardship exemption contract. Krajisnik played in just one game for the Sky. She pulled down two assists and grabbed one steal in five minutes against the Liberty on May 11.

Wednesday, May 18 — Seattle activates Breanna Stewart, releases Kaela Davis

The Storm announced that Breanna Stewart has been cleared from the health and safety protocols ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Sky. As a result, the team released Kaela Davis from her hardship exemption contract.

Originally picked up by the Sky during training camp, Davis appeared in one game for Chicago, recording a rebound and assist against Los Angeles on May 6 before being waived. She did not appear in any games for the Storm.

Monday, May 16 — Washington releases Katie Benzan, Seattle releases Raina Perez

The Washington Mystics released Katie Benzan and activated Kennedy Burke to the roster. Benzan was signed to a hardship contract and made the most of her time with the team, contributing 12 points and two rebounds in the Mystics’ win over Las Vegas.

Raina Perez was cut by the Storm after being picked up four days ago due to the Storm’s COVID-19 situation. She also spent time with the Storm during preseason, appearing in both preseason games for the team.

Sunday, May 15 — Courtney Williams activated by Connecticut

The Sun activated Courtney Williams on Sunday. Both she and DeWanna Bonner are expected to play in Tuesday’s game against New York.

Saturday, May 14 — Seattle signs Kaela Davis to hardship contract

Seattle signed Kaela Davis to a hardship contract on Saturday. The former 10th overall pick in the WNBA draft, Davis was signed by Chicago and later released.

The Connecticut Sun also activated DeWanna Bonner.

Friday, May 13 — Minnesota Lynx sign Moriah Jefferson, Chicago Sky activate Allie Quigley

The Lynx have signed guard Moriah Jefferson amid a slew of roster updates.

The 5-foot-6 guard played for the Wings in their season opener, but she was cut earlier this week. Last season, she averaged 5.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 17.2 minutes per game with Dallas.

Minnesota also restructured the contract of Evina Westbrook, who signed a hardship contract Thursday, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. The guard is now on a rest-of-season contract.

The Lynx also re-signed forward Nikolina Milić, guard Yvonne Turner and center Hannah Sjerven to hardship contracts. The team had cut Milić and Turner yesterday and waived Sjerven earlier this month.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Sky announced that they had released Sparkle Taylor and activated the contract of Allie Quigley. Through two games for the Sky, Taylor scored 11 points in 25 minutes total.

Quigley has been out with a knee injury. Chicago coach James Wade said prior to the season’s start that keeping Quigley out was “precautionary.”

“We want to make sure we’re very careful with her,” he said. “She’s probably not at 100 percent, and we want to make sure she’s there.”

Thursday, May 12 — Minnesota Lynx agree to buyout with Angel McCoughtry, sign Evina Westbrook

The Minnesota Lynx have agreed to a contract buyout with forward Angel McCoughtry, the team announced.

The Lynx also mutually parted ways with Odyssey Sims, just over a week after signing the veteran guard to a training camp contract, and released Rennia Davis, Nina Milić and Yvonne Turner from their hardship contracts.

Former UConn guard Evina Westbrook was signed by the Lynx to a hardship contract. Westbrook was initially drafted No. 21 by Seattle before being cut.

The Lynx announced that forward Natalie Achonwa will be out indefinitely with a right hamstring strain.

Wednesday, May 11 — Indiana releases Crystal Dangerfield, activates Alaina Coates and Danielle Robinson

Despite a 10-point performance in the team’s Tuesday win over Minnesota, Crystal Dangerfield was waived. In her place, the Fever activated Alaina Coates and Danielle Robinson.

Coates last played in 2020 for Washington, averaging 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Robinson averaged 9.9 points, 3.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game through 24 games for Indiana in 2021.

Monday, May 9 — Phoenix makes cuts, Chicago activates Rebekah Gardner

The Sky activated Rebekah Gardner and released Kaela Davis and Anneli Maley from their hardship contracts.

