The Los Angeles Sparks had a good season last year finishing third despite all the off season drama they endured.
The Los Angeles Sparks endured a horrible off season. They lost General Manager Penny Toler to the racial slur scandal. They then lost head coach Brian Agler who re-signed and the signed on with the Dallas Wings.
They lost out on the Liz Cambage sweepstakes, traded Odyssey Sims to the Minnesota Lynx for Alexis Jones as well as losing Essence Carson and Jantel Lavender to free agency.
Despite all this, the Sparks finished third in the NBA, losing to the Connecticut Sun in a 3-0 sweep in the semi finals. This made headlines as Derek Fisher sat star Candace Parker down the stretch of game three.
The Sparks do not have any first round picks in this draft thanks to the Chiney Ogwumike trade. They have the 22nd and 34th pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. Lets take a look at the players the Sparks can re-sign.
Chelsea Gray
In her first season with Odyssey Sims for a while, Chelsea Gray showed that she is more than capable of running a championship calibre team. The only player to start every game for the Sparks game Gray averaged 14.5 points, 5.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
Gray shot the ball incredibly well, going 41.6 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from deep and 91.7 percent from the line. Her passing is something else too. She led the team through injuries to Candace Parker and the Riquna Williams issues. Her signature is a must for the Sparks.
Alana Beard
Alana Beard’s career is certainly at the tail end. If she does not decide to retire, the only team she would sign with is the Sparks. Still a quality defensive player Beard only played 16 games last year. She averaged 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals per game.
Ashley Walker
Ashley Walker played three games last season, scoring two points. If the Sparks can lure some free agents, Walker will offered a training camp contract before being cut prior to the season starting.
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt left the Washington Mytics last season to join the Sparks. Unfortunately TRP would have probably had a ring had she of stayed. However, she was one of two Sparks players to play all 34 games.
She averaged 6.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals per game. Her impact on the game is not on the box score, She is one of the best one-on-one defenders in the entire league. As the Sparks finished third in the league, TRP should not be going anywhere as is an important signature to secure as she will be in demand.