Week 5 WNBA Transactions
- By Shorty
- Mar 5, 2016
- 4 min read
By the end of February heading into March, Week 5 of WNBA Transactions revealed an interesting swap of guards from the Dallas Wings and the LA Sparks. Also, a plethora of other signings from Los Angeles having the most active week of free agency. Throughout the month of March we will be seeing more training camp signings from teams trying to fill out their rosters before the up-coming draft in April.
Februay 29,
Sonja Petrovic - Phoenix Mercury
Petrovic has been out of the league since 2012 when she formally played for the Chicago Sky averaging 4.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG. The Mercury want to add more depth to an already potent line-up of post players.
March 1,
Trade: Dallas Wings send Riquna Williams and No. 6 pick to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Erin Phillips, No. 5 pick, and a future first round pick (2017).
Ok, where do I start? In my opinion while this trade might be questionable for both teams, as of right now Dallas came out of the trade smelling like roses. Not only do they get a proven veteran guard in Phillips, they also get a player with championship experience who can facilitate the offense as a PG or SG whether she is slated to be a starter or a reserve. I can also see coach Fred Williams going small with Phillips, Diggins, and Sims during streches for an effective 3-guard line-up and let's not forget moving up a position in this year's draft (No. 5) and gaining another talented option with a future first round pick from LA. For LA, getting a proven scorer in Williams might be just what they needed except now they are left without a point guard. The roster as currently constructed has no solid PG options, Williams is a true SG, and Toliver is NOT (hear me) NOT a point guard.
For any of this to make sense on LA's behalf, I hope they have other means to acquire a point guard or this trade will only provide more questions instead of answers.
Cierra Burdick - Atlanta Dream (Re-signed)
Burdick seem to be a great fit for the Atlanta Dream after originally being drafted by the Sparks then cut during training camp. She was averaging 4.4 PPG and 3.2 RPG before missing the remainder of the season due to a stress fracture in her left foot. Burdick is one of the bright spots for the Dream and will be looking to build on her success from last season.
Ariel Massengale - Atlanta Dream (Re-signed)
The Dream are welcoming their 3rd round pick of 2015 in Ariel Massengale after missing the entire WNBA season suffering from a knee injury at the university of Tennessee. Whether she makes the roster is yet to be seen, but they are willing to bring her into camp to see what she can do.
March 2.
Ana Dabovic - Los Angeles Sparks (Re-signed)
Going from a crowd favorite in eurobasket to a crowd favorite in Los Angeles, Ana Dabovic re-signing with the Sparks was a great move for the organization. After winning the Eurobasket finals and being named MVP, she made her debut in the WNBA averaging 8.8 PPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.6 RPG. Was also named to the WNBA All-Rookie team. She also helped the Sparks force a game 3 in the western conference semi-finals dropping 19 points and 7 assist vs the Lynx in game 2. Dabovic is very fun to watch and I look forward to seeing more of her this year.
Jasmine Lister - Los Angeles Sparks
Jasmine Lister only played 7 games for the Sparks, but during the time being she showed a lot of promise in her first 3 games totaling 20 points, 4 assist hitting 4-5 from 3-point range. This is only a training camp signing, but coach Brian Agler feels like she has what it takes to possibly make the roster.
Evgeniya Belyakova - Los Angeles Sparks
From reading the press release Belyakove not only plays for the Russian National team, but is also a member of the Russian power house UMMC Ekaterinburg along with fellow Sparks guard Kristi Toliver. With the Sparks signing 2 forwards in the past few days lead me to believe that Marianna Tolo will not be playing in the U.S. this summer.
Laurin Mincy and Devellyn Whyte - Seattle Storm
The Storm are looking to fill out their roster by signing Laurin Mincy and Devellyn Whyte to training camp contracts. Mincy was a 3rd round pick of the New York Liberty before being waived in training camp and Whyte spent two seasons with the Stars before sitting out with an ACL injury in 2014.
March 3,
Amanda Thompson, Delisha Milton-Jones, Kara Braxton, and Meighan Simmons - Atlanta Dream
There isn't much to say about this group of signees other than the Dream are looking to add more viable options into training camp. Milton-Jones is looking to get another shot in Atlanta and Braxton has been out of the league since 2014, however I am happy about Simmons getting another shot to make a roster in the WNBA.
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