Additionally, the Mercury activated Diamond DeShields and Brianna Turner as they return from overseas play. Emma Cannon and Jennie Simms were released from their hardship contracts as a result.

Dallas waived Moriah Jefferson, while Washington signed Katie Benzan to a hardship contract.

Sunday, May 8 — New York releases Kaila Charles

New York released Kaila Charles from her hardship contract. Charles was signed to a hardship contract for the season opener.

Saturday, May 7 – Chicago, Washington sign players to hardship contracts

The Sky signed four players — Tina Krajisnik, Kaela Davis, Sparkle Taylor and Anneli Maley — to hardship contracts.

Additionally, Washington signed Stephanie Jones to a hardship contract.

Friday, May 6 – Rosters set for opening night

Teams have set their rosters ahead of their season openers, and Friday’s four games to start the season offer plenty of interesting storylines.

Of the 36 rookies selected in this year’s draft, 17 made the cut — plus two undrafted rookies in Maryland’s Katie Benzan and Arizona’s Sam Thomas.

The Fever will take the court with five rookies, the most of any WNBA team. Four of them could crack the starting lineup, including NaLyssa Smith, the No. 2 overall pick.

Thursday, May 5 – Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings make cuts

The Chicago Sky waived Masseny Kaba, Kathleen Doyle and Emmanuelle Tahane.

Kaba signed with the team in April after going undrafted. Tahane also signed after going undrafted out of Rhode Island. While with the Rams, she averaged 13.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Doyle, meanwhile, was the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft and spent the offseason in Turkey with Bursa BSB.

Dallas also announced that they had waived Unique Thompson. She was the 19th pick in the 2021 draft out of Auburn.

Wednesday, May 4 – Sparks waive Te’a Cooper, Arella Guirantes and Kianna Smith

Los Angeles cut guards Te’a Cooper, Arella Guirantes and Kianna Smith.

Cooper was a part of the Sparks 2020 and 2021 teams, averaging 9.1 points, 1.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 31 games last season. She made 13 starts in 2021.

Guirantes was selected 22nd overall out of Rutgers by Los Angeles in the 2021 draft. The guard averaged 3.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 11.6 minutes across 25 games in her rookie season.

The Sparks took Smith in the second round of this year’s draft as the No. 16 overall pick. Smith finished her 2021-2022 Louisville campaign with 12 points and a team-leading 2.7 assists per game.

The Connecticut Sun continued to make moves, waiving forwards Stephanie Jones and Beatrice Mompremier.

Mompremier made Connecticut’s 2021 roster after being drafted and then waived by the Sparks in 2020. Playing in all 32 2021 regular-season games, Mompremier averaged 1.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Jones played 99 minutes in her rookie season with Connecticut, notching a total of 25 points and 22 rebounds.

The Indiana Fever also announced cuts, waiving Lindsay Allen, forward Ameshya Williams-Holliday and forward Erin Whalen.

Allen was drafted by the New York Liberty in 2017 in the second round, before landing in Las Vegas for the 2018 and 2020 seasons, ending up with Indiana in 2021. The guard averaged 5.4 points, three assists and 1.5 rebounds in 32 games last season.

Williams-Holliday of Jackson State was selected in the third round of the 2020 WNBA draft, becoming only the sixth HBCU player to have been drafted since 2002.

Dayton’s Whalen is just one of three Flyers to reach the WNBA, earning a training camp contract from the Fever before being cut.

The Chicago Sky also announced that they had cut Anneli Maley, Kaela Davis, Tina Krajisnik, Sparkle Taylor and Kysre Gonrezick.

Davis was selected 10th overall in the 2017 draft by Dallas, averaging 6.0 points in 19.2 minutes through 33 games. Taylor had been on her second training camp contract with the Sky after signing one last season.

