WNBA Player Sends Clear Message After Temporary Leave

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 8:28 PM ET

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.

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."

The Dallas Wings have made quite a few roster changes this season, with arguably the most notable being the trade of NaLyssa Smith.

“At the end of the day, it is a business,” said Teaira McCowan, who just returned from Eurobasket, on the ever-changing roster. pic.twitter.com/CIe92Nd8Mz
— Myah Taylor (@t_myah) July 1, 2025

Dallas entered the 2025 season with bold ambitions.

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.

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.

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

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