Women's Fastbreak On SI

Sparks Roster Cut Catches WNBA Fans by Surprise

WNBA fans were not expecting this last-minute roster cut from the Los Angeles Sparks.
Grant Young|
May 6, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks guard Aari McDonald (15) during the first quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
May 6, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks guard Aari McDonald (15) during the first quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

May 15 marks the day where all 13 WNBA franchises must cut their rosters down to 12 players in preparation for the 2025 regular season, which starts on May 16.

Most teams have already brought their rosters down to the required 12 players, as it's typically unheralded veterans who have bounced in and out of the league and rookies who are the first to go. However, when it came to the Los Angeles Sparks, a roster decision they announced on Wednesday evening is turning a lot of heads.

The Sparks' social media team made an X post announcing that they have waived guard Aari McDonald.

McDonald was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 WNBA Draft out of the University of Arizona. She spent three seasons with the Atlanta Dream (the team that drafted her) before spending the 2024 campaign with the Sparks, where she averaged 8.7 points per game on 21.8 minutes per contest.

McDonald had solidified herself as a valuable role player off the bench for Los Angeles last year, and most fans believed she's assume that same role this year.

This is why many fans are flabbergasted about this decision, which they're making clear on social media.

"What are they thinking? This is crazy she was gone be a key player off their bench," one fan wrote.

Another added, "She was exactly what we needed. This was a dumb cut".

"bro do these teams WANT to lose?? wtf are they doing 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️," wrote a third.

McDonald would figure to be a prime candidate to find another WNBA home at some point.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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