What happened to Haley Jones?

It’s halftime. Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo are tied. Marina Mabrey is going off, and Carla Leite is matching her energy. However, my mind has been plagued with one question: Where is Haley Jones?

In her four years in the WNBA, it seems like Jones has been on more teams than most seasoned vets. But let’s take it back a second. 

Jones is a Bay Area legend, attending Archbishop Mitty High School and committing to Stanford University as the number-one recruit in her class. She was dominant from the beginning, averaging 11.4 points and shooting 52.9 percent from the field during her freshman year while earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors three times. Her game only continued to improve, as she won a national championship in her sophomore season and was named the NCAA Tournament Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Her All-American career in Palo Alto led to her being drafted sixth overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream.

There, she played in every game and averaged a little under four points across her first two seasons before being waived ahead of the 2025 season. However, she was picked up by the Phoenix Mercury, where she played four games before being released again and finishing the remainder of the season with the Dallas Wings.

This is where Jones regained her spark, averaging 8.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. It seemed like she had found her forever home alongside Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale. However, she was selected 14th overall in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft by the Portland Fire.

There, she played five games and averaged 5.2 points in 11.4 minutes per game. She seemed to be doing fairly well and shot 58.8 percent from the field, but was waived alongside Sug Sutton and Kamiah Smalls.

Outrage, confusion, and surprise are three words that describe the reaction across the WNBA. Why did they cut a promising player like Jones? What exactly was she not doing?

However, I think the biggest question is: who is going to pick her up next? A talent like hers should not be left unsigned.