Shakira Austin as Cotie McMahon suffers partial UCL tear

shakira austin and the Washington Mystics absorbed a preseason blow when Cotie McMahon suffered a partial UCL tear in her left elbow during the team’s last preseason game against the Atlanta Dream. The guard will be reevaluated in a week, leaving her availability for the opening stretch of the 2026 season in limbo.

Cotie McMahon’s left elbow

McMahon’s injury came in Washington’s final tune-up before the 2026 season, and the timing makes the setback harder to absorb. She was the 11th overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, so the Mystics were already counting on her to carry early roster value before this interruption.

The team said the injury is a partial UCL tear in her left elbow. That places the focus on the next medical check rather than any immediate return, with the one-week reevaluation setting the earliest marker for a clearer update.

Atlanta Dream game

The injury happened against the Atlanta Dream, which turns one preseason game into a meaningful checkpoint for Washington’s front office. A top-11 draft pick losing time before the season starts forces the Mystics to adjust how they evaluate the rotation around her.

For McMahon, the immediate next step is simple: wait for the reevaluation in a week. For Washington, the question is how much of the preseason plan can survive a delay involving a player selected 11th overall only months ago.

Washington Mystics roster

That makes the last preseason game more than a final exhibition result. It became the point where a new piece of the Mystics’ roster was slowed before the regular season began, and the first real update now depends on that one-week review.