There are 144 roster spots in the WNBA. The 12 teams in the league each have a hard-capped 12 roster spots. This makes it difficult for rookies and less tenured players to stay in the league, as they often engaged in tense competitions for limited roster spots. On average, teams will have no more than half of their roster spots available for all rookies and free agents.
Furthermore, the WNBA has been cagey in recent years about expansion. Every few months, the league comes out with a vague update about the state of league expansion. The most recent update was that the league had narrowed down a list of 100 potential expansion sites to 20. But this isn't enough for many fans.
Multiple Top Picks Waived
In recent days, Charli Collier (#1 pick in 2021), Emily Engstler (#4 in 2022), and Abby Meyers (#11 in 2023) are among the players who have been waived by their teams. The Collier, who has played 45 games over the last two seasons, waive was taken especially hard by fans. Collier is averaging 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in her career. The Dallas Wings, Collier's former team, currently have three rookies on the roster and one player from Collier's draft class.
However, the cuts have once again raised calls to expand the league, either through new teams or larger rosters. "Another day of WNBA roster cuts, another day of needing WNBA roster expansion. Franchises need spots to develop college talent!!" Gaming Society's Matt Ellentuck tweeted. "Expansion is needed. However when there’s only 144 spots we have to be realistic. The gap between being a great NCAA player and a good enough #WNBA player is large. You have a few that come in ready but teams don’t have enough time to try & develop. They need you to be ready now." argued Women's Hoopz. Despite fan outrage, it doesn't appear that the league is yet in a place to follow through on this.
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