Even as the now 15-team WNBA has expanded to 180 rosters spots, plus up to two development players per team, making a team is hard.
That’s especially true for rookies who did not hear their names called in the 2026 WNBA Draft and instead are trying to claim their place in the league through a training camp contract.
And yet, there are enough undrafted players who previously have beaten the odds to make it believable that at least one undrafted player with make her WNBA debut in 2026. No, she might
not become a Becky Hammon, Erica Wheeler or Kayla Thornton, but she could be one of 180.
Here are three players who could be on a bench when the WNBA regular season tips off. And be sure to share the names of any undrafted players you have your eyes on in the comments.
Amaya Battle (Minnesota Lynx)
Amaya Battle drained one of the more memorable shots of the NCAA Tournament, helping Minnesota advance to the Sweet 16 with a game-winning baseline jumper.
But rather than the clutch heroics that earned her the March Madness spotlight, it’s all the little, less noticed things that Battle does that could earn her a WNBA roster spot with her homestate team.
A 5-foot-11 guard, Battle fills up the box score, with her more modest scoring numbers supported by what she offers a passer, rebounder and defender. Over the course of her career, Battle averaged 4.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. As a senior, she really upped her effort on the glass, pulling down 7.5 boards per game and racking up eight double-digit rebounding games.
That Golden Gopher legend Lindsey Whalen is on the Lynx staff probably doesn’t hurt Battle’s chances of making it out of camp.
The Lynx likewise should be mindful of the WNBA sister-NBA brother corollary, where the sister consistently proves to be the superior player. That Amaya’s brother, Jamison, just helped his Toronto Raptors score a victory in the first round of the NBA Playoffs is a promising sign for her potential.
Shay Ciezki (Phoenix Mercury)
In a WNBA that increasingly values 3-point shooting, Shay Ciezki should be guaranteed a home.
After a 50-40-90 senior season at Indiana, where Ciezki shot 52.6 percent overall, 44.6 percent from 3 and 90.8 percent from the free throw line as she scored almost 23 points per game, she became a draft darling for the analytically-inclined. But, she was not one of the 45 players drafted.
Why?
While WNBA teams are increasingly valuing shooting, they’re devaluing small guards, and Ciezki is 5-foot-7.
Last season, only 10 players listed at 5-foot-7 and under were on WNBA rosters. Of those 10, only four—Aari McDonald, Dana Evans, Jordin Canada and the aforementioned Wheeler—were rotation players. Ciezki also doesn’t possess any outlier athletic traits, in contrast to the super speedy McDonald and Canada.
Despite these limitations, Ciezki found a way to thrive, with incredible efficiency, at the Power Four level.
Ciezki could prove that she should be empowered to operate with the ball in her hands in the W. The Hammon comp is there, if you want to get crazy. But at a minimum, Ciezki seems like a smart bet to cash in on the open 3s created by Alyssa Thomas.
Kara Dunn (Phoenix Mercury)
Ciezki is not the only camp invitee who has a good chance of making it to opening day with the Mercury.
Phoenix has only seven players who are sure to be on the team. The opportunity is there, and Kara Dunn is another undrafted player who can seize it.
After spending the first three seasons of her college career at Georgia Tech, where she captured a pair of All-ACC honors, Dunn transferred to USC for her senior campaign, serving as the co-star alongside Jazzy Davidson as she earned an All-Big Ten nomination.
Dunn’s solid production—11.7 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting and 37.8 percent from 3 as a senior—is complemented by a WNBA-ready frame. She plays with the kind of physicality that suggests her skills can translate to the WNBA level. Defensively, she should be able to hold her own. Offensively, she can do exactly what’s expected of the Mercury’s supporting cast: hit an open 3 or attack a closeout.
That she succeeded in two different college contexts also inspires confidence in her ability to adapt in Phoenix.