Krasjinik signed a training camp contract with the team and joined on April 30 after spending time with Turkey’s Galatasaray in the FIBA Women’s European Cup. Maley also had a good season overseas, being named the MVP of the Women’s National Basketball League in Australia, averaging 19.8 points, 15.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in the league’s season.

Gondrezick was also cut after joining the team on a training camp contract. She was the No. 4 overall pick by Indiana in the 2021 draft.

The Storm also announced that they released Kennedy Burke, Kiki Herbert Harrigan and Evina Westbrook.

Burke appeared in 23 games with Seattle last season, scoring her 300th career three-pointer last May. Harrigan spent the 2020 WNBA season with Minnesota, averaging 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while finishing seventh among WNBA rookies with nine blocks. She was later cut by the team and picked up by Seattle.

Westbrook was cut by the Storm after having a huge preseason game in which she notched 15 points and five rebounds against Phoenix. She was selected 21st overall by Seattle in the 2022 draft.

Tuesday, May 3 – Lynx cut Layshia Clarendon, five other players; Mystics waive two players

Minnesota cut Layshia Clarendon, Crystal Dangerfield and four other players. The roster cuts came alongside the signing of Odyssey Sims to a one-year contract.

Washington waived Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper, The Washington Post’s Kareem Copeland reported. Undrafted rookie Katie Benzan remains on the roster.

Monday, May 2 – Aces waive top pick Mya Hollingshed, Sun waive Taj Cole amid flurry of moves across league

The Aces waived Mya Hollingshed, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft, despite trading up the draft board to acquire the pick.

Las Vegas also waived Khayla Pointer, the No. 13 overall pick. Both selections were acquired in a pre-draft trade with the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the Aces’ first and second round picks in 2023.

Taj Cole broke the news that she has been waived from the Sun roster via her Twitter account. The former Virginia Tech guard put on a dominant showing during the inaugural Athletes Unlimited basketball season, placing tenth on the league leaderboard.

“Confused not discouraged,” Cole tweeted.

Connecticut also waived guard Kaila Charles, who appeared in 51 games for the team across the last two seasons, as well as Aleksa Gulbe, an undrafted rookie who averaged 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for Indiana in the 2021-22 NCAA season.

The Minnesota Lynx waived undrafted rookies Chloe Bibby and Moon Ursin, while the Aces waived undrafted rookie Nancy Mulkey.

The Chicago Sky waived Lindsey Pulliam, who was drafted in 2021 by the Atlanta Dream, and the Dallas Wings waived Destinee Walker.

The Seattle Storm cut No. 17 overall pick Elissa Cunane and undrafted rookie Raina Perez, both out of NC State, but added forward Reshanda Gray, signing her to a training camp contract. Gray has played five seasons in the WNBA, averaging 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 114 career games.

For the Liberty, center Kylee Shook will sit out the upcoming season for personal reasons. The No. 13 pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, Shook averaged five points and 3.5 rebounds in her first 50 career games.

Friday, April 29 – Sky, Sparks waive series of players

The Chicago Sky cut Imani McGee-Stafford and Lexi Held.

McGee-Stafford was selected by the Sky as the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 WNBA draft. The center played with Atlanta and Dallas before stepping away from the league to pursue a law degree. In 2022, McGee-Stafford mounted a successful return to the court with Athletes Unlimited.

Held, who starred for DePaul, signed a training camp roster with Chicago in early April.

The Los Angeles Sparks also announced cuts, waiving Lauren Cox, Chantel Horvat and Lexi Gordon.

Cox, the third overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Fever, appeared in 11 games for Indiana in 2021 before being waived and picked up by Los Angeles. She made 15 appearances in a Sparks uniform, notching a career-high 14 points in the team’s August matchup against the Fever.

Thursday, April 28 – Mystics, Sky, Lynx make volley of cuts

The Mystics waived Megan Gustafson, Erica McCall and Lee Seul Kang.

Gustafson averaged 4.0 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game in 11 appearances with Washington last season, while McCall averaged 4.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 23 games for the team.

