{"id":616626,"date":"2026-04-20T14:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/616626\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T14:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:02:09","slug":"2026-wnba-training-camp-roster-breakdowns-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/616626\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 WNBA Training Camp Roster Breakdowns, Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"<\/a>Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin. Photo credit: Chris Poss<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a long and winding road this year, but the 2026 WNBA season is almost upon us. After a breakneck signing period where teams rebuilt their rosters in days, training camps opened on Sunday and players are now competing for spots. So with that new Collective Bargaining Agreement in force – although not actually in anyone\u2019s hands – what\u2019s different this year?<\/p>\n

Firstly, the numbers we\u2019re all reporting are a lot higher. The base minimum salary this season is $270,000, which is more than anyone in the league made last year. But for relevance to this article that just means the numbers take slightly longer to type into a calculator. Teams are now required to carry 12 players (not free to choose between 11 or 12). There are also two \u2018developmental player\u2019 spots available to each team – which I explained a little here<\/a> and here<\/a> – but those players don\u2019t count on the 12-player roster or against the salary cap (until and unless they get elevated to the main roster, even if they play in a limited number of games). Teams will also be using training camp to look at players for those development spots, but if they\u2019re on regular contracts (which includes \u2018training camp contracts\u2019), they\u2019ll need to be waived and clear waivers before being re-signed to developmental deals. The team can\u2019t just move them directly to developmental spots. We\u2019re still working with a system that is much, much closer to a \u2018hard\u2019 salary cap than most other US sports leagues, so the teams have to fit their final 12 main roster players for opening day under the $7,000,000 cap.<\/p>\n

One important change for this year when it comes to building those rosters is that for cap purposes, there are only two (very similar) minimum salary values. There\u2019s $270,000 for players with zero \u2018Years of Service\u2019 in the WNBA, and $277,500 for everyone else. That\u2019s because they introduced several different tiers of minimum salary under the new CBA based on experience in the league, but however much actual cash a veteran might be receiving, the cap hit drops to that $277,500 figure. It should stop older players from being pushed out of the league because teams only have enough cap space left for cheaper, younger ones.<\/p>\n

One other tweak which could affect who teams keep for opening day is that rookie-scale contracts now have much greater potential to become \u2018protected\u2019, i.e. guaranteed, salary. Lottery pick salaries are protected for their first season immediately, and salary for the rest of first-rounders becomes protected for their first season if they make the team out of camp. The same will apply for all those first-rounders, including lottery picks, if they make the roster in their second season – the salary becomes protected once they make the team past camp. For second- and third-round picks their salaries remain unprotected in their rookie season, but if they\u2019re still on their rookie-scale contract and make the team out of camp in their second season, the contract becomes protected for that year. For all rookie-scale deals, the third year becomes protected if the team exercises its fourth-year option on their deal. So all of that means a lot more money could become guaranteed on opening day if teams keep players who are on rookie-scale contracts.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s move on from the minutia of the rules and take a close look at who might make the teams on opening day, and where the battles are for those all-important final spots. Players in bold are those I think are pretty much locks to make the roster, italics indicate protected salary (which doesn\u2019t always mean the player is a lock, but usually does). Players in brackets are those already signed to developmental contracts, so are therefore unlikely to be on the main roster on opening day.<\/p>\n

PG: Jordin Canada\/Te-Hina Paopao\/Maite Cazorla\/Indya Nivar<\/p>\n

SG: Allisha Gray\/Isobel Borlase\/Holly Winterburn\/Paige Robinson<\/p>\n

SF: Rhyne Howard\/Taylor Thierry\/Laila Phelia\/Bella Fontleroy<\/p>\n

PF: Angel Reese\/Naz Hillmon\/Sika Kon\u00e9\/Sacha Washington<\/p>\n

C: Brionna Jones\/Madina Okot\/Stephanie Jones<\/p>\n

There are no cap issues here in choosing the roster (which you\u2019re going to notice is something of a theme league-wide). The Dream got expensive in the offseason, but moving on from Brittney Griner, acquiring Angel Reese still on her rookie-scale contract, and getting some minor discounts from their returning stars enabled them to keep their core largely intact. They can keep whichever 12 they want, as long as it includes the guaranteed players, none of whom were going anywhere anyway.<\/p>\n

