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The Phoenix Mercury waived seven players, including two of their 2024 WNBA Draft selections leading up to the start of the season. The team, in an official email, announced that they waived guards Amy Atwell, Ariel Hearn, Charisma Osborne, Jaz Shelley and Christyn Williams.
Also on the list were forward Mya Hollingshed and center Bella Murekatete. The Mercury outfit has 11 players on their roster, with each WNBA team expected to have 12 players on the squad before the start of the season.
The announcement was also made on the Mercury's X/Twitter handle earlier:
"The Phoenix Mercury today waived center Bella Murekatete, forward Mya Hollingshed, and guards Amy Atwell, Air Hearn, Charisma Osborne, Jaz Shelley, and Christyn Williams."
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Out of the seven players who were waived, both Shelley and Osborne were just drafted by the Mercury in April. Osborne was the 25th pick out of UCLA, while Shelley was the No. 29 pick from Nebraska.
Earlier, Hearn scored nine points and Atwell, eight in Phoenix’s 98-85 loss to the LA Sparks on Friday night. The former was also in the spotlight after she was locked down by Seattle Storm's Nika Muhl in their preseason game. The Croatian star displayed some stellar defense against Hearn.
Phoenix Mercury squad for the 2024 WNBA season
With the cuts now made official, the Mercury have 11 names on the roster spearheaded by Brittany Griner and Diana Taurasi.
Sophie Cunningham, Kahleah Copper, Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen, Sug Sutton, Natasha Mack, Morgan Bertsch and Kiki Herbert Harrigan all remain on the roster as well as Liz Dixon inking a training camp deal with the side.
Dixon went undrafted last season and split her time between Phoenix and the Connecticut Sun. While on the side for her first stint, the Memphis native played 10 games and averaged 2.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.1 assists.
On the season front, the Mercury open their campaign in a road game against defending champions Las Vegas Aces on May 14. They open the 2024 home schedule on Saturday, May 18 against the Atlanta Dream. They ended their 2023 season on a torrid note with a 9-31 record, finishing at the bottom of the league.
Much of their season's success now depends on their two big names as the Phoenix Mercury will look to get back to playoff contention. They last won their title in 2014, and it remains to be seen how deep this roster can go this season.