Kang starred for the South Korea national team last summer at the Tokyo Olympics, with 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

The Sky cut Kayla Wells and Kamiah Smalls.

Wells ended her five-year career at Texas A&M with 1,768 career points before signing a training camp contract with Chicago earlier this month. Smalls was drafted by the Fever in 2020 and played in seven games that year but didn’t appear in the league last season.

In other roster moves, the Lynx waved CeCe Hooks, the Sun waived Jordan Lewis, the Dream waived Jaylyn Agnew and the Liberty waived Paris Kea.

Tuesday, April 26 – Wings waive Jazz Bond and Chelsea Dungee

The Dallas Wings have waived Chelsea Dungee and Jazz Bond, the team announced Tuesday.

Dungee was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft, averaging 22.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals during her senior year with Arkansas.

Bond, a forward from North Florida, was selected in the third round of the 2022 WNBA Draft with the 31st overall pick.

Also on Tuesday, the Fever cut guard Haley Gorecki, while the Storm cut forward Lauren Manis.

Monday, April 25 – Mystics waive MeMe Jackson, Dream waive N’dea Jones

The Washington Mystics have waived MeMe Jackson, while the Atlanta Dream have waived N’dea Jones, per the WNBA transactions page.

Jackson appeared in Washington’s preseason game against the Dream on Sunday, notching three points in her 10 minutes on the court.

Jones was selected 23rd overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2021 WNBA draft before she was waived by the team during the preseason. The former Texas A&M player signed a deal to compete for a Dream roster spot back in February.

Friday, April 22 – Phoenix Mercury waive Macee Williams

IUPUI star Macee Williams has been waived by the Phoenix Mercury.

Williams was selected 32nd overall by Phoenix in the third round of the 2022 WNBA draft.

The all-time Jaguars leading scorer and rebounder, Williams was the first IUPUI player to be drafted to the WNBA. The 6-foot-2 forward notched ten double-doubles during the 2021-22 regular season and averaged a double-double with 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds through 27 appearances.

Thursday, April 21 – Fever cut Ali Patberg, while Chelsey Perry, Bernadett Határ to miss season

Rookie draftee Ali Patberg was cut by the Fever.

Patberg, who played her entire seven-year career at Indiana, was a third-round pick in the 2022 draft. She was one of seven players drafted by the team.

She averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds during the 2021-22 season and finished her career ranked ninth all-time in scoring at Indiana.

The Fever also announced that Chelsey Perry will miss the season for personal reasons, while Bernadett Határ suffered a torn ACL and inner lateral ligament in the final seconds of Sopron Basket’s EuroLeague title win on April 10, according to that club’s website. Határ had signed a training camp contract with the Fever in March.

Wednesday, April 20 – Mystics’ Christyn Williams out with season-ending injury, Fever and Sun make cuts

Christyn Williams, the Washington Mystics’ No. 14 overall pick out of UConn in this year’s WNBA draft, suffered a season-ending knee injury, the team announced. She will undergo surgery and there is no timetable for her return.

“We are heartbroken for Christyn and will miss her greatly,” Mystics coach and general manager Mike Thibault said in a statement. “She was off to a terrific start in training camp, and I know she will work diligently to make a comeback next season.”

The Mystics signed Maryland’s Katie Benzan to a training camp contract.

The Indiana Fever waived guard Micaela Kelly. A second-round pick in the 2021 draft, she was signed by the Fever on Feb. 19 to a training camp contract.

The Connecticut Sun announced their first round of cuts, parting ways with Alexus Dye, Delicia Washington and Keyona Hayes. Dye and Washington received training camp contracts as undrafted rookies, while Hayes has had a strong career in Europe after her finishing her college career at Miami in 2017.

Tuesday, April 19 – Aces waive Faustine Aifuwa, Deja Winters

The Las Vegas Aces announced that they had waived two players: rookies Faustine Aifuwa and Deja Winters. Aifuwa was a third-round selection in the 2022 WNBA draft, while the team signed Winters as a rookie free agent.

