The USC Trojans have found an unexpected glimmer of hope amid a dismal WNBA Draft 2026. For the first time in four years, on Monday, the Trojans failed to send a single player to the W in the draft, but subsequently, moments later, a lucrative offer came to the horizon for one of their top-draw seniors from the Phoenix Mercury.

Kara Dunn, who recently completed her senior year in the Trojans program, has signed a training camp contract with the WNBA team after going undrafted on the night. Women’s basketball journalist Kris Chaney confirmed this news via a post on X.

“Trojans Kara Dunn was signed to a Training Camp Contract with the Phoenix Mercury 🔥 ,” the post read.

Going into the draft, Dunn was projected at No.35 in the ESPN mock draft. And why not? The Georgia Tech transfer had a stellar lone season with the Trojans, recording 15.2 points and 5.0 rebounds. She was projected to go to the Los Angeles Sparks, but as reality set in, Dunn had just disappointment in her share on draft night. Thus, this contract with Mercury is kind of a second opportunity for her to solidify her place in the W.

But it must be understood that a training camp contract doesn’t, by definition, guarantee anything, and it’s just a high-stakes tryout. Of course, it gives Dunn a formidable opportunity to make the main roster through impressive performances during camp and subsequently grace the WNBA floor in the coming season. But even then, Dunn will have multiple competitors fighting for that spot against her.

Along with the former USC guard, the Mercury has also signed similar training camp contracts with Indiana’s Shay Ciezki and Maryland’s Yardon Garzon. Like Dunn, these players are quite formidable in their own right and have amassed 1600+ points throughout their collegiate careers. As a result, Dunn will have to elevate her ceiling in the camp to top these two seasoned campaigners to make a place on the Phoenix roster.

While for the Phoenix Mercury, these tryouts are quite a feasible option after a quiet draft night. The team had already traded away its 2026 first-round pick as part of the Kahleah Cooper trade back in 2024. As a result, Mercury’s first pick in the draft was No. 27 Ines Pitarch-Granel, and then followed it up with Eszter Ratkai at No. 42.

On top of these draftees, the Mercury also has the likes of Cooper, DeWanna Bonner, and Alyssa Thomas, but has lost a major acquisition in Satou Sabally. Yet despite that, they need some strength in their backcourt to give themselves more depth. And quite naturally, all the players they have signed for the training camp are guards, along with the new draft picks.

All in all, it will be interesting to see how the Mercury front office determines the roster spots among these three training camp-contracted players and the two players, Ciezki and Garzon.

What Skill Set Can Former USC Guard Kara Dunn Bring to the Phoenix Mercury Camp?

Dunn has always been a formidable two-way player. Of course, she can be a bit fragile sometimes near the perimeters while defending, but the output she provides is quite elite. During her collegiate career at Georgia Tech and USC, she has averaged 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. It’s quite a decent number, but that’s not where all of her cards lie.

The volume scoring from the field is what makes her such an explosive backcourt player. For instance, in all the seasons of her collegiate career, Dunn has scored over 40% from the field. In addition, her scoring from beyond the arc has also improved significantly, where she recorded 37.8% in her final collegiate season with the Trojans.

But the worrying situation is that the two other incoming training camp invitees, Yarden Garzon and Shay Ciezki, also bring a similar expertise to the table. Garzon has scored 40.7% from beyond the arc across her collegiate career. On the other hand, Ciezki has scored 40.5%. As a result, there’s no skill set advantage that Dunn will get going into the camp.

So she will have to rely on her work ethic and her ability to perform under pressure to impress the Mercury front office, and get into a pro team featuring veterans like Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas. The Mercury’s training camp will commence on April 19, with the first preseason game six days later against the Chicago Sky. With a few days left in the training camp tip-off, do let us know what your opinion is on Dunn’s future in the Phoenix camp this season?