Who will be joining the Washington Mystics at 2023 training camp?
Who will be at the Mystics training camp? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Mystics will have their first organized activity of the 2023 season when the team kicks off training camp on April 30. There, Washington will prepare for the upcoming season and look to continue the playoff success they've enjoyed the past decade.
But perhaps the most important part of training camp is the roster cut-down, where general manager Mike Thibault and head coach Eric Thibault must choose the final 11 or 12 players to make the opening day roster.
Each year there tend to be a few surprises across the WNBA regarding who makes a roster and subsequently who gets cut. It's an increasingly difficult task to be one of the 144 players who make up the WNBA with the expanding talent pool highlighted by the growth of the college game.
As things stand, the Mystics look to enter camp with 16 players. That includes Kristi Toliver who is expected to sign prior to the start of camp.
Many are familiar faces in D.C. Ten of the 16 suited up for the Mystics last year. There are also draft picks and other talented players who received a training camp contract this offseason.
The bulk of the roster, though, is set in Washington. Of the 16, seven players are on guaranteed contracts and will make up the top half of the depth chart. That leaves the remaining nine to fight for one of the coveted spots on the team. Given the franchise's salary cap situation, it is likely they will only roster the league minimum of 11 players. So, there are essentially four spots up for grabs.
But, based on the moves the Mystics made in the offseason, several spots have likely been claimed already. When considering that part of the reason the franchise also traded away the rights to the No. 4 pick Stephanie Soares because it "would force our hand to maybe cut somebody else that we really liked right now on our roster," that posits that every spot might be accounted for in the staff's eyes.
Washington traded away two future second-round picks for the rights to Amanda Zahui B. She agreed to an unprotected training camp contract, according to the WNBA's official transaction page. It's hard to see the Mystics not retaining her for at least the start of the season given the capital used to acquire her.
There's also Tianna Hawkins on a training camp contract, who Washington has rostered seven of the past eight seasons. It remains to be seen what Toliver's contract will be, but there's a good chance she makes the team too.
So, does that mean there's really only one roster spot left?
Here's a look at who's expected to attend the Mystics 2023 training camp and background on who is fighting to make the roster:
Rostered:
Ariel Atkins, SG
Natasha Cloud, PG
Training Camp Contracts:
Amanda Zahui B., C (WNBA experience: 7 seasons)
Zahui B. was brought in, presumably, to fill the back-up center position behind Shakira Austin. The former No. 2 overall pick from 2015 brings a high-level of upside for a reserve player. Her last WNBA action was in 2021 after her contract was suspended by the Sparks in 2022. She averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game that year.
Tianna Hawkins, PF (WNBA experience: 9 seasons)
Washington emphasizes their culture just as much, if not more than, any team in the league. A huge part behind that culture is Hawkins. Is it a coincidence that the first year that she leaves D.C. was the season that the team felt they needed a culture reset? She can still ball too, winning the inaugural Athletes Unlimited championship in 2022.
Jazmine Jones, SG (WNBA experience: 3 seasons)
Jazmine Jones has bounced around since was drafted by the New York Liberty in the first round of the 2020 WNBA Draft. Last season, she was picked up by the Mystics late in the year after being released by the Connecticut Sun. She played just one game in D.C.
Stephanie Jones, F (WNBA experience: 2 seasons)
The Maryland product Stephanie Jones (no relation to Jazmine) has seen extremely limited action in the WNBA. She came into the league as an undrafted free agent by Connecticut and was picked up immediately by Washington following her release in the 2022 training camp. With the Terps, she was a three-year starter and averaged 11.3 points on 60.9% shooting her senior year.
Evina Westbrook, G (WNBA experience: 1 season)
After being waived twice by two different teams in a two-month period, Westbrook found a home in D.C. She earned three seven-day contracts prompting the Mystics to give her a deal for the remainder of the season. She can provide depth at the guard position and received rave reviews from her teammates from a year ago.
Alisia Jenkins, F (WNBA experience: 1 season)
Alisia Jenkins, 29, hasn't played in the WNBA since the bubble season in 2020, and in the time since has spent two seasons playing in Israel. She has a tough route ahead of her to make a roster in Washington, but could perhaps impress enough that another team takes a flier if she's waived.
Rookie-Scale Contracts:
Li Meng, SG
Meng won a Silver medal at the 2022 FIBA World Cup as a part of Team China, losing to the United States in the Gold Medal match. She was the team's starting shooting guard and had an impressive tournament. Meng’s 16.0 points per game was the fourth-highest average and she also shot 40.7% from the 3-point line.
Based on the team's need to add 3-point shooters (10th in 2022), Meng may be the frontrunner if there's just one roster spot remaining.
Elena Tsineke, G
Tsineke was the Mystics' second-round draft pick in this year's WNBA Draft. Out of South Florida, the AAC Player of the Year was a prolific scorer and hit threes at a high rate (38.3%). Mike Thibault told her on draft night that she has a tough road ahead of her to make the team. However, if she scores at the rate she did in college, it could force Washington into a tough decision.
To be determined:
Kristi Toliver, G (WNBA experience: 13 seasons)
As of this writing, Toliver has yet to officially sign her contract but the team did announce their intention to bring her on during free agency. They simply were waiting for her assistant coaching obligations with the Dallas Mavericks to be wrapped up before asking her to report. The two-time WNBA champion is expected to make the roster and will be a key veteran to add to the group.
Own rights but not expected to be at camp:
Txell Alarcón, PG
Washington selected Alarcón in the third round of the 2023 WNBA Draft, assuming that she would not come over for training camp. Her selection was a long-term move by the Mystics, hoping her development would lead her to join the team in future seasons.
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Keep in mind there is no minor league in the WNBA. Any player released, on a rookie contract or not, hits waivers and is then available to be scooped up by other teams. There is a balance between not only being competitive this season, but also retaining the rights of younger players who the front office sees value in.