Monday, April 18 – Aces waive Kalani Brown, Mercury pick up Emma Cannon

On just the second day of training camp, the Las Vegas Aces announced that they waived center Kalani Brown. Brown was picked up by the team during the Athletes Unlimited basketball season. She finished fifth on the leaderboard during the season, averaging 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. She ranked second in the league in field goal percentage with 71.4 percent.

The seventh overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft, Brown played 28 games with the Sparks as a rookie, averaging 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. She was then traded to Atlanta, where she played in 10 games before suffering an injury. Brown was then waived last season after appearing in one game.

According to a report from Khristina Williams of Girls Talk Sports TV, Brown has suffered a torn meniscus in her left leg and is expected to be sidelined for at least a month. Because she was signed to a training camp contract, Brown’s medical expenses will be covered, and she could have other expenses covered for up to eight weeks if she chooses to stay in Las Vegas.

With the loss of Brown, the Aces’ training camp roster now sits at 16 players.

The Phoenix Mercury announced Monday that they had signed forward Emma Cannon to a training camp contract. The power forward spent the overseas season with Elitzur Ramla of the Israeli League, averaging a double-double 20.6 points, 12.9 rebounds and 36.9 minutes in 30 games played.

She spent the 2021 season with the Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever, becoming the fifth athlete in WNBA history to play for three different teams in the same season. With the Fever, she averaged 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds through 12 games.

Nyara Sabally will serve as an assistant coach for the Sacramento State women’s basketball team next season, the school announced Tuesday.

“We are thrilled to add Nyara to our program,” Hornets coach Mark Campbell said. “She is like family to our entire coaching staff and will have a major impact working with our current players. She has had unique experiences of competing at the highest level of college and international basketball… She will work with our post players and help coach (Xavier) Lopez spearhead our international recruiting.”

At Sacramento State, the German forward will reunite with former Oregon coaches Campbell and Lopez. She also played with Hornet assistant coach Minyon Moore during the 2019-20 season.

“I am very grateful for this amazing opportunity to join the Sacramento State coaching staff,” Sabally said. “I look forward to working alongside great coaches and mentors that I have looked up to the past few years. I can’t wait to get on campus and get to work.”

Sabally was the No. 5 overall pick by the New York Liberty in the 2022 WNBA draft. The team later announced that Sabally would not play in the 2022 season “because of her current health condition.”

At the time, Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said that she “will get healthy and roll with us in 2023.”

Sabally has torn her ACL twice, first in 2018 and again ahead of the 2019-20 season. She missed eight games during her final NCAA season due to injury. The Liberty cited player health as “paramount” in the decision to have her miss this season.

When asked Tuesday, the Liberty said that Sabally still intends to return to the team for the 2023 season after working at Sacramento State during the offseason, and the team “supports her plan to coach.”

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu and 2023 NC State recruit Zoe Brooks won the WNBA All-Star Skills Challenge on Saturday, beating Indiana’s NaLyssa Smith and her partner in the final round.

Courtney Vandersloot and Azurá Stevens of the Chicago Sky, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces, Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun and Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream joined Ionescu and Smith in the competition. All competitors were paired with a high school athlete from the Nike Girls Elite Youth Basketball League.

“I know how to do what I do,” said Brooks after winning alongside Ionescu.

Sabrina Ionescu is on a tear, with the Liberty star nearly hitting her second triple-double of the season Friday.

The Liberty guard notched 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to help her side to an 89-77 win over the Atlanta Dream.

Friday followed up an impressive performance from Ionescu on Wednesday, in which she logged 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to clinch a critical away victory in Connecticut.

Since recording her second career triple-double on June 12, Ionescu has come close to following up the feat more than once. She fell just two rebounds shy of the landmark in the Liberty’s Sunday matchup against the Storm.

