When the 2024 WNBA season resumes on Aug. 15, there are a few teams that are going to have major WNBA draft implications including the Los Angeles Sparks. In professional sports, the act of ‘tanking’ has become a means for teams to acquire top talent to help accelerate a rebuild.
Looking out on the horizon, the gem of the 2025 WNBA Draft appears to be UConn guard Paige Bueckers. As it stands, the teams with the current best lottery odds are the Sparks, the Washington Mystics, the Dallas Wings and the Atlanta Dream. But things can change post-Olympic break.
The Dream are not a team that was set up to tank. The Wings are expected to get a healthy Satou Sabally back. Both teams are capable of making a second half run to put themselves in the playoff picture. Both teams are about 3-5 games back of the eighth and final playoff spot.
And it must be stated that tanking is front office move. No self-respecting coach or player would ever make the conscious decision to tank. With that said, the Sparks’ dream scenario for the second half of the 2024 WNBA season would be to set their sights on the draft.
Sparks could select another generational talent in the WNBA Draft
The Sparks came into the 2024 WNBA Draft armed with two lottery picks. One of them was their own and that ended up being the No. 2 overall pick. They acquired the No. 4 overall pick in a trade with the Seattle Storm that involved them sending out their 2026 first round pick and Kia Nurse joining the Sparks.
Before getting into the specifics of the 2025 draft, the fact that the Sparks don’t have a first rounder in 2026 is another important reason to tank. They won’t have the opportunity to add top talent through the draft until 2027.
But watching the Sparks this season, it’s evident that the one position they are most in need of help is point guard. The Sparks have rotated a few players at point guard this season from Layshia Clarendon to Lexie Brown and having settled on Aari McDonald.
McDonald has done well as a starter, but on a quality playoff team, she’s probably best suited to be a difference-maker off the bench. The Sparks are in need of a true starting point guard and that’s where the draft comes into play.
Paige Bueckers is widely considered to be the top selection in the draft. She is arguably the top point guard in the nation. She’s made a remarkable bounce-back following a few injury-plagued seasons. And she has the talent to be a star in the WNBA.
The Sparks already have their center and wing of the future in Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson. Dearica Hamby signed a one-year contract extension is in the prime of her career. Before Brink’s season-ending injury, she had developed strong chemistry with Hamby.
The Sparks are going to need a starting shooting guard, but a point guard is what makes the team go. A player like Bueckers handling the ball and playmaking would make life much easier for the rest of the Sparks core. Bueckers has averaged 4.5 assists across three seasons at UConn. Her best year in that sense was her freshman year when she dished out 5.8 per game.
Simply put, the Sparks need Bueckers on their roster. Again, tanking is not something any coach or player will ascribe to. They are looking to win as many games as possible. But with the Sparks current roster, it’s not an exaggeration to say that they are on the low end in terms of roster talent in the league. It would serve the Sparks well to give themselves the best odds at getting the No. 1 pick. Not to mention a trio of Bueckers, Brink, and Jackson would be among the best young cores in the league.
Rickea Jackson continues her development for the Sparks
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Locking down the best odds for the No. 1 pick is not the only dream scenario for the Sparks in the second half of the 2024 WNBA season. Internal development is just as important and goes a long way towards building a winning culture. The Sparks still have to sign free agents and players want to go to teams that have an established culture.
Rickea Jackson has emerged as a dark-horse Rookie of the Year candidate. She’s obviously been overshadowed by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, but she’s shown why many considered her to be the most WNBA-ready of this draft class.
Through the first half of the season, Jackson has been averaging 11.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists with splits of 45 percent shooting from the field, 31.7 percent shooting from the three-point line, and 76.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Jackson is third among all rookies in scoring and one of only three averaging double-figures alongside Clark and Reese.
Continuing to give Jackson reps in the second half and allowing her to develop is just as important as securing a top draft pick. The Sparks have actually been involved quite a few close games this season, they just haven’t been able to close them out. That kind of experience for Jackson is crucial.
Jackson (9.2) is right alongside Azurá Stevens (9.7) for second on the team in shot attempts. What would also contribute to a dream scenario for the Sparks in the second half of the season is for Jackson to continue to sharpen her skills and prove why she is a legitimate franchise cornerstone.
