Latest news with #KailaCharles
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA Player Sends Clear Message After Temporary Leave
WNBA Player Sends Clear Message After Temporary Leave originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Dallas Wings' center duo of Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsoder temporarily stepped away to compete at the FIBA Women's EuroBasket from June 18–29, suiting up for Turkey and Germany, respectively. Advertisement While those two were abroad, the Wings sought short‑term help, signing Kaila Charles and Haley Jones to hardship contracts on June 17 to address the frontcourt gap. Just in time for their Thursday matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, Dallas officially reinstated McCowan and Geiselsoder to the active roster. Then, the Wings made a splash by trading forward NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces for a 2027 first‑round pick, while waiving Charles to clear roster space. On Tuesday, fresh off her return from Europe, McCowan addressed the ever‑shifting roster, saying, "At the end of the day, it is a business. I mean, you hate to see them go, and you love to see people come, but you just have to know that you can't relax... It's a business at the end of the day." Dallas entered the 2025 season with bold ambitions. Advertisement In the offseason, GM Curt Miller sent All-WNBA forward Satou Sabally, Kalani Brown and others in multi-team deals to bring in Smith and DiJonai Carrington, as well as the rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and a top‐12 draft pick. Teaira McCowan was reinstated to the Wings' active roster after her FIBA AmeriCup stint. © Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images At the same time, Dallas also signed Myisha Hines-Allen and Geiselsoder, almost completely rebuilding its roster from the ground up within the span of a few months. In April, they drafted Paige Bueckers No. 1 overall, who currently leads the team in scoring (18.4 points per game), assists (5.8 assists per game) and steals (1.8 steals per game). As the Wings prepare for their upcoming game against the Mercury, they will lean on McCowan's steadying presence in the paint—along with contributions from a reshuffled roster—to build on their efforts after a 5-13 start to the season. Advertisement Related: Stephanie White Breaks Silence After Missing Chicago Sky Game Related: WNBA Reacts to Caitlin Clark's Actions During Chicago Sky Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
30-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Dallas Wings' NaLyssa Smith expresses shock over being traded to Las Vegas Aces in exchange for 2027 1st-round pick
An unexpected trade was announced by the Dallas Wings on Monday. The team has traded its starting forward NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft. Smith took to social media to express her shock. "Sick to my stomach, dawg, never seen this coming…" But Smith, a Texas native, said she loved 'Dallas Nation' and thanked the fans for "everything." However, in a separate post, she said if she had to go anywhere, she's happy it was Vegas. on another note tho if i could've chose anywhere to go it would've been vegas so hella excited 4 this new opportunity wit my goat . 🙂↔️🤝🏾 — #1 (@NaLyssaSmith) June 30, 2025 To complete the trade, Dallas was also required to release guard Kaila Charles, who signed a hardship contract on June 17. Smith was excited to play for the Wings Smith, who was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever, spent her first three seasons there and finished sixth in the league in rebounds in 2024. Smith was acquired by Dallas ahead of this year's draft in one of the biggest trades in WNBA history that brought her, DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and Myisha Hines-Allen to the team. "I feel like just coming in and doing what I know to do," she said during an introductory press conference in March. Dallas has "a great staff around me to improve in every field that I can." She was also a big fan of Wing star guard Arike Ogunbowale. "I've been a fan of hers since college," said Smith. Wings have had a rough start Despite the excitement around the new players, including rookie Paige Bueckers, and the new coaching staff, the Wings have had a rough start to the season with a 5-13 record. The team is 12th overall in the WNBA standings out of 13 teams, and last in the Western Conference. In her first 18 games, Smith was averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wings sign 2 players after concerning Maddy Siegrist injury
