5 Players Who Are Most Likely to Fall Victim to Looming Wings Roster Cuts
The Dallas Wings started training camp with a massive roster. They already waived Sheyenne Sellers and Grace Sullivan, but still have 20 players on the roster. That number needs to be cut to 14—12 regular roster spots and 2 development spots.
GM Curt Miller recently told reporters, “You think of a potential projected lineup of Paige [Bueckers], Arike [Ogunbowale], Azzi [Fudd], Jess [Shepard], and Alanna [Smith], you’re talking a second unit now of Odyssey [Sims], Aziaha [James], Maddy Siegrist, Awak [Kuier], and Li [Yueru]. That’s a pretty good 10. And we haven’t even mentioned [Alysha] Clark.”
That’s eleven players Miller seems to expect to be on the roster once training camp wraps up. So, nine players will have to fight for the final regular roster spot and two developmental spots. As a result, some deserving young players will be left without a WNBA contract to start the season unless they get a shot with a different team.
Kyla Oldacre
Oldacre put together a solid college career and was instrumental in the Texas Longhorns’ second consecutive Final Four appearance and an overall successful season. Nevertheless, she wasn’t selected in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Her chances of making the Wings’ roster aren’t great either, considering that Shepard, Smith, Siegrist, Kuier, Yueru, and Clark will take up a ton of minutes in the frontcourt. The Wings also traded Diamond Miller to the Connecticut Sun for Rayah Marshall, which may give her an edge over an undrafted player when it comes to one of the final roster spots.
Costanza Verona
Verona has been a great role player in the top Italian league, the EuroLeague, and for the Italian national team. However, she is small for a WNBA-level guard at 5’7”, hasn’t played in the W yet, which will be a disadvantage compared to players like Lindsay Allen, JJ Quinerly, or Grace Berger, and she isn’t at training camp yet. Verona has the talent to compete with WNBA players, but the Wings’ roster construction and goals just don’t leave much room for an inexperienced guard to make her debut.
Lazaria Spearman
Zee Spearman was selected with the first pick of the third round in this year’s draft. Third-round picks don’t often make WNBA rosters on their first try because of the limited spots and the steady influx of talent. Spearman may have to come to terms with the same fate and spend some time developing overseas first.
If the Wings want another forward for the final roster spot, Amy Okonkwo may be a safer choice, considering that she proved last season that she can contribute at the WNBA level.
Spearman’s best shot of making the roster is landing one of the two development spots. She, JJ Quinerly, and Rayah Marshall currently look like the prime candidates for those opportunities, but Quinerly and Marshall may have an edge over Spearman. Quinerly put together some solid performances for the Wings last season, and Marshall appeared in 15 games with the Sun as a rookie. The Wings may be more comfortable relying on players with W experience to step up in case of injuries.
Grace Berger
Dallas was Berger’s third stop in as many years. After going to the Indiana Fever as the seventh pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, she was waived in 2024. Last season, she suited up for the LA Sparks and the Wings.
Due to injuries, she played quite a big role for the Wings, averaging 22.3 minutes per game. She was a helpful distributor, dishing out 3.2 assists per game, but she also shot only 30.6% from the field. She could contribute to the Wings as a backup guard this season, but making a Wings team desperate to compete that also features Bueckers, Ogunbowale, Fudd, James, and Sims will be difficult.
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu
Fankam Mendjiadeu started 21 games for the Seattle Storm in 2023, but was waived during the 2024 season, and hasn’t played in the W since. She is another player who had to miss part of training camp because she was competing for a championship in Serbia. Considering all the talent already in the frontcourt, it will be difficult for the 26-year-old to claim a roster spot.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.