What could go wrong with an off-season for players to gather under one roof and play in a professional league without going overseas? The Unrivaled provided a platform for the players to hoop together, but it has also turned out to be a ‘recruiting hub.’ Even the players like Natasha Cloud, Satou Sabally, and others have joked about the same. The WNBA president has been supportive in helping the 3×3 league. However, it seems those conversations have taken a serious route. Will it require Cathy Engelbert to step in and set the tone?

Ben Pickman, after the recent 3-team trade involving star players, Kelsey Plum and Jewel Loyd took place, suggested more such trades will happen shortly. “I was talking to a player earlier this week down in Unrivaled, and they were talking about like how the situation of so many of the star players gathered under one roof, it’s only leading to more team-ups and more conversations.” This has been a running theme since the 3×3 league started.

Still, tampering, poaching, and player recruitment are illegal practices. Pickman continued, “They were talking about, you know in the sauna, in the weight room, in the meal room, the conversation about facilities, about ownership. They kind of said, heading into the beginning of the Unrivaled, there was a lot of joking around that happened.” He would use Vandersloot’s joking statement about buying her a pack of IPA would be a good recruiting pitch.

The Athletic reporter then added the bombshell news that Cathy Engelbert wouldn’t appreciate. “Over the last week, those conversations took a much more serious note. Not like here’s a free coffee for or ‘I will give you my apartment’, as Natasha Cloud joked about Satou.” Unsurprisingly, these are not the only players involved. Even a ROTY candidate has been doing the same.

Cathy Engelbert’s woes might worsen after the double-double queen’s statement

As per Pickman, there are more than 60 players who are under contract at the end of the 2024 season and will be free agents next year. Meaning that veterans across the league will all be free agents. Apart from the vets, even rookies like Angel Reese, who have been part of Unrivaled, seem to take part in the unofficial recruitment season.

Angel Reese has been actively pushing to bring free agents (FAs) to the Chicago Sky. During the Unrivaled media event, she was seen sitting alongside former Sky player Kahleah Copper, enthusiastically chanting, “Get Kah back! Get Kah back!” Currently, both are part of the Rose BC and it seems that the Chi-Barbie is not leaving any stone unturned. She even stated how she liked the new 3×3 league over the WNBA.

That’s why Pickman on the podcast stated that the future of the players would change soon. “This trade is a big one but will certainly not be the last big one. I am projecting whether it’s this off-season or off-season’s to come. ” Even co-host, Zena Keita admitted and said she read somewhere that the netizens are calling, “Unrivaled is tamper Miami.” So, it will be interesting to see how the future trades pan out under Cathy Engelbert’s watch. And if the same players on the Unrivaled roster end up on the same team in the WNBA.