LOS ANGELES — The Sparks traded point guard Jordin Canada and the No. 12 pick in April’s WNBA draft to the Atlanta Dream for Aari McDonald and the No. 8 pick in the 2024 Draft, the team announced Thursday.
Canada, a former Windward High star and 2018 UCLA graduate who played the past two seasons with the Sparks, was designated a cored free agent, which meant she could only be dealt in a sign-and-trade scenario.
Canada averaged a career-high 13.3 points and 6.0 assists last season.
The newly acquired 5-foot-6 McDonald, who played high school basketball in Stockton, was the third overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft out of Arizona. She averaged 7.9 points and 3.0 assists in 23.5 minutes in 24 games last season.
Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley and head coach Curt Miller said they are excited to add McDonald to the fold.
“Aari is an exciting addition to the Sparks. I look forward to working with her and have been a fan since her collegiate days,” Miller said. “Over her WNBA career, she has shown herself to be one of the fastest guards in the league and will help us establish our tempo on a nightly basis.”
“I have had a chance to watch Aari throughout her career; she is a dynamic scorer and fierce competitor. We are ecstatic to have her join the Sparks,” Pebley added. “Many pieces make up a complete puzzle. We believe this third first-round pick combined with No. 2, No. 4 and No. 28 (third round) will be critical pieces that help our vision of elite players becoming champions here in Los Angeles.”
It was the Sparks’ second trade in two days.
On Wednesday, the Sparks announced the acquisition of 2019 WNBA All-Star Kia Nurse and the No. 4 overall pick in the draft from the Seattle Storm for the Sparks’ 2026 first-round draft pick. That transaction gives the Sparks a second lottery pick.
The Sparks now hold 25% of the first-round selections in April: No. 2 (their lottery pick), No. 4 (from Seattle) and No. 8 (from Atlanta).
WNBA free agency
Negotiations with free agents began Jan. 21, with players officially able to sign contracts Thursday.
The Sparks, who finished last season with a 17-23 record, will not re-sign franchise player and 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike, who announced last week that she would sign elsewhere. Ogwumike, an unrestricted free agent, has visited with the Chicago Sky, the New York Liberty and Seattle.
The three-time WNBA champion Sparks missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year last season, the longest postseason drought during the organization’s 27-year existence. The storied franchise is one of three remaining inaugural teams from the 1998 season.
However, the Sparks did re-sign veteran point guard Layshia Clarendon and forward Rae Burrell on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Clarendon is a San Bernardino native and former Cajon High star who averaged 11.1 points per game last season. The Sparks were 14-10 when Clarendon played, as they shot a career-high 45.7% from 3-point range.
“I am deeply grateful to have found a home with the Sparks. I was born and raised in San Bernardino and it feels like such a sweet homecoming after 10 years of playing for various teams around the league,” Clarendon said. “I’m thrilled to continue to be a part of it and excited to build something really special here.”
Burrell, who was waived by the Sparks during training camp, was signed as an emergency hardship player who eventually cracked the team’s rotation toward the latter portion of the season, starting three of 29 games. The 6-foot-2 forward, who was selected by the Sparks with the No. 9 pick in the 2023 draft, scored a career-high 18 points in the team’s penultimate game of the regular season against New York.
“I’m super excited and grateful for this opportunity and ready to take advantage of it and being back in Los Angeles,” Burrell said. “I look forward to working with all the familiar faces and ready to keep the momentum up that we started building last year and continue to become a winning team.”
Meanwhile, Miller and Pebley said the Sparks are looking forward to having Burrell and Clarendon back in Los Angeles.
“Layshia is coming off an outstanding season displaying her versatility playing all three guard positions while being a valued leader in the locker room and providing toughness on the court. We’re thrilled to have her back in L.A.,” Miller said. “Rae is an outstanding athlete who has a great motor. She provides excellent length on the wing and good 3-point shooting. We are excited to have her back and build upon her strong finish last season.”
“Rae and Layshia are two players that we identified early that we wanted back on our roster,” Pebley added. “They add to the identity of our team not only in style of play but also in shared leadership and toughness.”
Sparks unrestricted free-agent forward Karlie Samuelson signed a contract with the Washington Mystics, the league announced Thursday. The 6-foot sharpshooter, who graduated from Mater Dei High in 2013, had a career year with the Sparks in 2023. Samuelson, who started 23 of the 34 games she played in, averaged 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. She shot 42.6% from 3-point range, which ranked sixth in the WNBA.
Samuelson’s younger sister Katie Lou, another unrestricted Sparks free agent, who last played for the Sparks in 2022 and missed the 2023 season due to pregnancy, signed with the Indiana Fever Thursday.
The Sparks currently have 10 players under contract: Azurá Stevens, Dearica Hamby, Stephanie Talbot, Lexie Brown, Nia Clouden, Zia Cooke, the newly re-signed Clarendon and Burrell and the newly acquired McDonald and Nurse.