At 24 years old, Ionescu is the youngest WNBA player to record a second career triple-double and looks poised to add at least a third by the end of the 2022 campaign.

If she does, she’ll become just the second WNBA player to have two triple-doubles in a season and to reach three career triple-doubles — joining Candace Parker, who secured her second in May and her third Thursday.

Another week of WNBA action is in the books, and the betting world continues to give us plenty to talk about.

This past week had both the lowest and the highest over/under for a game this season — 150 in last Tuesday’s Atlanta-Seattle game and 177 in Saturday’s contest between Las Vegas and Los Angeles — and it also gave us the Liberty’s first win against the spread as road favorites in over four years.

With those highlights in mind, let’s dive into the week in WNBA betting.

Team trends

Liberty rolling

In May, the Liberty were arguably the best fade in the league. Now, they may be the best bet. The addition of Crystal Dangerfield has allowed Sabrina Ionescu to spend some of her minutes off the ball, and it’s done wonders both for Ionescu and the team.

Statistically, the newly-minted Eastern Conference Player of the Week has done a complete 180 since the calendar flipped to June. Ionescu has essentially doubled her May averages in scoring, 3-pointers per game and free throws per game, while sinking over 44 percent of her triples and all 29 of her free throws so far this month.

As you might expect, this individual breakthrough has directly coincided with a team turnaround. Since inserting Dangerfield into the starting lineup to begin the month, New York has gone from the league’s worst net rating to its best. They even pulled the biggest upset of the season when they took down Washington as 12-point underdogs on June 3.

Fever getting on the board first

In our last betting piece, we talked about BetMGM’s “first to score” prop bets. These generally only take into account the strength of each team overall, not the strength of each team’s center at winning jump balls.

Because of this, we can use jump ball data to our advantage. The Fever in particular present an interesting case. Despite owning one of the worst win-loss records in the league, Indiana is scoring first at a remarkable rate. The Fever are the only team in the WNBA to score first 11 times already this season.

While it helps that the Fever have played more games than some teams, they are even in the top three in percentage, having scored first in 68.8 percent of their games. Only the Sun and the Storm have done it more frequently.

Mystics’ second quarters

We’ve devoted plenty of words to the Mystics and their propensity for unders this season — their slow pace and elite defense have made it tough for sportsbooks to adjust their totals low enough.

Washington’s 11-4 record on unders in full games is the best in the league, but it’s nothing compared to their record on second-quarter unders. In 15 Mystics games this season, the second-quarter under has hit an incredible 14 times. If you bet on the under in every Mystics second quarter so far, you’d be nearly undefeated.

Even when they combined for 180 against the Wings, or 173 against the Sky, or 189 on Sunday against the Mercury, the second quarter still went under. There’s bound to be regression at some point, but ride this trend for as long as you can.

League trends

Checking on trends we’ve been monitoring

So far, we’ve been keeping an eye on back-to-back unders, fourth-quarter unders and live second-quarter unders.

Back-to-back unders and fourth-quarter unders continue to sit around 50-50, so it may be that books are finally making adjustments after last season. They haven’t quite figured out those second quarters though — after a first quarter goes over, the second quarter is still going under over 60 percent of the time.

Combined with the Mystics’ extreme low-scoring second quarters, any high-scoring Mystics first quarter should be an automatic trigger to open your sportsbook app and bet the under on the next quarter.

img
Elena Delle Donne has been sitting out some Mystics games while she works her way back to full strength. (Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

Late player availability updates

Usually, the earlier you can get your bets in, the better. With lines now being posted the night before, if you can place your wagers before you go to bed you can often get a better line before the lines move the day of the game.

However, there have been some exceptions to that this season. Because of the lingering effects of the pandemic, there have been occasions where a player is ruled out seemingly out of nowhere mere hours before tip. Most notably, it happened to Breanna Stewart earlier this season, but other players such as Sophie Cunningham, Natasha Cloud and Marina Mabrey have been affected.

