The ability to add two of the nation’s top four collegiate players in the same draft is a rare luxury that would excite any professional sports franchise.
The Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA are in exactly that enviable position after a flurry of transactions that included acquiring the fourth overall selection in this year’s draft, as well as veteran guard Kia Nurse, in a Jan. 31 trade that sent the team’s 2026 first-round pick to the Seattle Storm.
The Sparks, who already owned the No. 2 selection in this year’s draft, also obtained the eighth overall pick and guard Aari McDonald in a Feb. 1 deal with the Atlanta Dream for guard Jordin Canada and the No. 12 pick.
“Being able to add a player with Kia’s skillset and experience will fill a big role for us this season, and I look forward to seeing her impact,” General Manager Raegan Pebley said in a statement released by the Sparks after the trade with Seattle. “Adding a second lottery pick also assures another significant addition to our roster in 2024. We’re thrilled about adding both.”
The Sparks, who have won three WNBA championships but have missed the playoffs each of the past three seasons, reacted quickly after longtime stalwart Nneka Ogwumike announced Jan. 24 that she would leave the team via free agency. Ogwumike, a former Stanford star who led the Sparks to the WNBA title in 2016, when she was the league’s most valuable player, signed with Seattle on Feb. 5.
The Sparks last week also signed free-agent forward Monique Billings, and re-signed guard Layshia Clarendon and forward Rae Burrell.
It is the possibilities that loom in the April 15 draft, however, that have the Sparks and their fans eagerly looking forward. Headed by University of Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark, this year’s crop of potential draft prospects is as exciting as any in years.
A 6-foot guard who leads the nation with an average of 32.4 points per game and is on the verge of breaking the NCAA career scoring record, Clark has revolutionized the women’s game with uncanny long-range shooting reminiscent of Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
While Clark would seem likely to be the No. 1 overall selection, by the Indiana Fever, there is a caveat. Like many prospects for this year’s draft, Clark has the option of returning to college for another season because the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to student-athletes after the COVID-19 pandemic effectively ruined the 2019–20 season.
The Fever, who selected University of South Carolina post player Aliyah Boston with the top overall pick last year, Sparks, and Phoenix Mercury, who own the No. 3 overall selection, are of course hoping that Clark and other top players declare for this year’s draft. On the flip side, the WNBA’s newest franchise, the expansion Golden State entry that will begin play in 2025, would undoubtedly just as soon see Clark and company remain in school for another year.
Golden State, which will make its first selection in next years’ draft, has yet to hire a general manager or coach, or even announce a team name. The franchise did, however, make some news Jan. 30 by naming former Angel City Football Club executive Jess Smith team president.
While Clark is the undisputed headliner, there figures to be plenty of talent available for this year’s draft. Stanford post player Cameron Brink, forward Angel Reese of defending national champion Louisiana State, and University of Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers are among other high-profile players who could be available to the Sparks at No. 2.
Center Kamilla Cardoso of undefeated South Carolina, the nation’s top-ranked team. and UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards are other top-shelf possibilities. The Sparks, who finished 17–23 and a game out of a playoff spot last season, are certainly counting on getting a third quality player with the eighth overall pick, as well.
Whichever youngsters the Sparks add, they figure to benefit from the presence of Nurse, herself the 10th overall pick by the New York Liberty in 2018.
“Kia is a versatile veteran guard who can play multiple positions and brings a toughness and physicality that will fit in perfectly with our team.” Coach Curt Miller said in the Sparks’ statement.
A key member of UConn’s 2015 and ’16 national championship teams, Nurse has averaged 9.7 points a game over five WNBA seasons with New York, Phoenix, and Seattle. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, she was a starter in the 2019 WNBA All-Star game.
McDonald, the Sparks’ other trade acquisition, grew up in Fresno before finishing high school in Stockton. She’s not big at 5'6” but brings a speed element favored by Mr. Miller. The third overall pick by Atlanta in 2021, McDonald has averaged 8.6 points per game over her three WNBA seasons.
A former Dream teammate of McDonald, the 6'4” Billings returns to Los Angeles, where she played collegiately at UCLA. A graduate of Santiago High School in Corona, she will be counted on to support the Sparks’ inside game and rebounding.
Clarendon, a product of San Bernardino’s Cajon High School and the University of California, has spent 11 years in the WNBA. She averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from 3-point range last season, her first with the Sparks.
Burrell will be entering her third WNBA campaign, having played in 29 games with the Sparks last year.
The Sparks also lost free-agent forward Karlie Samuelson, who signed with the Washington Mystics. A former standout at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Samuelson ranked sixth in the WNBA by shooting 42.6 percent from 3-point range last season.
The Sparks are set to open their 2024 campaign May 15 against Atlanta at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. Due to a renovation project at Crypto.com Arena, the team is scheduled to play its first five home games at Long Beach State before hosting the final 15 at its longtime Los Angeles home.
