ARLINGTON, Texas — Christyn Williams is returning to Dallas. The Dallas Wings signed Williams to a Developmental Player contract Friday, adding a familiar guard as the team begins a two-game road trip.
Williams is expected to join the Wings ahead of Monday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries. Dallas first plays the Indiana Fever on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Williams spent part of last season with Dallas after signing an extreme hardship contract in late August. She returns after playing professionally in Israel and most recently for the Greensboro Groove of the UpShot League.
In 14 games for Greensboro this year, Williams averaged 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. She shot 41.1% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range.
Christyn Williams Returns to Dallas Wings
Dallas signed Williams to an extreme hardship contract on Aug. 29, 2025, when injuries left the Wings with the league minimum of eight available players.
She appeared in four games and averaged 4.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 11.3 minutes. Williams shot 37.5% from the field and made her WNBA debut during that stint against the Atlanta Dream.
Before playing in the UpShot League this year, Williams appeared in 11 games for Hapoel Rishon LeZion in Israel. She averaged 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists.
Williams played four seasons at UConn and started 132 games. She won the 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the nation’s top shooting guard, and the Huskies reached three Final Fours during her college career.
Her time at UConn overlapped with two current Wings guards. Williams played two seasons with Paige Bueckers and one with Azzi Fudd.
The Washington Mystics selected Williams with the No. 14 overall pick in the second round of the 2022 WNBA Draft. She suffered a season-ending knee injury before the start of her rookie season and did not appear in a game that year.
Williams later spent time with the Phoenix Mercury in 2023. She signed a training camp contract with the Minnesota Lynx in February 2025 before joining Dallas later that summer.
Developmental Player Spot Opens for Wings
The opening came when Dallas temporarily suspended the contract of Costanza Verona on Aug. 8. Verona left the Wings to report to the Italian national team. Italy will compete in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin from Sept. 4-13, with Verona serving as its starting point guard.
Haley Jones holds Dallas’ other Developmental Player contract. The Wings signed Jones on June 21.
Developmental Player contracts were introduced under the collective bargaining agreement the WNBA and its players finalized in March. Each team can carry two developmental players outside its standard 12-player roster and salary cap.
Eligibility is generally limited to players with three or fewer years of WNBA service, with an extension to five years for players who remain below a specified minutes threshold. Williams has one year of league service.
Each Developmental Player can be activated for up to 12 games during the 2026 season. Teams are limited to 24 developmental activations for the season, and releasing and re-signing a player does not reset the total.
Developmental Players can practice and travel with their teams. They receive a weekly stipend while under contract and additional compensation for each regular season game in which they are activated.
Dallas Wings Open Road Trip Against Indiana Fever
Dallas enters Friday night’s game against Indiana at 20-14 after beating the Toronto Tempo 94-88 on Wednesday at College Park Center.
The victory gave Dallas 20 wins in a season for the second time in franchise history and the first time since 2023. Bueckers scored all 22 of her points after halftime, and the Wings completed a three-game regular-season sweep of Toronto.
Friday will be Dallas’ second trip to Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season. The Wings beat the Fever 107-104 there in the May 9 season opener behind 22 points from Arike Ogunbowale. Bueckers and Odyssey Sims scored 20 apiece.
Dallas has gone 6-2 in regular-season road games against Indiana since 2021. The Fever enter Friday at 21-12 after winning four of their previous six games, including a 106-92 victory over the New York Liberty on Tuesday.
Three Wings players have been ruled out.
Fudd will miss her fourth consecutive game with a right knee injury. Jessica Shepard is out for the second straight game because of a right ankle injury.
Aziaha James is also out after suffering a lower left leg injury Wednesday against Toronto.
Friday’s game tips off at 6:30 p.m. CT and airs nationally on ION.
Williams is expected to join the Wings before Monday’s game at Golden State. Dallas has lost both meetings with the Valkyries this season, 91-80 on June 17 and 94-76 on Aug. 7. Monday’s game at Chase Center is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT on Peacock.