There are definitely spots to be fought for here on the end of the roster. I have eight in bold above, including the obvious group with guaranteed money, Reese, last year\u2019s useful rookie Paopao and this year\u2019s first-round pick Okot. I would expect 2024 draft pick Borlase, who\u2019s already made an impact with the Australian national team, and Spain regular Cazorla to stick as well, but you never know exactly how things are going to work out with international players who\u2019ve never been in the US before (or who\u2019ve been gone for a long time). Winterburn is another talented import with a good shot (full disclosure – she\u2019s a Brit, so I\u2019m biased and very much hoping she finds a place in the league). They stuck with Thierry all through last season when she wasn\u2019t contributing much on the floor, so they\u2019ll probably be hoping she shows enough improvement to survive.<\/p>\n

The battle looks pretty open for those last couple of spots. They\u2019ll likely keep a fifth post, with maybe Kon\u00e9 the favourite given what we\u2019ve seen from her in her many WNBA stops, but it\u2019s far from a certainty. As with all teams they\u2019ll also be thinking about their development spots and who might be best stashed there rather than on the main roster (although players on standard contracts would have to be waived and then re-signed to development contracts in order to be moved to that position). Cazorla might feel she\u2019s a bit beyond that kind of position at this stage in her career, but any of the others would probably be grateful for the chance to continue making their case for a more permanent role.<\/p>\n

PG: Skylar Diggins\/Courtney Vandersloot\/Hailey Van Lith\/Tonie Morgan<\/p>\n

SG: DiJonai Carrington\/Jacy Sheldon\/Rachel Banham\/Sydney Taylor<\/p>\n

SF: Rickea Jackson\/Gabriela Jaquez\/Jordan Hobbs\/Aicha Coulibaly<\/p>\n

PF: Azur\u00e1 Stevens\/Maddy Westbeld\/Latasha Lattimore\/Megan Nestor<\/p>\n

C: Kamilla Cardoso\/Elizabeth Williams\/Sidney Cooks<\/p>\n

After the speedy and surprising rebuild the Sky carried out during the signing period, most of this roster looks locked. I have 10 in bold above, and that might be low. That group definitely look like certainties, with the combination of highly-drafted young talents like Jackson, Jaquez and Cardoso and veterans with guaranteed money like Diggins, Stevens and Carrington going nowhere. Both Carrington and Vandersloot are still recovering from injuries, but the team knew that when they were signed so it shouldn\u2019t affect their spots on the roster.<\/p>\n

The Sky made trades with both Portland and Toronto before the expansion draft, giving up minor draft capital in order to keep the Fire and Tempo from selecting any of their players. That suggested they still really valued players like Westbeld and Van Lith and didn\u2019t want to lose them – which would indicate they have strong chances to hold on to those last couple of spots. However, the Sky took Lattimore at No. 21 in this year\u2019s draft, the kind of range where you\u2019re hoping the player at least puts up a fight in camp, so she might have a shot to beat one of them out (or at least earn a development spot). The rest of the camp invites will all be hoping to make an impression, but are probably longshots to actually make the opening day 12.<\/p>\n

PG: Le\u00efla Lacan\/Shey Peddy\/Charlisse Leger-Walker\/Harmoni Turner<\/p>\n

SG: Saniya Rivers\/Mamignan Tour\u00e9\/Diamond Miller\/Madison Hayes<\/p>\n

SF: Kennedy Burke\/Gianna Kneepkens\/Nell Angloma\/Taylor Bigby<\/p>\n

PF: Aaliyah Edwards\/Aneesah Morrow<\/p>\n

C: Brittney Griner\/Olivia Nelson-Ododa\/Raegan Beers<\/p>\n

While they added Griner and Burke to help teach the kids and win a few games in their final season in Connecticut, the Sun remain a young, rebuilding franchise. So first-round picks like Kneepkens and Angloma will almost certainly be retained and given a chance to be part of their future. The Sun also have lots of extra cap space, so there should be no real fear of that new rule that protects the first-year salary of first-round picks once they make the roster. If we get halfway through the season and they want to move on, they have the room to simply pay out that salary and sign someone else.<\/p>\n

Diamond Miller has a guaranteed contract by virtue of being on the fourth year of her rookie-scale deal (the team option fourth year becomes protected if exercised), but that cap room again increases their options. The Sun could afford to pay out her contract in full and keep 12 other players. Given how Miller has performed since her injuries a couple of years ago, both in the WNBA and overseas, it wouldn\u2019t be a big surprise to see that scenario play out.<\/p>\n

