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Connecticut Sun guard Hailey Van Lith (2) controls the ball past New York Liberty guard Pauline Astier (18) during a WNBA basketball game in New York on Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Adam Hunger)<\/p>\n
Adam Hunger\/AP<\/p>\n
PORTLAND, OR – MAY 27: Ashlon Jackson #3 of the Connecticut Sun handles the ball during the game against the Portland Fire on May 27, 2026, at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.\u00a0(Photo by Mollie Handkins\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Mollie Handkins\/NBAE via Getty Images, Photo courtesy of Connecticut Sun<\/p>\n
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 5: Hailey Van Lith #2 of the Connecticut Sun dribbles the ball during the game against the Chicago Sky on June 5, 2026 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Gary\u00a0Dineen\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Gary Dineen\/NBAE via Getty Images, Photo courtesy of Connecticut Sun<\/p>\n
Rookie Ashlon Jackson signed a player development contract with the Connecticut Sun<\/a> for the chance to go home to Texas.<\/p>\n After being waived twice in the first month of the season, second-year guard Hailey Van Lith<\/a>\u00a0just wanted to keep a job.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For the first time in the history of the WNBA, players like Jackson and Van Lith finally get the chance to not only stay in the league but also prove they deserve a spot.<\/p>\n One of the WNBA\u2019s most critical flaws has been its lack of opportunity.While recent expansion has brought the league to 15 teams with 12-player rosters, there still isn’t room for depth in the case of injuries.<\/p>\n Unlike its NBA counterpart, the WNBA doesn’t have a designated development league, like the G League. In the past, players who didn\u2019t make a team’s 12-player roster often found themselves signing with overseas teams, smaller domestic leagues or doing whatever they could to stay fit and remain on teams\u2019 radars in case a hardship contract opened.<\/p>\n Make CT Insider a preferred source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Now, thanks to the league\u2019s new collective bargaining agreement, these players on the fringe not only have a chance to develop, but also get consistent playing time.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThe W, to me, it\u2019s the best league in the world, but it’s very hard to get to be a part of it,\u201d said Sun general manager and former\u00a0UConn women\u2019s basketball<\/a> star Morgan Tuck. \u201c\u2026 The more spots that are available, the better. There’s a lot of really good, talented players that just don’t get the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n This offseason, the league and its players\u2019 union agreed to a new, historic collective bargaining agreement\u00a0that featured\u00a0seven-figure salaries, stronger player benefits, and more opportunities than ever before with the creation of player development contracts.<\/p>\n According to the new CBA, each team has the option to sign two development players to its roster without affecting its salary cap. From the moment they sign, these players get the full experience. They\u2019re a part of team meetings, participate in practice and travel with the team on road trips.<\/p>\n Player development contracts were created to give younger players, specifically those on the fringe of roster cuts, the space to improve their skills while still having an opportunity to play in games and integrate themselves within team cultures and league expectations. These contracts are reserved for players with fewer than four years of experience in the WNBA or fewer than six years, if they\u2019ve played between one and160 minutes in the prior season.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n PORTLAND, OREGON – MAY 27: Guard Ashlon Jackson #3 of the Connecticut Sun reaches for a loose ball during the first half of the game against the Portland Fire at Moda Center on May 27, 2026, in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Ali Gradischer\/Getty Images, Photo courtesy of Connecticut Sun<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a good situation to be in, especially because you’re learning something new every single day, whether that’s being around your teammates, your staff,\u201d said Jackson. \u201cStill being able to have the full experience, be a part of the team, play some games; it’s really great.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite a much smaller weekly stipend than the players\u2019 salaries on the regular 12-player roster, the biggest difference in these contracts is their game limit.<\/p>\n Development players can play up to 12 games per contract. Each team, however, can only play a development player in 24 total games each season. After a development player plays 12, they can choose to stay with their team and continue participating in practice (without playing in games), or they can sign a new contract with a different team as their individual game limit resets.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Once a team hits 24 games, they can no longer play any development player in any game that season (if a team chooses to play both its development players in the same game, that counts as two games against their 24-game limit). If a team wishes to sign a development player to a regular roster spot, it must first make room by waiving another player to keep within the salary cap.<\/p>\n \u201cI think anytime you can have more people on a roster, I think it’s a good thing,\u201d Tuck said. \u201c\u2026 I think it’s really key for people that you want to obviously develop for development spots, but then also people that you think can give you some benefit during the season in their limited amount of games.\u201d<\/p>\n As of June 11, nine of the league\u2019s 15 teams have signed two development players, while two teams (Las Vegas and Toronto) have both of their development spots still open. When it came to Connecticut’s development spots, Tuck says she wanted a mix of players who provided depth and players whom the team could invest in “long term.”<\/p>\n SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MAY 20: Ashlon Jackson #3 of the Connecticut Sun lays up a shot against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on May 20, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Kevin Ng\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Kevin Ng\/Photo courtesy of Connecticut Sun<\/p>\n Jackson\u00a0was drafted No. 23 overall (No. 8 in the second round) in April\u2019s\u00a0WNBA Draft by Golden State. After the\u00a0Valkyries waived her during the last week of training camp, Connecticut reached out, offering her one of its player development contracts.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The former Duke star sees the development role not only as a way to get better, but as a way to impress the Sun\u00a0for a potentially larger role next season. Connecticut relocates to Houston this offseason, which is about an hour and a half\u00a0west of where Jackson is from\u00a0in\u00a0China, Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like at the end, I’ll become a better player for it and a better person,\u201d said Jackson of being a development player. \u201c\u2026 Just being able to stay ready and continue to get better every single day, whether that’s within your focus or how you approach things, the way you prepare, like whenever you think no one’s watching, they’re always watching.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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