Mercury waive Liz Dixon, sign Fever’s 2024 second-round draft pick Celeste Taylor to 7-day contract

The Phoenix Mercury have made a pair of moves corresponding to each other before they get set to face the Indiana Fever tonight, with them waiving Liz Dixon and signing rookie guard Celeste Taylor to a seven-day contract.

Just before Dixon’s own seven-day contract nearing it turning into a guaranteed contract, the team released her and she is now a free agent.

The 6-foot-5 forward went undrafted last season before signing in Phoenix and had a turbulent time in the Valley. During the 2023 season, she signed a training camp deal before being cut on opening night, agreed to a hardship contract on May 19, 2023 and was released again from that deal two days later. The Connecticut Sun would sign her on June 3, 2023, before she was waived almost two weeks later on June 14.

Once the Mercury’s preseason concluded, Phoenix waived seven players on May 11 before re-signing Dixon again to a training camp deal with Brittney Griner suffering a toe fracture. She was waived again, brought back on this recent seven-day deal she signed last week and now she has been released again.

Before her departure, Dixon averaged 1.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game in 31 appearances.

As for Taylor, the Fever’s 15th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, she played in five games for Indiana before being waived. The New York native averaged 0.6 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 3.2 minutes played per game. She stands at 5-foot-11, 167 pounds and before the WNBA, she spent her college basketball career at Texas (2019-21), Duke (2021-23) and Minnesota (2023-24).

Repping a new team in a familiar environment, Taylor will get to go up against her former team in Indiana tonight as a member of the Mercury. The game begins at 4:30 p.m. PT.