Even aside from COVID-19, this type of thing happens in rare instances, such as Elena Delle Donne being ruled out on Sunday after carrying a probable tag into the game (she was the first probable player this season who didn’t end up playing). But the health and safety protocols have increased the frequency of last-minute scratches, so there has been some value in waiting on your bets.

Sportsbooks are doing a much better job this season of updating lines shortly after news breaks. Last season, there were times when odds didn’t change for hours even after a player as important as Candace Parker or Brittney Griner was ruled out. Sportsbooks are now moving their lines within minutes, not hours, of availability news. (That books are putting this effort in is also a great sign of progress in the game.)

Nonetheless, there’s still a small window to bet on a game after player news comes out before the lines move. As long as we’re still dealing with COVID-19 in any form, it may make more sense for those who are really on top of things throughout the day to wait on putting any money down until closer to tip.

Futures update

Here are FanDuel’s biggest movers of the last two weeks.

Stock up: Aces (+200 previous to +115 current)

It says a lot about the Aces that their stock increased the most despite already being the favorites. Even without Jackie Young for the last several days, Las Vegas has raised its value.

It’s also noteworthy to see a number as low as +115 before the halfway point of the season. If that number hits +100, the Aces will have a 50 percent implied probability of winning the championship, a mark we don’t typically see any team hit until after the playoffs have started.

From their three legitimate MVP candidates, to their league-best 9-4 record against the spread, to their ever-rising title chances, there are all sorts of ways to use betting odds to tell the same story: The Aces are flat-out awesome.

Stock down: Mercury (+1000 previous to +4100 current)

As the season has gone on, it’s become more and more apparent that Phoenix just doesn’t have a championship-level defense without Brittney Griner. The superstar backcourt of Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith, alongside Tina Charles in the middle, can win the Mercury games on the right night, but this team doesn’t have the interior resistance to consistently compete with the league’s top tier right now.

Even Phoenix’s opponents would welcome an improvement in that department if it meant getting Griner back home safely before season’s end. For now, it’s tough to consider Phoenix as a contender for anything more than a backend playoff spot.

Best bets tonight

Washington -6.5 vs. Phoenix

Let’s run this one back. It looked like Washington had a good shot at clearing this line on Sunday, then Delle Donne was unexpectedly ruled out just a couple of hours before tip. She’s probable again for this one, but it would be extremely surprising if she didn’t play. As long as she’s on the floor, look for Mike Thibault to make adjustments from Sunday’s loss and the Mystics to win comfortably in a revenge game.

Phoenix vs. Washington under 165.5

The total for the first leg of this back-to-back closed at 160, so we’re getting an extra 5.5 points just based on how high-scoring Sunday’s contest was. That’s an overreaction to a single game. Whether the back-to-back under effect is still around or not, this line is far too high for any Mystics game. And, of course, if you have access to a book with quarter unders, take the second-quarter under here as long as it’s at least 40.

Calvin Wetzel is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering basketball and betting. He also contributes to Her Hoop Stats, CBS SportsLine and FiveThirtyEight. Follow him on Twitter at @cwetzel31.

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu only needed the first three quarters Sunday to record her second career triple-double. She notched 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists all before the final frame of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Sky.

Ionescu finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists behind 56.3 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.

At 24 years old, Ionescu is the youngest WNBA player to log a second career triple-double. The record had been held by Courtney Vandersloot, who got her second at 32 years old. Only four players, including Ionescu, have multiple triple-doubles, with Sunday’s feat marking just the 11th triple-double in league history.

The Liberty guard’s first triple-double came in May 2021, when she dropped 26 points, ten rebounds and 12 assists over the Minnesota Lynx.

Ionescu’s record afternoon, however, wasn’t enough to lift the Liberty over the defending champion Sky.

A game-sealing three-pointer from Vandersloot capped off a late-game push from the Sky, securing Chicago an 88-86 win.

