Former WNBA first-round pick waived for second time this season

The Phoenix Mercury announced they had signed guard Haley Jones to a hardship contract last Sunday. Just one week later, the team announced they’ve waived Jones, potentially signaling that key Mercury players are ready to return from injury.

Jones, who was selected sixth overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream, appeared in all 40 games for Atlanta last year, averaging 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 17.8 minutes per game.

After she was waived by the Dream in training camp, she was picked by the Mercury, who were dealing with a slew of injuries to key players. Jones appeared in four games with Phoenix, averaging 2.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist per game.

Now, the former Stanford guard is once again an unrestricted free agent.

Jones’ inability to find a roster spot this season further highlights the challenge of staying in the WNBA for multiple seasons. The defensive specialist was a rotation player in her first two seasons, starting 30 of her first 80 career games, but is now battling to find a roster spot on a team.

The Mercury are 6-4 to begin the season, in large part thanks to the strong play of their trio of undrafted rookies.

They’ve been without Alyssa Thomas, who is dealing with a calf injury, for half of their games so far. Kahleah Copper has yet to play this season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery in preseason. In addition, rookie Megan McConnell will miss 3-4 weeks with a knee injury she suffered in her debut, and forward Natasha Mack has been dealing with a back injury.

Because Jones was signed to a hardship contract, the team had to release her once they reached 10 healthy players, per league rules. While the team has not officially announced who has returned to the lineup, it appears likely that both Thomas and Mack are back, considering McConnell’s and Copper’s lengthier injury timelines.