We may be smack-dab in the middle of the WNBA season, but that doesn’t mean European clubs are lying dormant. Many WNBA players have already signed to play overseas for the winter, and the clubs competing in FIBA’s EuroLeague Women remain a popular destination.
While clubs like Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring, ZVVZ USK Praha and Valencia Basket Club are usually quick to scoop up veterans they hope can lead them to the promised land, we’ve also seen a good amount of movement among younger players.
Several
WNBA rookies are slated to make their EuroLeague Women debuts this winter. Let’s look at who’s going where and how they can use their new opportunities to further their respective careers.
Sydney Taylor (Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring)
Taylor made a name for herself quickly in her rookie season, making it out of Chicago’s training camp as an undrafted rookie and becoming an indispensable part of the Sky’s backcourt. Taylor took advantage of several early-season injuries to Sky guards and immediately impressed with her ability to score in bunches; she’s scored 20 or more points six times this season, and her 14.2 points per game ranks second among all rookies.
Taylor’s efforts obviously caught the attention of Galatasaray, who will be looking to build upon last season’s second-place finish. The Turkish club features Awak Kuier and reigning EuroLeague Women MVP Dorka Juhász, and they’ve also added Natasha Howard, Janelle Salaün, Marine Fauthoux and Emese Hof. Needless to say, they’ll be widely expected to return to the EuroLeague Women Final Six—and perhaps even the title game—this winter.
How will Taylor factor into Galatasaray’s quest for glory?
With Kuier, Howard and Juhász, they’ll once again have one of the strongest frontcourts in the league, so they’ll probably try to play to those strengths wherever possible. That’s not to say Taylor won’t be a featured player for Galatasaray—they’ll need her and Salaün to keep the floor balanced, at the very least—but even if she isn’t, her performance this season should all but guarantee that she’ll be back in a Sky uniform in 2027.
Cassandre Prosper (ZVVZ USK Praha)
Prosper was one of the youngest players chosen in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and while she got a decent amount of playing time early on for the Mystics, she’s more or less fallen out of their rotation since mid-June. Prosper averaged 23.6 minutes played in her first five WNBA games, but since then she’s played just nine minutes per game, and it’s clear that she still has some growing to do if she’s going to carve out a niche for herself.
What better way to hone one’s skills than by playing for one of EuroLeague Women’s premiere clubs?
For years, Praha had been anchored by top-tier post play, featuring centers like Brionna Jones and Ezi Magbegor, and they’re just a year removed from winning the EuroLeague Women championship. A disappointing end to last season, however, has the Czech club restructuring things, and there’s going to be plenty of opportunity for younger players to step in and play significant roles.
Prosper is one such player.
Her athletic potential has never been in doubt; she stands at 6-foot-3 with a large wingspan, and she moves her feet remarkably well for a player of her size. She’s going to have physical advantages over the vast majority of the competition, especially on defense. Prosper has a lot of room to grow offensively, however, and if she returns from Europe with a more reliable jumpshot, the Mystics are going to feel a whole lot better about keeping her next summer.
Frieda Bühner (ZVVZ USK Praha)
Prosper isn’t the only promising newcomer Praha has signed for next season. Bühner is currently playing her rookie WNBA season in Portland, averaging 6.6 points in 15 minutes per game for the Fire, but it’s a foregone conclusion that Praha will be asking her to do a little bit more.
Bühner’s biggest advantage entering her first EuroLeague Women season may just be her amount of international experience at other levels.
Bühner has competed for the German national team since 2019, most recently impressing in the qualifying tournament for the upcoming FIBA World Cup, and she also has two seasons of experience in EuroLeague Women’s sister competition, EuroCup Women. There, Bühner played a large role for Spanish club Movistar Estudiantes, averaging 19 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 season.
A natural scorer, Bühner’s ideal developmental arc will essentially be the opposite of Prosper’s: The Fire will want to see her improve defensively, particularly when defending on the perimeter. If she can do that, her skill as a shooter will become that much more valuable in the WNBA.
Marta Suárez (Valencia Basket Club)
Of the WNBA players who will be making their EuroLeague Women debuts this winter, Suárez has perhaps the most to gain.
She was drafted early in the second round of the 2026 WNBA Draft, but she’s bounced around a bit since then without getting much meaningful playing time. Suárez is currently on her third 7-day contract with the Phoenix Mercury, for whom she’s appeared in 11 games and played an average of nine minutes.
Ideally, will have a bigger role than that with Valencia. She showed that she’s capable of carrying a go-to scorer’s burden during her final collegiate season at TCU, where she averaged 17.1 points per game and earned All-Big 12 honors, and while Valencia typically fields veteran-laden rosters, there should be room on next season’s team for Suárez to do what she excels at. Playing alongside experienced guards like Alexis Peterson and Leticia Romero should benefit Suárez, who is at her best when operating as a stretch forward. And playing in her home country of Spain couldn’t hurt, either.
All that being said, WNBA teams already know that Suárez can score. If she’s going to make a good impression playing for Valencia, she’ll need to improve in other areas, particularly her rim protection and decision-making: Suárez blocked just 0.2 shots per game at TCU and committed 3.2 turnovers, neither of which are good numbers for a play-finishing power forward.
If she shows growth as a defender and cleans up her turnovers with Valencia, though, chances are she’ll get another shot in the WNBA in 2027.
