LOS ANGELES — The Sparks are prepared to draft the best available players with the second and fourth picks in Monday’s WNBA draft, according to first-year general manager Raegen Pebley, who believes both rookies can become foundational players.
“They’re an incredible opportunity for our organization,” Pebley said. “We definitely want to see two players that not only have the skill set to make an impact early but also have a long run way ahead of them, opportunities to develop, opportunities to not only be excellent in what they do but how they impact the other pieces around them as we continue to build this team.”
The Sparks were 17-23 last season and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year. The offseason also saw the departure of franchise great Nneka Ogwumike, who signed as a free agent with the Seattle Storm, and All-Defensive first-team point guard Jordin Canada, who was traded to the Atlanta Dream.
With the third-most chances to win the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft lottery in December, the Sparks came up just short as the top pick went to the Indiana Fever, who are widely expected to select Iowa high-scoring superstar Caitlin Clark, who led her team to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA championship game.
ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo believes the Sparks will select Stanford’s Cameron Brink with the No. 2 pick.
The 6-foot-4 power forward averaged a double-double with 17.4 points and 11.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game and was recently named the Naismith Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year. The 2021 NCAA champion is also an intriguing prospect after shooting 30.4% from 3-point range and 83.6% from the free-throw line last season.
“I do think Brink is going to go second, but I would not be shocked if there’s some of that kind of stuff in play,” Lobo said.
The Sparks acquired the fourth pick and guard Kia Nurse from Seattle on Jan. 31 in exchange for their 2026 first-round pick, but…
Read the full article here