Marine Johannès dazzled in her return to the New York Liberty, helping the team to a 97-83 win over the Indiana Fever on Friday.

The French star notched 11 points, six assists and two rebounds in her first game since signing with the Liberty on Wednesday. Johannès inked a deal with the team through the remainder of the season, returning to the Liberty for the first time since her 2019 campaign in New York.

The guard’s signing came amid a flurry of roster moves from the Liberty, with the team trading AD Durr to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Megan Walker and the draft rights to Raquel Carrera. Walker, however, was immediately waived to make space for Johannès on the roster.

Durr has been struggling with aftereffects of COVID-19 since 2020 and will now get a new look in Atlanta.

Crystal Dangerfield was also released from her contract Wednesday, but the move was procedural and she re-signed Thursday.

Johannès brings a breath of fresh air to the Liberty after the squad got off to a slow start to the 2022 regular season. New York improved to a 5-8 record with Friday’s win and is on a two-game winning streak, with the team’s offense beginning to gel.

“She brings a mindset like she’s been on the team with us all season and she hasn’t,” said Tash Howard of Johannès after Friday’s game.

The New York Liberty will look to add to their win column tally when they take on the Chicago Sky at home on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

Sabrina Ionescu’s long-range 3-pointers are becoming a bit of a habit — though sometimes, she surprises even herself with her daring shots.

Take, for example, her 3-pointer from near the New York Liberty’s midcourt logo during Tuesday’s 88-69 win against the Minnesota Lynx.

“Like, why did I shoot that?” Ionescu said when asked what she was thinking about after that shot. “Sometimes I just wonder.

“Like, it does not look that far to me when I shoot it. And then after, everyone’s like, ‘Wow, you just shot from the logo,’ and I’m like, ‘I guess I really did.’”

@mylesehrlich @Sabrina Ionescu of the @nyliberty talks about her logo three after a victory over the Minnesota Lynx. Myles Ehrlich for Winsidr. #Winsidr #WNBA #NewYorkLiberty #SabrinaIonescu #wnbaallstar ♬ original sound - Myles Ehrlich

The third-year guard went 4-of-4 from 3-point range and 10-of-11 from the field Tuesday. She finished with a game-high 26 points. For the season, she is shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Her willingness to shoot from deep has stood out. Check out just a few more examples from the season so far, starting with this one from June 3 against the Washington Mystics.

Another one came against the Indiana Fever on June 1.

She’s been firing off these shots all season, starting way back with the Liberty’s season opener against the Connecticut Sun on May 7.

New York Liberty wing Betnijah Laney will be out for roughly eight weeks after undergoing successful surgery on her right knee, the team announced Wednesday.

Laney is expected to begin rehab in the coming days after the arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, a surgery performed on torn meniscus cartilage.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Riley Williams and Dr. Gabriella Ode, the team’s orthopedic surgeons. Laney joined the Liberty’s injury report on May 23 and has not played in a game since.

In four games before that, Laney had been averaging 13.3 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.

The Liberty have had a rough start to the season, with both Jocelyn Willoughby and DiDi Richards still out with injuries. Lorela Cubaj has also been out due to concussion protocols.

New York lost its most recent game 92-61 against the Seattle Storm on Sunday and has won just one game so far this season. Next up, the Liberty will play the Indiana Fever on Wednesday.

The New York Liberty will be without Jocelyn Willoughby for at least six weeks after she was diagnosed with a partial tear of her left quadriceps tendon.

Willoughby received a PRP injection and already has started to rehab the injury, but she likely will be out until July.

The third-year wing did not appear in Tuesday’s loss to the Connecticut Sun, in which the team committed 29 turnovers. Through four games this season, she has averaged 6.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and one steal.

Willoughby had just made her way back from tearing her left Achilles tendon, which caused the 2020 draft pick to miss the 2021 season.

Her injury is another trial for the Liberty, who have lost four games in a row and are looking to get back on track against the Minnesota Lynx next Tuesday.