It’s a big deal for a team to waive a No. 1 draft pick. That’s just what the Wings did when they cut Charli Collier back in 2023, the top pick in 2021. Not such shocking ones but like every season, this offseason saw a lot of movement, too. While the main attractions were blockbuster trades and free agency moves, WNBA waivers were quietly in the background, too.

And then there’s Elena Tsineke. You may remember her as the talented guard drafted out of the University of South Florida by the Washington Mystics in 2023. But she was waived before the season even started. As if that wasn’t enough, the Las Vegas Aces scooped her up, only to waive her again before the 2025 season. Well, now that we’ve touched on waivers, let’s dive a little deeper into how this whole process works in the WNBA.

What does ‘waivers’ mean in the WNBA? How does it work? 

In sports, contracts can get a little tricky. Waivers are just one of those ways teams manage player rosters. When a team waives a player, it means they are releasing that player from their roster, and other teams are given the chance to claim the player’s contract. 

If no one claims the player during this period, they become a free agent and can sign with any team they want. This whole process helps keep things fair by giving teams that might need a player more of a chance to grab them. It’s a way to stop the rich from getting richer, as they say, and spreads out talent more evenly across the league.

Do waived players get paid in the WNBA? 

Well, it depends, but for the most part, waived players are still entitled to the remainder of their guaranteed salary. When it comes to contracts, there are two types players can have—guaranteed and non-guaranteed. 

For those with guaranteed contracts, it’s pretty straightforward: they’ll get their full salary even if they’re waived. That’s usually reserved for the big names and players with a major impact on the court.

But, there’s a limit. Teams can only have a certain number of guaranteed contracts—usually six players per team. So, not every player gets this kind of protection, which means some may end up getting waived without the comfort of a guaranteed paycheck. 

For those on non-guaranteed contracts, they don’t get paid after being waived unless another team claims them. And if no one claims them during the waiver period, they’re out of luck and officially free agents, with their contract terminated.

What happens after a player is put on ‘Waivers’? 

When a player is waived, they’re placed on what’s called the “waiver wire” for a set period, usually 48 hours. This is basically a holding pen where teams can come in and claim them if they’re interested. But the order of claiming isn’t random. 

Teams with the worst record in the previous season usually get priority. So, if there’s a player everyone wants, the team with the worst performance might get a chance to snatch them up before the better-performing teams can. Now, let’s say a team puts in a claim for the waived player. What happens next? Well, the claiming team takes on that player’s existing contract, which includes any salary left on the deal. The player’s new team is now responsible for paying that player’s salary, and it counts against their salary cap. 

Here’s a simple example: if a player with a $100,000 salary is waived and Team A claims them, Team A now has to pay the player $100,000 for the remainder of their contract, and that salary hits their cap.

Now, you’re probably wondering, “What if no one claims the player?” If no team claims them (unclaimed waivers), they “clear waivers” and officially become a free agent. They’re free to sign with anyone they want, and the original team is off the hook salary-wise. But if the player was on a guaranteed contract, the original team still has to pay them their salary, though it no longer counts toward the cap.

We’ve seen this play out with players like Laeticia Amihere, who was the 8th overall pick in the 2023 draft by the Atlanta Dream. After limited playtime in her first two seasons, she got waived in February 2025. But her talent didn’t go unnoticed, and the expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, quickly claimed her off waivers. Another player who went through the waiver wire was Grace Berger, who, after being waived by Fever, was quickly snatched up by the Minnesota Lynx. 

If you thought that waiver wire claims were just about contracts and cap space, guess again. These moves can make or break a player’s career. Because this affects their contract terms, salary cap impact, salary adjustment, release & re-signing, future contracts and contract length. Meanwhile, unclaimed waivers are technically out of a job for the time being.

But for players like Tsineke, the journey doesn’t end there. After being waived, she decided to head overseas. During the 2024–2025 season, she played for InvestInTheWest Enea Gorzów Wielkopolski in Poland and playing abroad is actually a great option for all the unclaimed WNBA waivers.

But all in all, this an important part of the league’s structure and we’ll definitely keep seeing more of it in the future.