INDIANAPOLIS — In what Stephanie White said is one of the toughest days of the preseason, the Indiana Fever made their final roster cuts Wednesday ahead of the regular season.
Those cuts included Megan McConnell, the sister of Pacers guard TJ McConnell, who signed a training camp contract; Kayana Traylor, a Martinsville native who was also on a training camp contract; and Jessica Timmons, the Fever’s third-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
“It’s always hard because these players are competing at such a high level, and it’s what they want. It’s their dream,” White said. “It’s always really tough, but at the same time, it’s the nature of the beast.”
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White deferred to general manager Amber Cox after a follow up question asking if the Fever plan to bring any of those players back on development contracts.
Developmental player spots are a new wrinkle in the collective bargaining agreement, which was agreed to in late March ahead of the season. Each team is now eligible to have two players as part of a development pool, with a structure similar to the NBA’s G-League players.
Players signed to development contracts are able to participate in all team practices and activities, including travel, but they can only be activated for up to 12 games per season. Players can be elevated to the standard roster at any time, but they cannot be downgraded to a development spot without being waived first.
While White didn’t specify, most teams have brought back their own waived players on development contracts. Seattle waived first-round pick Taina Mair then signed her to a development contract, Chicago waived Maddy Westbeld and Aicha Coulibaly before brining them back to development spots. Some movement has happened, like Phoenix signing Marta Suarez to a development spot after she was waived by Golden State, but it has been rare so far.
Indiana has one development spot left, as it has already signed second-round pick Justine Pissott to a development player contract out of the draft. Indiana could sign one of their waived players once they clear waivers, which is 48 hours after they were first cut.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Coach Stephanie White says Indiana Fever roster cuts are ‘always hard’
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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