INDIANAPOLIS – Grace Berger understands it comes with the territory. The former record-setting IU women’s basketball guard has been with three WNBA teams since being waived by the Indiana Fever; trapped in a season-long cycle of seven-day contracts and free agency with stints in Minnesota, Los Angeles and Dallas.
“That’s just professional sports,” said Berger, who signed her fourth hardship contract of the year on Aug. 5. “You realize (as soon as you’re drafted) that things are always changing, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, so you can’t think too far ahead. You can’t think too far behind. You have to stay right where your feet are at. And that’s the motto I’ve followed this year.”
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As of this week, Berger finally has stability for the next month-and-a-half. The Dallas Wings announced Tuesday they signed the 5-11 guard to a rest-of-season contract.
Berger was at the end of her third and final seven-day contract with the Wings, meaning they had to either waive or sign her for the rest of the season. She will be available for Tuesday night’s game against the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I was hoping it would happen, but you just never know. Nothing’s promised in the WNBA,” Berger said following Tuesday’s shootaround. “I’ve really been enjoying my time here, so I’m grateful that they’re taking a chance on me and believe in me enough to sign me for the rest of the season.”
Berger, who was drafted seventh overall by Indiana in 2023, appeared in three games during her most recent seven-day stint with the Wings, totaling eight points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and six steals. She played a season-high 30 minutes against the New York Liberty last Friday, logging six points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals, then made her first career start Sunday against the Washington Mystics (two steals, two assists in 19 minutes).
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Berger was told afterwards Dallas intended to sign her for the rest of the season.
“(Berger) is just getting more comfortable and confident in the offense; getting us organized,” Wings guard Paige Bueckers told reporters Sunday. “She plays with effort that you really can’t teach. So, she just makes a positive impact on the basketball game regardless of made or missed shots.”
Berger began the season with the Minnesota Lynx, but did not appear in a regular-season game before being waived on May 14. She signed a seven-day contract and appeared in one game with both the Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings between June and July, with the Wings signing her to a second hardship contract on July 24 — one day after waiving her.
That contract was allowed to expire and with 11 healthy players on the roster, Dallas was ineligible for another hardship contract.
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Berger spent time between WNBA contracts training in both Louisville, her hometown, and at IU. “I have my routine that I want to do whether I’m on a team or not, which has made it kind of easy in that aspect, just doing what I’d be doing if I was on a team,” she said.
Dallas is “an easy group to fit in with,” Berger said, particularly with Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale — both known for their scoring prowess — with her at the guard position. They want to play fast and swing the ball as they hunt for the best possible shot, she continued, which is a natural fit for her game.
“I’m getting more familiar with the sets, getting more comfortable out there and have been seeing little stuff on film where I can be better,” Berger said. “Pushing the pace, (recognizing) where we want Paige and Arike to get the ball, different things like that. The more I see myself, the more I’m out there, the more comfortable I get with what I’m supposed to be doing.”
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As it relates to Bueckers, having another point guard on the floor will lessen her responsibilities. For as valuable as the No. 1 overall pick is as a passer, they don’t want to waste her energy being pressured full-court as she brings the ball up court, Berger observed, and with two point guards on the floor, they can be more creative with how they get her the ball.
“We do need (Bueckers), to get the ball a lot and make the decisions, especially in transition, but when it’s just dribbling the ball up the court, (we can) get her in the right spots to where she can use her strengths to score the ball,” Berger said. “The gravity she has on the court — whenever she has the ball, everybody’s on alert — that gets a lot of people open. So it’s about putting her in position to be successful.”
Once the WNBA season concludes, Berger will join the Sydney Flames in Australia’s WNBL, with whom she signed a one-year contract earlier this summer.
Berger, who played in Turkey last offseason, said she wanted to be in a big city and cited other WNBA players, like Veronica Burton and Naz Hillmon, who’ve played in the Australian league for a season and returned as “a lot better basketball players.”
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“The proof has kind of been in the pudding with that,” she continued. “They’ve gotten better over there. I saw that and wanted to do it, too.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Louisville native Grace Berger teams up with Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
