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🏆 Layup Lines: Going for the Cup

Las Vegas vs. New York, as it should be.

Author

Everett Cook
June 30, 2026

Sponsored by

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA.

  • Teams are getting some rest this week, as tonight’s Commissioner’s Cup matchup between the Aces and Liberty (7pm ET, Prime Video) is the only game until Thursday night.

  • You should maximize the time off. Learn a language. Cuddle with your pet. Find a cloud as the sun is setting and stare at it until you see the smiling face of your 4th grade teacher who was harsh in the moment, but maybe, in hindsight, really could just see what was best for you.

This 544 word newsletter should take about 2 minutes to read.

🏆 High (ish) stakes Tuesday

Courtesy @nyliberty

  • The first draft of this newsletter was a bit of a rant about why we’re supposed to care about tonight’s in-season tournament final that has a total prize pool ($500k) that now pays players significantly less than the league’s annual minimum salary ($270k). But two of my best friends are becoming parents this week and I’m having a hard time feeling grumpy.

  • Let’s embrace what should be a fun island game. We’ve got:

  • If you want to bet on this game, I like* the Aces +2.5 and the under of 175.5 total points scored (a smart person would wait to see if Wilson is playing to place these, but here we are).

    • *I am 14-7 on bets I like this year.

🎥 Three ridiculous, disgusting and borderline immoral plays

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🌵 More questions in Phoenix

  • Really not great for the Mercury that 28-year-old Jovana Nogić, a rookie from Serbia who is Phoenix’s third-leading scorer, announced she’s missing the rest of the WNBA season for personal reasons.

    • Between that and starting center Natasha Mack being out for likely a month, the 7-13, veteran-heavy Mercury might be in trouble.

    • We rarely see explicit sell-offs to tank happen in the W, but Phoenix’s leadership almost all hails from the NBA and this is an older roster. Could we see the Mercury try and offload vets like Sami Whitcomb (37 yeard old), DeWanna Bonner (38) or, dare I say it, Alyssa Thomas (34)?

🤞 Injury news to go

  • The Lynx haven’t announced anything official, but some Minnesota beat reporters think Napheesa Collier has recovered from her ankle injuries and is close to returning to the court for the first time since last September.

    • Collier’s timing and fit with Olivia Miles will be arguably the most interesting storyline of the second half of the season. The Lynx are currently in first and are adding one of the three best players in the world last year next to a rookie sensation. That should work!

Courtesy @UnderdogWNBA

Layup Lines is written 100% by a human being. I very much appreciate you reading!

— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor