For years, the WNBA teams had 12 players on their roster. While the NBA allowed 15 players, and the EuroLeague teams have 16 players playing for the side, the WNBA’s number certainly looks lower. Considering the injuries and international duties, sometimes a team will have fewer than 10 players available for rotations.
In these cases, leagues like the NBA and NFL have development leagues to absorb players as temporary replacements or even as permanent ones. In such cases, the league allows teams to find a suitable and contractable candidate to add to their roster. Here are some of the essential notes on such contractual agreements, also known as emergency hardship exception contracts in the WNBA.
What Is the WNBA’s Emergency Hardship Exception Contract?
With the competitive and physical nature of the league, a minor or even a season-ending injury is natural. To fill the void, an emergency hardship exception contract was introduced. With no additional roster infrastructure, the hardship exception offers teams a necessary workaround to avoid cancelling games or fielding dangerously low rosters. This rule allows teams to stay competitive in the league by signing a replacement player.
we have signed Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract.
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 10, 2025
welcome to Indy, Odyssey 🙌
more info: https://t.co/y8qOMsG2pH pic.twitter.com/45J3UjLix1
These contracts often allowed players, even veterans or recently waived prospects, to re-enter the league and showcase their capabilities. A player who earns a hardship contract is eligible to sign on a permanent basis, also upon satisfactory completion of the period assigned by the WNBA.
The contract, also known as a replacement contract, affects the team’s commercials for the period. It counts against the team’s salary cap, and players typically receive prorated pay based on their base salary and contract length. Teams may exceed the cap only temporarily under the hardship exception.
Once affected players are set to return, replacement contracts must end immediately. There are no extensions in any manner. The teams look to work on both injured players and replacement players, allowing them to be 100% sure of players’ return before ending the hardship contracts. Moreover, granting a hardship contract is again within the WNBA’s authority.
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How Does A WNBA Team Qualify For The Emergency Hardship Exception Rule?
While the league controls the exception rules, there are situations where a team directly qualifies for the emergency hardship exception. One such case would be when a team falls below 10 players who are healthy and available, the league allows an emergency hardship exception contract under exceptional circumstances. Once the original players return and the team again has 10 game‑eligible players, the hardship contract(s) must be terminated immediately.
There is no start date or end date for such contracts. The player registered on the hardship contract can continue playing for the team till the end of the season or the time when the team has 10 or more players on the roster.
to meet the 10-player roster minimum and WNBA emergency hardship exception requirements, we have waived guard Aari McDonald.
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 13, 2025
thank you, Aari ❤️
learn more: https://t.co/Xmc2ko6EZt pic.twitter.com/tVPMcSgdgj
A team with fewer than 10 players on the roster can apply for the hardship contract. The injured players must miss at least one game to convey the team’s urgency for the hardship contract. The league verifies all the details and may set conditions for the hardship contracts.
In 2025, the Indiana Fever also used the hardship contract twice. The first time was for the injuries to Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and Sydney Colson during the May-June timeline. After two months, the team once again qualified for the hardship contract following season-ending injuries to Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, and Clark was still nursing her injury. The Dallas Wings also added a player on a hardship contract in 2025.
Earlier in 2018, the Las Vegas Aces used the hardship exception contract. Injuries to Moriah Jefferson, Isabelle Harrison, and Nia Coffey left the team shorthanded, and the Aces signed Sequoia Holmes under emergency hardship.
WNBA’s Emergency Hardship Exception Contract Summary
Eligibility for the hardship contract is not restricted. The only rule is that the player must not be under contract with any other franchise and must be available to play.
In short, the emergency hardship exception contract allows teams to sign up a player when they have fewer than 10 players on the roster. The contract runs until the roster returns to 10 or more active players. While the arrangement helps teams have depth in their squad, it also allows the players an opportunity to shine and make a strong case for themselves in the WNBA.