Dallas Wings sign Morgan Bertsch to salary cap hardship contract

Arlington, TX (June 19, 2024) – Dallas Wings second-year forward Maddy Siegrist suffered a broken finger on her left hand during the first quarter of Monday night’s game at the Minnesota Lynx. A timeline for her return has not yet been determined.

Siegrist has been having a breakout year, averaging 14.6 points and 4.2 rebounds over 13 contests this season. Her increase in scoring average and rise in scoring ranking between 2023 and 2024 is tops among all WNBA players, increasing her points per game by 10.9 and going from 89th to No. 23 in the rankings. Despite the injury, she finished with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds against the Lynx.

Siegrist’s injury puts the Wings at eight healthy players, allowing Dallas to sign free agent Morgan Bertsch to a salary cap hardship contract. The Wings previously signed Monique Billings to a hardship contract, following the injury to veteran forward Natasha Howard. One hardship contract must be terminated when the Wings have nine standard players able to play, and the other must be terminated when the Wings have 10 standard players able to play.

Bertsch’s career with the Wings started in the 2019 WNBA Draft, when Dallas selected her in the Third Round following a five-year career at UC Davis which included a redshirt season. She finished fourth in the nation in scoring during her final season with the Aggies in 2018-19. She has previously spent training camp with the Wings (2019, 2022), along with the Connecticut Sun, and most recently played for the Phoenix Mercury. Over eight games with the Mercury this season, Bertsch has averaged 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in just under 10 minutes per contest.

Siegrist’s injury is the latest in a long string of injuries for the Wings this season. Dallas lost All-WNBA First Team member and All-Star Satou Sabally to a shoulder injury during the offseason, and she is expected to be out until the Olympic break. Rookie Jaelyn Brown suffered a nose injury in the preseason and after having it repaired following the season opener, has since been out due to illness. Two-time WNBA All-Star Natasha Howard broke her foot in the season-opening win against the Chicago Sky and remains sidelined, while the WNBA’s No. 2 scorer Arike Ogunbowale was sidelined on Monday at Minnesota due to Achilles soreness.