The Indiana Fever have waived Bree Hall and Jillian Alleyne, the team announced on Monday, May 5. The news comes after both played in the team's exhibition game against the Brazilian National Team on Sunday after sitting out the team's overtime win against the Washington Mystics on Saturday.
Jillian Alleyne joined the Fever during free agency
The Fever announced the team had signed Alleyne to a training camp contract on March 24. The Indiana Fever Report had the opportunity to speak to her a few weeks later after Alleyne was already set up in Indianapolis. Alleyne shared that she chose to move to the city ahead of time to get properly acclimated to the team.
"I wanted to get started right away, and I felt it was imperative to get there early," she explained. "Because I want to learn the playbook, build chemistry with my teammates, get adjusted, work out with the coaches, and meet and start building good relationships with everyone, including my coaches and staff."
Alleyne added that arriving in Indianapolis early has helped her understand "what the coaches are expecting from me." She also said she's "a little sponge" and "my focus will be being the best player I know" when training camp officially begins.
Bree Hall was drafted in the second round
The Fever drafted Hall, who previously played under Coach Dawn Staley for the South Carolina Gamecocks, as the No. 20 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. Hall was known for her defensive prowess in South Carolina, which made her a solid fit in terms of the Fever's plans for this season. She helped South Carolina win two NCAA championships and averaged 5.8 points in 147 games.
Why WNBA teams waive so many players before the season
Waiving players is, unfortunately, part of the training camp process for every team in the league. Most WNBA teams announced training camp rosters made up of 18 players this year — and most WNBA teams only have 12 spots available (and on top of that, most teams already have the majority of their team signed before training camp even begins). It's a tough reality of the league, and the lack of room for every player who deserves to be in the league is part of the push toward league expansion.
WNBA contracts are unique, and being waived from a team doesn't immediately halt a player's potential in the WNBA. A waived player is released from their contract by the team in question, and in turn, other teams have 48 hours to pick up that player if they're so inclined. This means that both Hall and Alleyne might find new homes in the league. If they aren't able to, being drafted to the Fever and playing in the preseason games (both of which were wins for the team last weekend) should help the pair negotiate for better salaries if they play overseas this year.
If no team attempts to sign a player who has been waived, they become a free agent and can sign a professional contract with any team they want, and players can typically use the fact that they were signed to a WNBA team during the negotiation process with overseas teams — something that could result in higher pay or being signed to a team with better support and facilities.