The post Wings sign 2 players after concerning Maddy Siegrist injury appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Dallas Wings have signed Kaila Charles and Haley Jones to hardship contracts, the team announced Tuesday. Both players are expected to be available for the Wings' game on Tuesday night against the Golden State Valkyries. Advertisement The news comes after it was revealed that Maddy Siegrist will miss a significant amount of time with a knee injury. Siegrist is expected to return later this season, but her official injury timeline has yet to be revealed. Tyasha Harris will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Luisa Geiselsoder and Teaira McCowan are currently away from the Wings while they participate in EuroBasket. The Wings qualified for hardship contracts amid all of the absences. Dallas is hopeful that Charles and Jones can positively impact the team. Charles played 11 games with Dallas before getting waived on Saturday. She will now receive another opportunity with the Wings with the hardship contract. Charles has averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per outing so far this season. The 27-year-old brings versatility to the roster at 6'1″. Advertisement Jones also offers versatility. The 6'1″ 24-year-old can play the guard or forward positions. She appeared in four games with the Phoenix Mercury in 2025 before the team headed in a different direction. Jones averaged 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game during that span. The Wings will enter play on Tuesday night with a 1-11 overall record. Dallas could still turn things around, but the team certainly needs to begin winning games as soon as possible. The absences of four impactful players obviously won't help matters, but perhaps Kaila Charles and Haley Jones will make a difference for the short-handed Wings. The Valkyries are 5-5 so far in 2025. Golden State will present a challenge as Dallas hopes to earn a big victory at home. Tuesday night's tip-off is scheduled for 8 PM EST in Arlington, TX. Related: Storm re-sign former draft pick after Wings trade Related: Sources: Wings forward Maddy Siegrist's mysterious knee injury gets potential timeline
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wings acquire 6'7″ center in trade with Storm
The post Wings acquire 6'7″ center in trade with Storm appeared first on ClutchPoints. Center Li Yueru recently requested a trade from the Seattle Storm. On Saturday, the Storm accepted her request and traded Yueru to the Dallas Wings. The Wings sent two future draft picks to the Storm, the team announced. Additionally, Dallas waived forward Kaila Charles. Advertisement As part of the trade, the Wings are sending their 2026 second round pick (includes right to Connecticut Sun swap) and their 2027 third round pick (includes right to Indiana Fever swap). With Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsoder playing in EuroBasket, Yueru, who is 6'7″, will give Dallas' center depth a pivotal boost. Yueru previously explained her reasoning for requesting a trade, via Percy Allen. 'I don't want to be a bad or weird person,' Yueru said. 'I love this team. I'd love stay here because I'm so happy every day… When I only play with three-four minutes in a game, that's a bit sad for me. I hope I can feel happy and excited every day, and I hope I can get some more time.' Advertisement Yueru's request seemingly came down to playing time, something she should receive more of given the Wings' need for a center. The 26-year-old center is in her third WNBA season. With the Storm, she averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per outing while recording 8.7 minutes per game across nine contests. Yueru also shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. She spent the 2024 season in Los Angeles with the Sparks before getting traded to the Storm this past offseason. Now, Yueru is set for her next chapter in the WNBA. She was immediately linked to Dallas following her trade request. With McCowan and Geiselsoder not expected to return until July as they participate in EuroBasket, it would not be surprising to see Yueru play respectable minutes early in her Wings career. Advertisement Dallas' next game is scheduled for Tuesday against the Golden State Valkyries. Related: Wings' Paige Bueckers jokingly reveals what 'traumatized' her into seafood phobia Related: Dallas Wings head coach Chris Koclanes dealing with harsh reality
Washington Post
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Dallas Wings sign Kaila Charles and Haley Jones to hardship contracts
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings signed Kaila Charles and Haley Jones to hardship contracts Tuesday because the team had only eight available players before the two were added to the roster. Charles and Jones were both expected to be available to play for the Wings (1-11) in their home game against Golden State on Tuesday night. Wings centers Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsoder are away fulfilling national team obligations. Tyasha Harris and Maddy Siegrist are both out with knee injuries. WNBA teams qualify for hardship exemption when they have fewer than 10 available players. James has played 11 games this season for Dallas, but she was waived Saturday to create a roster spot after the acquisition of center Li Yueru from Seattle in a trade for two future draft picks. Jones was with Phoenix for four games earlier this season as a hardship signee before being released on June 8 when Alyssa Thomas and Natasha Mack rejoined the Mercury. Jones spent the past two seasons with Atlanta. ___ AP WNBA:
