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WNBA roster cuts: Bree Hall, Shyanne Sellers among 2025 draftees waived ahead of season tip-off

The WNBA season is just around the corner, and with it comes the cuts. The preseason brings with it a highly-competitive race to snatch up one of the league's coveted roster spots before the regular season begins on May 16.

Despite bringing in a 13th team this year, with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA is still one of the smallest professional leagues in the country. Rookies have to compete with veteran players for the 12 spots on each team — and many will not make it onto the team's final rosters.

Just a few weeks after the 2025 WNBA Draft, teams are beginning to waive some of the NCAA stars that they drafted. A couple of notable names in the college scene have already lost out on their WNBA spots, with more surprising cuts still likely to come.

Who are some of the notable players to get waived?

One of the first notable rookies to get waived was Shyanne Sellers, who was waived by the Golden State Valkyries on May 3. The Maryland guard and 17th overall pick was eventually picked up by the Atlanta Dream, a team that is entering a new era after a busy offseason. Whether Sellers is able to make the Dream's final roster is still to be determined, as Atlanta currently has more than 12 players on its roster.

Another notable cut was Bree Hall, who was waived by the Indiana Fever on May 5. Hall, a former South Carolina guard with two NCAA championships under her belt, was selected with one of the Fever's second-round picks (20th overall), but loses out on a roster spot just a few weeks later.

On May 7, Harmoni Turner — a standout guard at Harvard and the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year — joined the list of fan favorites to get cut when she was waived by the Las Vegas Aces. Turner was picked by the Aces in the third round, at 35th overall.

Why are so many WNBA players getting waived?

When it comes to the WNBA, the simple answer is that there aren't enough spots to accommodate the number of talented players coming in from the NCAA. With 13 teams at 12 spots each, there are only 156 total roster spots across the league — with many of those spots already taken up by veterans and stars.

In general, while first-round draft picks are likely to make their rosters, most players selected in the WNBA Draft will not make their team's final roster.

Those final rosters must be set before the regular season starts on May 16, meaning that teams must cut down to 12 players before then. More than two dozen players across the WNBA have already been waived; a good chunk of those players are rookies who went undrafted.

Is the salary cap a factor?

Honestly, money is not really part of the equation when it comes to the flurry of waivers during the preseason. The current minimum annual salary in the WNBA is $66,079 for rookie salary — a number that might change soon, with the league's collective bargaining agreement set to expire in the fall. All players who are selected in the third round or go undrafted earn this amount in their first year.

All of the WNBA teams have the cap space to sign rookie players, according to Spotrac, but the restrictions on roster spots are truly what keep teams from filling out their benches a little more.

Signing a rookie contract does not guarantee that a player won't get cut from the roster. By waiving the player, the team is off the hook for that contract, while a team that picks up that player will also pick up their existing (rookie scale) contract.

What's next for players who get waived?

The WNBA's small rosters are a point of contention, as the league also doesn't have any kind of minor league, like the NBA's G League, that players can sign with. Most players who don't make rosters will end up traveling abroad, to other leagues in countries like China, Russia, Turkey and more.

Ironically, many of these leagues pay more money than the WNBA, though players who are not big-name talent tend to make low six figures.

Other notable rookies who have been waived:

Beyond Sellers, Hall and Turner, plenty of other players and draftees who were big names in college failed to make the cut in the WNBA.

Alyssa Ustby — former UNC guard/forward, waived by the Los Angeles Sparks on May 2
Madison Conner — former TCU guard, waived by the Seattle Storm on May 6 (third-round pick, selected 29th overall)
Jordan Hobbs — former Michigan guard, waived by the Seattle Storm on May 6 (third-round pick, selected 34th overall)
Aaronette Vonleh — former Baylor center, waived by the Dallas Wings on May 6 (third-round pick, selected 31st overall)
Dalayah Daniels — former Washington forward, waived by the Minnesota Lynx on May 7 (second-round pick, 24th overall)
Diamond Johnson — former Norfolk State guard, waived by the Minnesota Lynx on May 7
Yvonne Ejim — former Gonzaga forward, waived by the Indiana Fever on May (third-round pick, 33rd overall)

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