Before the 2023 season started, Kalani Brown wasn’t even on a WNBA roster. Flash forward to the end of the year and Brown was a pivotal piece in the Wings semi finals run.
After it was announced that Diamond DeShields and Lou Lopez Senechal would miss the entire season with knee injuries, the Wings were awarded a hardship contract that would bring Kalani Brown to the team.
The 7.8 points and 4.5 rebounds that Kalani Brown put up were not eye-popping by any means but to say that she didn’t make an impact would be downright false.
By the end of the season, Brown became the Wings’ primary sixth woman getting the majority of Dallas’ minutes off the bench.
Brown even made a little bit of WNBA history by becoming just the second player (Nneka Ogwumike 2016) to shoot 60% from the field and 80% from the free throw line in a single season.
Being able to pair Kalani Brown with a fellow 6’7 center was the main reason that the Wings led the WNBA in rebounding and points in the paint during the 2023 season.
Earlier this year, Wings CEO and GM Greg Bibb said “Kalani has shown she can be an impact player in this league. I’d love it if we can find a way to bring her back.”
With Brown being on a hardship contract, she is now a free agent and can sign with any WNBA team. After her success last season, Brown just earned herself what will likely be a pretty good contract.
Dallas would welcome Kalani Brown back with open arms but the thought of Dallas tipping of the 2024 season without her could become a reality.
The Wings don’t have a ton of cap space to work with this offseason and Kalani Brown could have played herself out of their price range.
