Even though Saturday, April 11 is when WNBA teams can officially begin signing free agents to new deals, the Los Angeles Sparks have wasted no time getting to work.
They cored Kelsey Plum, all but ensuring she will return to the Sparks. LA also is reportedly concocting a trade that would send Rickea Jackson to Chicago in exchange for Ariel Atkins. But the most concrete change they’ve made is bringing back Nneka Ogwumike. Her sister and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike broke the news on Friday morning.
Shortly after, Nneka made it clear her homecoming was happening, sharing a video announcing her return to the Sparks.
Nneka’s return raises lots of questions about the plan in Los Angeles. Here’s more on the three most critical questions. In the comments, be sure to share your thoughts about what’s happened, and what might happen, in LA.
1. Does Nneka Ogwumike’s return confirm the Sparks are ready to win now?
Ogwumike is a known player in the WNBA.
She is as consistently dominant as they come. Last season with the Seattle Storm, she averaged 18.3 points, seven rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season, earning All-Star Second Team All-WNBA honors.
Now, after two years in Seattle, she’s returning to LA. But what does this move mean?
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Sparks bringing in a superstar veteran presence like Nneka means the rebuilding days are over—and LA is a win-now team once again.
It’s clear that the Sparks haven’t had much interest in a traditional rebuild. Sure, they’ve drafted plenty of quality players like Rae Burrell, Cameron Brink and Jackson, but when the rubber has met the road, they’ve opted for star power.
They traded their 2025 draft pick to acquire Plum. Now, Rickea might be leaving for LA to bring in the eight-year veteran in Atkins, who also won a title with the Washington Mystics in 2019. On top of Nneka re-joining, all signs indicate that the Sparks are picking a sure thing over developing the players they’ve had on their roster.
Sparks fans, are you happy to have Nneka back in the LA? And do you think pivoting to a win-now approach, anchored around a player who will turn 36-years-old during the season, is the right approach? Did you want the team to practice more patience, or are you just ready for the Sparks to get back to the playoffs?
2. Are Azurá Stevens and Dearica Hamby leaving LA?
The Sparks have suddenly become one of the most interesting teams to monitor this offseason, and not just because Ogwumike is back.
Azurá Stevens is reportedly leaving via free agency, a move that is likely due to Nnkea’s return. Then, there’s the future of Dearica Hamby. She averaged 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last season, but does she want to stay in LA?
After the Nneka news was announced, she shared a cryptic post on X/Twitter. She also removed the Sparks from her Instagram bio. Additionally, she shared an image of her talking with Stevens on her Instagram stories, which Stevens responded to with heart emojis.
Yes, it can be dangerous to read too much into social media activity.
Still, Hamby is a marquee player who, as an unrestricted free agent, can simply walk to another team, leaving the Sparks with nothing in return for a valuable player. So, some reactionary overanalysis is justified until things are official.
What do you make off all these rumors? Are you upset Azurá appears on her way out? Do you want the team to retain Dearica? Do you think she could be signed and traded for another player?
3. Is the rumored Rickea Jackson trade a smart move for the Sparks?
There is also the pending trade of Rickea to consider.
First of all, it’s not official yet. And if it happens without the Sparks getting a top draft pick in return, most fans will be furious—and that anger will be justified. Atkins is a good player, but the move is, at best, a lateral one.
If additional assets are not coming back to LA, it just doesn’t make sense to get rid of a player like Jackson with such a high upside for Atkins, even if the Sparks want wins over development in 2026.
Once this is resolved, there will still be some decisions to make about the rest of the roster. This is Year 2 of Lynne Roberts as head coach. It’ll be interesting to see which players she thinks fit her system well and whether she can lead LA back to relevance in the WNBA.
How do you feel about the speculated Jackson-Atkins swap? Are the Sparks sacrificing too much upside with Jackson? Or, do you think Atkins can provide more ancillary skills that can elevate the Sparks? If the team wants to use Rickea to acquire a more experienced player, is there someone else who interests you more than Atkins? And, what other free agents should the Sparks be looking at?
How good or bad the Sparks will be is still a mystery, but they won’t be a boring team. They have the drama worthy of a reality TV show, but now it’s time for substance.
