Per league requirement, Wings release hardship contract signees Monique Billings and Odyssey Sims.

Arlington, TX (Aug. 14, 2024) – The Dallas Wings announced today that Satou Sabally, Maddy Siegrist and Jaelyn Brown have all been medically cleared and each player is scheduled to return to the active roster within the first week of regular season play following the Olympic Break. Sabally and Brown are expected to be in uniform for the Wings game against Connecticut on Aug. 16, while Siegrist is slated to return on Aug. 20 at New York. Per league policy, the Wings released Monique Billings and Odyssey Sims, who had previously signed hardship contracts.

Sabally has missed all of the 2024 WNBA season thus far after suffering a shoulder injury while helping Germany qualify for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games in February. She underwent a shoulder procedure in late February and had been rehabbing and working her way back since. Over the last two weeks, the 6-4 forward led Germany in four games at the Olympics, averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists, which included the historic performance against Japan during Group Play in which she tallied 33 points – eighth most in Olympic Games history.

Sabally, the reigning WNBA Most Improved Player and First Team All-WNBA pick, had her most impressive season to date in 2023, averaging 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals over 38 games. In addition, the WNBA All-Star shot a career–high 43.5 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. She re-signed with the Wings earlier this year.

Siegrist broke her left index finger on June 17 at Minnesota and underwent surgery later that week. The second-year forward is in the midst of a breakout season for the Wings, averaging 14.6 points and 4.2 rebounds while starting 11 of 13 games. Her increase in scoring average from last season is tops among all WNBA players, as she averaged 3.7 points during her rookie season in 2023 for a 10.9 points per game increase. Prior to her injury, the Most Improved Player candidate also led the WNBA in highest increase in scoring ranking as she listed 89th in 2023 and was 23rd at the time of her most recent appearance for a 66-spot leap.

Brown has been limited to one regular-season game during her rookie campaign, playing in the season-opening win over the Chicago Sky on May 15. The 6-1 guard/forward impressed in her pro debut – the May 3 preseason victory over the Indiana Fever – scoring a game-high 21 points. Brown was initially sidelined following the Sky game, undergoing a procedure for a displaced nasal fracture. She has since been out with an illness.

The Wings have been impacted by an unprecedented number of injuries and absences this season as only three players – Teaira McCown and rookies Jacy Sheldon and Sevgi Uzun – have played in all 25 games in 2024. In addition to Sabally, Siegrist and Brown, the Wings were also without two-time All-Star Natasha Howard for an extended period of time (12 games) while she recovered from a broken foot suffered in the season opener.

The mounting injuries led to hardship contract signings of forward Monique Billings and guard Odyssey Sims. Over 24 games with the Wings, the seven-year veteran Billings was averaging 8.8 points per game to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Sims appeared in nine games, averaging 17.2 points and 5.6 assists. With the hardship contracts terminated, Billings and Sims are now unrestricted free agents. Both players are free to immediately sign with any WNBA team other than the Wings. Per league rules, Dallas is subject to a minimum 10-day wait prior to attempting to re-sign a player released from a hardship contract.

Sabally, Siegrist and Brown Scheduled To Return To Dallas Wings Lineup