The final few spots are pretty open (and the Sun may well cycle through several options over the course of the season). Leger-Walker was taken early in this year\u2019s second-round, so must have a good shot to stick. Peddy could play the veteran backcourt role they got from Lindsay Allen and Bria Hartley last year. Tour\u00e9 is another athletic French wing (although she\u2019s 31, so doesn\u2019t fit the same youth movement as much of this roster). Burke is just as comfortable sliding to the 4 as she is at the 3, so Beers doesn\u2019t necessarily need to stick as the fifth big (most teams will probably keep 5 \u2018interior\u2019 players and 7 \u2018perimeter\u2019, although there\u2019s obviously often some crossover).<\/p>\n

PG: Paige Bueckers\/Odyssey Sims\/Lindsay Allen\/Costanza Verona<\/p>\n

SG: Arike Ogunbowale\/Azzi Fudd\/JJ Quinerly\/Grace Berger\/Shyanne Sellers<\/p>\n

SF: Maddy Siegrist\/Aziaha James\/Alysha Clark<\/p>\n

PF: Alanna Smith\/Awak Kuier\/Amy Okonkwo\/Zee Spearman\/Grace Sullivan<\/p>\n

C: Jessica Shepard\/Li Yueru\/Kyla Oldacre\/Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu\/Rayah Marshall<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been admittedly conservative with the names I have in bold for the Wings, but they\u2019re bringing a lot of recognisable names to camp. So beyond the obvious core and those they gave guaranteed money, it\u2019s hard to say who\u2019s definitively in.<\/p>\n

They gave Awak Kuier a guaranteed $525,000 deal to come back to the WNBA after two seasons away, so especially given they\u2019re relatively tight to the salary cap she won\u2019t be going anywhere. They\u2019ll also probably want to retain Li Yueru, but they have brought in a lot of other centers to fight it out in camp. Okonkwo also had a nice run of games at the end of last season and will be hoping that translates into a spot for 2026.<\/p>\n

On the perimeter they have a group of young players in James, Quinerly and Berger who\u2019ve shown flashes of talent, a veteran wing in Clark, and a battle at point guard between Sims, Allen and Italian import Verona. Considering there are only five spots left beyond my bolded names above, some people who many would expect to make a WNBA roster are going to get cut here.<\/p>\n

PG: Veronica Burton\/Kaitlyn Chen<\/p>\n

SG: Tiffany Hayes\/Cecilia Zandalasini\/Kaila Charles\/Kate Martin\/Miela Sowah\/Ashlon Jackson\/Bailey Maupin<\/p>\n

SF: Gabby Williams\/Janelle Sala\u00fcn\/Just\u0117 Jocyt\u0117\/Caroline Ducharme\/Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda<\/p>\n

PF: Kayla Thornton\/Marta Su\u00e1rez\/Cate Reese<\/p>\n

C: Iliana Rupert\/Kiah Stokes\/Laeticia Amihere\/Mariella Fasoula<\/p>\n

Even for a team and coach that liked to play small lineups and shoot a lot of threes last season, that\u2019s a hell of a lot of wings. And a lot of the ones lower down the list look like they\u2019re arriving with very little chance of making the roster. I have 10 in bold above, and considering they made the strange trade that jumped all the way down from No. 8 to No. 16 in this year\u2019s draft for only the additional return of a 2028 second-rounder, they\u2019ll probably keep Marta Su\u00e1rez as well to save a little face on that deal. Laeticia Amihere has always been an impressive athlete and showed signs of developing her basketball skills last season, and Mariella Fasoula is a solid Greek center with a strong European track record behind her, but unless one of them beats out Su\u00e1rez it\u2019s hard to see where their roster spot is coming from. They gave Kiah Stokes guaranteed money, or I\u2019d absolutely have her down here in a battle to make the team.<\/p>\n

There only appears to be one spot for all those bigs because you\u2019d think they\u2019d want to keep a backup for Burton at point guard, which would swallow the 12th spot on the roster. Someone like Gabby Williams could act as Burton\u2019s backup, but keeping a more traditional lead guard would make more sense. Kaitlyn Chen had some decent moments last year and appears the current favourite, because none of the other camp invites are really true point guards. Maybe they\u2019re expecting No. 23 pick Ashlon Jackson from Duke to compete with her for that spot, or even still considering outside additions.<\/p>\n

Everyone else in this camp – even fan-favourite Kate Martin – is really going to have to do something unexpected to make the final 12.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it for Part One. Come back on Tuesday and Wednesday this week for breakdowns of every remaining team in the league.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site<\/a>, our podcast<\/a>, and our social media accounts on Twitter<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n