Los Angeles Sparks 2024 Season Preview
Lexie Brown, the guard on the Chicago Sky's 2021 WNBA Championship team is now the face of the Los Angeles Sparks after losing Nneka Ogumike at power forward and Jordin Canada at point guard.
Lisa Donovan Posted on 5/8/2024.
The Los Angeles Sparks went 17-23 in 2023, but should improve on that in 2024. The Los Angeles Sparks have Lexie Brown a combo guard with experience at both point guard as well as shooting guard at point guard, Dearica Hamby the backup shooting guard on the Las Vegas Aces 2022 Championship team and two time sixth woman of the year for the Aces in 2019 and 2020 is the starting shooting guard on the Sparks as the Aces traded her to the Sparks after she got pregnant, Rickea Jackson will start at small forward after being drafted fourth overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft out of Tennessee, Cameron Brink will start at poiwer forward after being drafted second overall out of Stanford in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and Azura Stevens returns as the starting center. Everyone in this starting five except Dearica Hamby averaged over 10 points per game with Brink and Jackson being superstars in Women's College Basketball last year. Hamby had 16 points in the Los Angeles Sparks preseason win over the Seattle Storm.
Los Angeles has the starting five to return to the 2024 WNBA Playoffs even without Nneka Ogwumike who led in points per game and rebounds per game in 2023 or Jordin Canada who led in assists per game. If Dearica Hamby plays like she did in the preseason leading the Sparks in both points and assists, I have a hard time believing that the Los Angeles Sparks miss the 2024 WNBA Playoffs. Los Angeles may end up getting the eight seed or seven seed and losing in the opening round due to a lack of expereince, but there's too much talent on this team for the Sparks to be denied if they manage to stay healthy and continue to play well.
Lexie Brown is under contract until 2027 as the face of this franchise after posting 12.4 points per game, 2.4 assists per game, and 2.1 rebounds per game at shooting guard in 2023 and will transition to point guard after signing a two year extension in her contract year this season which keeps Lexi Brown on the Los Angeles Sparks until 2027. Los Angeles also has rookies Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson under contract until 2028. Dearica Hamby the shooting guard/small forward and Azura Stevens a center whose missed the preseason debut with an injury enter contract years. Los Angeles has $523,930 to spend for the 2025 season after extending Lexie Brown.
The Los Angeles Sparks have three of their five starters locked up for the next three seasons. If they make the 2024 WNBA Playoffs, they can bring back either Hamby or Stevens since neither player costs $200,000 in cap space. Los Angeles can also get a final piece to this starting five if they manage to do terrible by drafting Kiki Iriafen a teammate to Cameron Brink at Stanford before entering the transfer portal this year to go to USC if the Los Angeles Sparks continue to suck this season and want to move on from Stevens. Paige Buekers could also be an option for the Sparks if they finish in the bottom two because drafting Sparks would move Brown back to shooting guard and it would also give the Los Angeles Sparks all of the leverage in the Dearica Hamby negotations if she does not dominate like she's dominated in the preseason once the regular season starts.
I believe Los Angeles gets in the 2024 WNBA Playoffs as the 8 seed and loses to the WNBA's best team in the opening round of the playoffs due to a lack of experience. What they do in 2025 remains to be seen because they have the money to bring back this starting five if they are happy with Hamby or Stevens if those two perform at a high level by getting the Sparks to the playoffs, but also have the flexibility to let one of those two walk and draft another star player like Kiki Irafen or Paige Buekers if the Los Angeles Sparks happen to struggle this season without Nneka Ogwumike or Jordin Canada. The Sparks are in an interesting spot based on that alone and some have the Sparks finishing with the leagues worst record, but I don't see that after seeing every starter play at a high level against the Storm in the preseason with Stevens injured.
Los Angeles should make the playoffs two or three times in the next four years. As long as the Los Angeles Sparks don't suck in 2025 they will be fine because they traded their 2026 first round pick to the Seattle Storm. That's why it is crucial for the Los Angeles Sparks to be in contention by 2025 at the very latest.
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