The WNBA preseason is always a hectic time. Two weeks of media days, preseason games, roster changes, and more. It's hard to keep up with all the news, there are so many twists along the way. Throw in a Papal Conclave and a new American Pope, and it's been a busy news week.
Here are the 3 biggest shocks of the WNBA preseason:
Shyanne Sellers is waived from the Golden State Valkyries
The dynamic guard out of Maryland was predicted as a mid-to-late first round draft pick, maybe early second round in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Instead, she ended up falling to the 17th overall pick, being drafted by the Golden State Valkyries. Despite having to wait a little longer than expected to have her name called, Sellers to the Valkyries seemed like a great place to land. This was a chance for her to create a legacy from scratch on a brand new team.
Sellers was also the highest draft pick at Valkyries camp, given that they drafted Juste Jocyte as a "draft and stash" - so she won't be coming over from Europe this year. So, when Sellers was waived by the team before they were even able to play their first preseason game, fans were shocked. There was an uproar online of angry and confused fans, wondering how on earth this happened.
The Valkyries' head coach Natalie Nakase came out after and said that the 12 players she chooses would be "the best fit, not necessarily the most talented." Which did not necessarily give anyone the answers they wanted. Sellers was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Dream and will join them for the rest of training camp, competing for a spot on their roster.
Brittney Griner opens her season with two made 3s
Brittney Griner averages a career 0.1 three-pointers per game, sparking questions from fans about how she would fit into her new coach's system. The Atlanta Dream hired Karl Smesko from FGCU to be their new coach, and he is known for his 3-point preferential style of play on the court. With those numbers from Griner plus the fact that the Dream signed her and Brionna Jones, there are still questions about how it will all work.
Yet, people who did not believe in Griner's ability to shoot the 3 were proved wrong in Atlanta's first preseason game Wednesday. The team opened the game with back-to-back made 3-point shots from Griner. The first one was surprising, and the second one immediately after was full on shocking.
Of course a preseason game is not going to answer every question fans have about the construction of this roster. It will be interesting to see how Atlanta performs against teams like Las Vegas or New York.
Las Vegas waived Harmoni Turner before Deja Kelly
The Las Vegas Aces drafted Harmoni Turner out of Harvard 35th overall in the 2025 Draft, their second draft pick of the night. The Aces had to forfeit their No. 9 pick due to punishment handed down to them from the league, so they drafted Aaliyah Nye in the second round and Turner in the third. They went on to sign Deja Kelly out of Oregon as an undrafted player, bringing her into training camp.
After the Aces played their two preseason games - one against Phoenix and the other against Dallas, the began waiving players. Surprisingly, Turner was waived before Kelly, despite Turner being drafted and Kelly being undrafted. Of course, it's all about fit and Kelly clearly earned a chance to stay in camp a little longer, scoring 15 points on 5-7 shots from the field in the Aces game against Phoenix.
Kelly is not in the clear yet, as Vegas still has a few choices to make. A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Jewell Loyd, Dana Evans and Kierstan Bell are all on protected contracts. Tiffany Mitchell, Megan Gustafson and Kiah Stokes are unprotected but seem to be pretty safe from being cut. That's already nine players. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is on maternity leave, so that leaves them a bit of room to sign someone. Essentially, there are 2-3 more roster spots left, with all of Kelly, Elizabeth Kitley, Aaliyah Nye, and Crystal Bradford all competing for spots.
It's a hard time of year to be a WNBA executive, having to make decisions like these. There have already been 33 players cut from camps so far, with most teams still having as many as 18 players left on their rosters as of Thursday. That number of waived players could double in the next week, as final rosters are due on May 15 — a week from today.