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As the 2025 WNBA preseason comes to a close and the regular season approaches, coaching staffs are confronted with the tough task of narrowing down all their impressive player options to fit the only 11 or 12 spots available in a final lineup.
Even with a new expansion team in the mix in the Golden State Valkyries, this decision gets more difficult each year, as many talented athletes who had outstanding performances in training camp and games don't make the cut.
Despite the good impression they might leave on coaches and fans alike, some players just won't be able to overcome the depth of competition they have to face to end up on a team. Multiple skilled draftees and camp invitees have already gotten the heartbreaking news that they won't be in the W come May 16, but some players still have plenty left to fight for.
Let's take a look and see which teams have the most painful calls to make once training camp ends.
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx came into training camp off a season that ended in the WNBA Finals and with a roster brimming with both talent and potential. They have their established key players to provide a stable foundation, like Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams, while the newcomers bring in opportunities for depth and versatility.
Younger veterans are competing with brand-new draft picks for those final open spots, and no team invited more players to its camp than Minnesota to begin with, which just complicated the process even further.
Diamond Miller is returning from offseason knee surgery and showed flashes of her old form in the Lynx's last preseason win over the Chicago Sky, but her comeback is still a work in progress. Bridget Carleton, who had her breakout moment in 2024, aims to prove her momentum will carry over into 2025 and had solid preseason production.
First-year vet Alissa Pili is fighting to earn an expanded role on top of keeping her place on the team. And Minnesota took Anastasiia Kosu from Russia, making it one of the few teams that took an international player in this year's draft who plans to show up and play the whole season. The Lynx have a limited amount of time left to finalize their rotation, and the field is still looking fierce.
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun are in a rebuild in every sense of the word, and new head coach Rachid Meziane has more major decisions to make than most courtside bosses. Besides the few veterans anchoring the roster, like Marina Mabrey and returning star Tina Charles, the spots are essentially wide open.
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This year's draft picks Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, and Rayah Marshall are among the competitors, last year's choice out of France, Leila Lacan, is finally an option after sitting out last year, and there's a handful of training camp signees hoping they're not the one to get the chop.
Marshall is basically a lock as one of the only bigs on the roster, and the team appears to already have Morrow in its plans as it chose to rest her instead of throwing her into preseason action. That leaves Rivers, Lacan, young vets like Jacy Sheldon, and camp signees to pick from, leaving the squad's direction for 2025 totally up to Meziane.
Dallas Wings
The Dallas Wings are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the W overall, but their training camp battle is especially interesting because of the crop of draft picks they took in April. Outside of No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, fellow draftees Aziaha James, JJ Quinerly, and Madison Scott are still going up against camp signee Mai Yamamoto.
Veteran star Arike Ogunbowale is still the cornerstone of the team, but the offseason additions and emergence of the new rookies signal a shift toward a more balanced and dynamic offense. Quinerly has been one preseason surprise, as she had a breakout moment that made her a serious contender and made head coach Chris Koclanes' decision even more difficult.
Having depth to choose from is a good problem to have, since every remaining player would make the final cut under different circumstances, but it's still not easy to pick who will end up helping the Wings rebound from their rocky 2024 season.
Every team will have to have their final decisions made by May 15 before hitting the court for regular season play on May 16. Many franchises will only keep 11 for salary cap budgetary reasons, meaning it'll be an even tighter squeeze for players left at the end.
The Lynx, Sun, and Wings have been engaged in a highly competitive fight since training camp began, and it's not letting up as the end approaches. Each side has its own challenges to face and needs to meet with the options in front of them, and the outcome of these camp battles will play a significant role in shaping their success in seasons to come.
