It was a game-winning shot against the Phoenix Mercury in the preseason game. Deaja Kelly was celebrated. She was not selected by anyone on the draft night, but she silenced her doubters with strong preseason performances with the Las Vegas Aces. A perfect entry to the league. But what would have been a fairytale story for the Oregon star turned out to be a departure from the league with a heavy heart and teary eyes.

The 2025 season started on May 16, but before that, there were major roster cuts. Players drafted in or signed on training camp contracts were hopeful to make their WNBA dream come true. But roster cuts to meet the number of players allowed, forced franchises to let go of some of the talent.

In the ‘Straight to Cam’ podcast, LA Sparks star Cameron Brink and Stephen Curry’s sister Sydel Curry-Lee addressed the issue with Deja’s example and urged the league to fix one rule. “It’s so unfortunate that the roster can only hold 12. Personally, I think roster sizes need to be expanded before we add any more expansion teams,” Brink said. “It’s kind of crazy. 12 people for a roster. It’s insane.”

The league already has an expansion team in 2025—Golden State Valkyries and will have two more franchises coming up in the 2026 season—Portland and Toronto. This will take the total franchises to 15. Though the increased number of franchises will automatically allow new players to join in, but with just 12 players on the roster, the current franchises are struggling to maintain the rotations for 40+ games in just four months’ period.

Brink, the second overall pick from the 2024 draft, is out for a season due to a leg injury suffered in the 2024 season. Though the franchise is allowed to replace her in the 2025 season with the 13th roster spot, one more injury would affect the team’s game plans. Also, when Brink will be back in 2026, the roster number will be down to 12 again.

Considering the injury factor, Sydel mentioned that the team might even have nine players on the roster due to knocks early in the season. “You have nine active players going into the second game of your season,” Sydel said. Deja Kelly, guest of the podcast, agreed to the same. She had a bad experience with it.

Kelly made her professional debut on May 2, 2025, in a preseason game on a 10-day training camp contract. With 4-of-5 shooting, she scored nine points in seven minutes against the Wings. In the second game, she scored a game-high 15 points with a game winner against the Mercury. Yet, she was cut loose due to the unavailability of a roster spot.

But after a shocking exit, Kelly held her composure and was very professional with her answers. “That was one of the best moments of my basketball career, really. And again, for that to be how my W career starts was a such a blessing … It was just a sense of happiness ― a sense of joy with that team.” She said in the Good Folow podcast. “It was an opportunity that I’ll forever be greatful to that organization for … You know, just playing with an extra chip on my shoulder. That was my main thing. Just post-draft, that’s what I gotta do. Gotta continue to really not prove anyone else wrong, but prove myself right. I know I belong. I know this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Kelly is one such example who highlighted that the ‘roster number rule’ should be reworked, especially with the new talents coming into the league. Cam also advocated the idea earlier.

Cameron Brink being vocal about the number of roster spots in the WNBA

This was not the first time Cameron Brink brought up the subject of adding the roster spots. The topic came up in a previous podcast interview with former LA Lakers guard Lonzo Ball. The star guard mentioned that the WNBA is growing with the new teams and players coming in. Brink took the opportunity to get his views on the WNBA roster spots numbers.

When Bulls’ guard heard that the WNBA has only 12 player roster spots, he first compared it to the NBA, which has 15 spots. He also mentioned that there is no G-League for the WNBA. In the NBA, the G League serves as a development league, providing a platform for players, coaches, and staff to refine their skills and prepare for the NBA. It also allows teams to call up players from affiliated G League teams.

As of now, the WNBA will have 12-player rosters for franchises, but with increasing popularity and players coming in, the league might look to increase that number as well.