Former Indiana Fever First-Round Pick Waived

Former Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan (15) reacts during a game.Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Former Indiana Fever First-Round Pick Waived

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Jun 26, 2026 7:29 AM ET

Veteran center Teaira McCowan started her WNBA career with the Indiana Fever. The team selected her third overall in the 2019 draft and quickly established herself as a key contributor to the team.

McCowan averaged 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in her first year, eventually earning a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie Team.

However, McCowan's time with Indiana came to an end in 2022 when the team traded her to the Dallas Wings. The star center played for the Wings from 2022 until 2025, when she was waived by the Texas franchise.

For the 2026 campaign, McCowan landed a contract with the Minnesota Lynx just three weeks after the season started. However, she had a limited role, playing roughly just seven minutes per game in 10 appearances. She averaged 1.4 points and 2.4 rebounds.

Unfortunately for McCowan, her time with Minnesota came to an end less than a month after she signed with the Lynx. On Thursday, the team waived her, as indicated on the WNBA Transactions page.

The Lynx also sent a parting message to McCowan on social media to thank her for her contributions to the team.

View this post on Instagram

It remains to be seen what's next for McCowan, but at 29 years old, she could still be a valuable role player to a team willing to give her a shot. It should be noted that just two seasons ago, in 2024, she was putting up 11.7 points and 8.1 rebounds.

As for the Lynx, it will be interesting to see what they will do with the roster spot they opened up by releasing McCowan.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: