Texas Alumni in the WNBA | Aug. 9–15, 2026
The headline out of Longhorn country this week wasn't written on the court — it was written in the transaction wire.
Rori Harmon is out in Washington. The Mystics claimed veteran guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton off waivers, and Harmon was the casualty, waived to clear the roster spot. It's a tough break for the former Texas standout, who had appeared in Washington's loss to the Aces on Aug. 14 before the move was made. Harmon now enters the free-agent pool at a critical stretch of the WNBA season, with playoff positioning tightening across the league.
Atkins Grinding Through a Rough Stretch in L.A.
Ariel Atkins has been one of the more active Longhorns on the floor, logging four games for the Sparks this week — but Los Angeles has struggled to find wins, and Atkins has found herself on the wrong side of several lopsided plus/minus columns.
Her best night came Sunday, Aug. 9, against the Valkyries, where she posted 9 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. She followed that with a strong defensive showing against the Mercury on Wednesday — 4 steals — though the Sparks fell 86-81. Against the Liberty on Friday, Atkins chipped in 3 steals and a block, but the Sparks dropped that one too, 85-81, and her minus-20 plus/minus told the story of how that game went.
She closed the week Saturday against the Mystics — 1 point, 3 assists, 2 steals — in an 80-70 Mystics win. The defensive instincts remain sharp; it's the wins that aren't coming.
Sutton Showing Up for Dallas
Sug Sutton had a quieter week statistically for the Wings, but contributed in a Thursday win over the Tempo (94-88) and logged time in Friday's loss to the Fever (87-98), finishing with a minus-6. Her best showing of the stretch came Sunday, Aug. 9, against the Lynx — 2 points and 4 assists in a 103-90 defeat. Sutton has remained a rotation piece for Dallas as the Wings jostle for positioning.
The Harmon waiver move is the kind of mid-season roster shake-up that can reshape a player's career trajectory. She won't be without suitors — her playmaking pedigree at Texas earned her professional opportunities for a reason — but landing somewhere before the playoff push requires quick action from interested teams. Watch the wire.
AI-generated summary