Just a few days into training camps, teams are already starting to make roster cuts
No.
1 overall pick Azzi Fudd will make her preseason debut Thursday against the Indiana Fever when the Dallas Wings finally take the court this preseason.
The Wings are the only team in the league that has not played a preseason game yet.
Fudd's debut will be one of the most anticipated preseason games this season.
Angel Reese's return to Chicago similarly drew plenty of interest on Wednesday, barely three weeks after her shocking trade from the Sky to the Atlanta Dream.
Training camps have now been open for well over a week, and we're starting to see a number of cuts roll in.
There will be even more in the coming days as coaches and general managers pare down their rosters to a more manageable size for the final week of the preseason.
As rosters take shape, CBS Sports will keep you up to date on the biggest moves.
Here's a quick glossary on the different types of roster contracts:
The Dream brought back their entire core in free agency, traded for Angel Reese , drafted Madina Okot and convinced former first-round pick Isobel Borlase to come over to the WNBA out of the Women's National Basketball League.
Their rotation is set, but there are a few open spots at the back-end of the roster, which is why they invited 19 players to camp.
Notably, one of the camp invitees is Brionna Jones ' sister, Stephanie.
The Sky completely revamped their roster in the offseason with a clear eye on returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
Out went Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins , and in came Skylar Diggins , Azurá Stevens , Rickea Jackson , DiJonai Carrington , Jacy Sheldon and Gabriela Jaquez via free agency, trades and the draft.
They have a clear top-10, but the final spots are up for grabs.
Ajša Sivka, the No.
10 overall pick in 2025, is not on the training camp roster, but is expected to join the team this season.
Hailey Van Lith , who went one pick later at No.
11, will have to fight to stay on the roster.
The Sun will field an extremely young roster for their final season in Connecticut before moving to Houston.
Only three players in camp have five or more years of experience, and one of them, Shey Peddy , is on a training camp deal.
Even though the Sun don't have many established players, there aren't many spots up for grabs.
The most interesting thing to watch is how many of their rookies will make the team.
Nell Angloma and Gianna Kneepkens seem like good bets, but what about Charlisse Leger-Walker , Taylor Bigby or Raegan Beers ?
Like so many teams, the Wings will look completely different this season after making some major moves in free agency and drafting Azzi Fudd with the No.
1 overall pick.
In addition to signing 2025 co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard , the Wings also brought former No.
2 overall selection Awak Kuier back stateside.
The Wings' top seven is locked in, but they have a ton of decisions to make at the end of the roster, which is why they've brought a whopping 22 players to camp.
The Valkyries signed Gabby Williams in free agency, which was a big get, and lost a few deep rotation players, including Temi Fágbénlé, but are mostly bringing back the same team.
In terms of minutes played, seven of their top nine from last season returned, which means their rotation won't look too different.
Notably, No.
5 overall pick Justė Jocytė will be coming over to the WNBA this season, though she will be a late arrival to camp.
The Valkyries have brought in 21 players as they look to fill out the back-end of the roster.
The Fever re-signed Kelsey Mitchell in free agency, which was their top priority, and also brought back Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham .
Free-agent signings Monique Billings , Tyasha Harris and Myisha Hines-Allen , as well as No.
10 overall pick Raven Johnson , will fill out the rotation around Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston .
There won't be much intrigue at Fever camp, which is why they only brought in 16 players.
Unsurprisingly, the Aces are largely running it back after winning their third title in four years, and they don't anticipate having an eventful training camp.
They may have set a record by only inviting 13 players, and the final spot will likely come down to draftees Janiah Barker and Jordan Obi .
Assuming that's the case, former lottery pick Chennedy Carter has all but locked up a roster spot.
She has gone unsigned in two of the last three seasons, but the Aces are betting on her talent .
The Sparks went all in this offseason.
They brought back franchise icon Nneka Ogwumike , who had spent the last two seasons in Seattle, re-signed Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby and traded former lottery pick Rickea Jackson for Ariel Atkins.
But even though the Sparks hope to contend, they have some questions about their depth and the back-end of their roster, and there will be some spots up for grabs.
The Lynx 's three leading scorers from last season -- Napheesa Collier , Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams -- are all back, but almost nothing else remains the same in Minnesota.
There was a mass exodus in the expansion draft and free agency, and while they have made some notable additions, such as No.
2 pick Olivia Miles and veteran forward Natasha Howard , there are going to be real minutes up for grabs in camp, let alone roster spots.
The Lynx will certainly be a team to watch over the next few weeks to see how their roster shakes out.
The Liberty were one of the big winners in free agency, as they brought back their Big Three of Breanna Stewart , Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones , and also convinced All-Star forward Satou Sabally to take a discount to come to the Big Apple.
While the front-end of the Liberty's roster is stacked, there are still questions about how the back-end of their rotation, though fewer now that they've re-signed Marine Johannès.
The Mercury re-signed Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper , but did nothing to replace All-Star forward Satou Sabally, who walked in free agency.
While they're still going to be a competitive team, a return trip to the Finals looks unlikely unless they're able to work some true magic on the margins.
They certainly made an effort to do so, as they brought in 24 players -- two full rosters worth -- to camp.
Four of those players were notable college players who went undrafted: Kara Dunn, Shay Ciezki, Maggie Doogan and Yarden Garzon.
While Dunn and Ciezki remain in camp, Doogan and Garzon have been cut.
The Fire are one of two expansion teams to join the league this season, and they have an extremely young group.
There are only two 30 year olds in camp and only three players with more than four years of experience.
It's going to be interesting to see how committed they are to the players they selected in the expansion draft, the majority of whom do not have guaranteed deals.
Spanish guard Iyana Martín, the No.
7 overall pick, will remain in Europe this summer and will not play in the WNBA this season.
Additionally, Nika Mühl will not play this season as she recovers from a torn ACL.
The Storm lost a ton of talent in free agency, including Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins and Gabby Williams, but they crushed the draft by adding Awa Fam and Flau'jae Johnson .
Their rebuild is already off to such a strong start that they're actually a winner from the offseason even though they're going to be worse this season.
The Tempo are one of two expansion teams joining the league this season, and they took a completely opposite approach from the Fire in both the expansion draft and free agency.
This is a veteran team that's out to compete this season and has an outside chance to make the playoffs.
Draft picks Kiki Rice and Teonni Key are two of only three players in camp under 25 years old.
The Tempo have waived Marina Mabrey's sister, Dara, and Kristy Wallace, whom they selected from the Fever in the expansion draft.
The Mystics decided to match the three-year max offer sheet that Shakira Austin signed with the Tempo in free agency, and she will return as the most experienced player on the roster.
In fact, Michaela Onyenwere is the only other player who has more than one year in the WNBA under her belt, and they have 12 rookies in training camp, including first-round picks Lauren Betts (No.
4), Angela Dugalić (No.
9) and Cotie McMahon (No.
11).
Rather than roster battles, the interesting thing to watch during Mystics camp will be how their rotation is shaking out, especially with their abundance of frontcourt players.
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