The Phoenix Mercury have signed Shay Ciezki to a developmental contract, the team announced on Monday. A spot opened up after Kiana Williams, who was previously one of two Mercury developmental players, signed with the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday.
Another WNBA player development spot has been filled, and 9 remain open
Shay Ciezki has signed a developmental contract with the Phoenix Mercury.
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Ciezki went undrafted in 2026 after a collegiate career that included two years at Penn State and two years at Indiana. She averaged 22.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in her senior season, being named First-Team All-Big Ten. She shot 52.6% from the field, 44.6% from three, and 90.8% from the line last year.
Williams was averaging 4.8 points per game as a developmental player for the Mercury, and now gets a full-time spot with the Sparks. She’s a far more experienced player than Ciezki, having been drafted in 2021.
Phoenix’s other developmental player is rookie Marta Suarez. Suarez, who was drafted 16th overall by the Seattle Storm, signed a developmental contract with the Mercury at the season’s start, and has since appeared in 2 games.
Most WNBA teams have utilized their developmental spots
Players signed to a developmental contract can appear in up to 12 games and make $750 per week. Across the league, 21 of 30 potential developmental spots have been filled.
- The Atlanta Dream have Amy Okonkwo and one open spot
- The Chicago Sky have Aicha Coulibaly and Maddy Westbeld
- The Connecticut Sun have Ashlon Jackson and Hailey Van Lith
- The Dallas Wings have Costanza Verona nad one open spot
- The Golden State Valkyries have Ashten Prechtel and Miela Sowah
- The Indiana Fever have Bree Hall and Justine Pissott
- The Los Angeles Sparks have Kate Martin and Laura Ziegler
- The Minnesota Lynx have Eliska Hamzova and Liatu King
- The New York Liberty have Anneli Maley and Marine Fauthoux
- The Portland Fire have Jordan Harrison and one open spot
- The Seattle Storm have Taina Mair and one open spot
- The Washington Mystics have Darianna Litlepage-Buggs and one open spot
The Las Vegas Aces and Toronto Tempo, meanwhile, have both of their developmental spots open.
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