The WNBA consists of a total of 12 teams participating. Each team has 12 official playing spots, not including contracts for practice players and emergency replacements. Therefore, only 144 players participate in the world’s premier tournament for female basketball players.

However, this number can vary depending on each team, due to salary cap limitations. In 2024, the WNBA set a fixed salary cap for each team at $1,463,200, a 3% increase from the previous season. This is the maximum limit for teams, except for exemptions when a team has too many injured players and needs to quickly supplement personnel.

If a team assembles too many stars and receives higher salaries compared to the league average, they will have to accept reducing the number of reserve players. In 2023, the Las Vegas Aces built a lineup with three stars: A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Chelsea Grey. Therefore, they often took to the court with only 11 players on the roster.

Due to these limitations, the WNBA also sees a significant level of turnover. Looking back at the 2023 WNBA Draft, six out of the total 24 selected players had their contracts terminated by their respective teams. Among the 36 drafted players, only 15 of them participated in the opening day games of the 2023 WNBA season.

Even standout players from previous WNBA Drafts are not exempt. Charlie Collier, the first pick of the 2021 WNBA Draft, lasted only two seasons before having her contract terminated in the summer of 2022 and is currently playing in Israel. Emily Engstler, the fourth pick of the 2022 WNBA Draft, was waived by the Indiana Fever after one season and had a brief stint playing in France before returning as a reserve player for the Minnesota Lynx.