I think it comes down to who is desperate and who has a really big ego and thinks they can fix Carter? Bibb? He's got the ego, but their new coach might disagree.
Reeve could definitely use her, but Reeve is claimed to have a "no knuckleheads" rule. Maybe the Mercury will think Taurasi can put Carter in her place if she gets out of hand.
There's no way Carter and Arike could be on the floor together
...refresh my memory, why did Bryant leave the Storm?
I'm not an insider, so I'd have nothing below the surface to refer anyone to. All she said at the time was that it was time. I've kept little tabs on her since.
Per her wikipedia page, this is what she has done since she left the Storm:
After ending her basketball position [with the Storm], Bryant switched to football safety after she joined Atavus Sports in 2017 as their chief operating officer. In 2021, Bryant began working in consulting when she helped create KB2 Sports. The following year, Bryant became a co-owner of the NJ/NY Gotham FC.
I suppose Jasmine Thomas is an upgrade over Jordin Canada because Thomas' inconsistent shooting is better than Canada's non-existent shooting but it's not really that inspiring a choice of point guard for Los Angeles. Thomas is a good contrast to Chennedy Carter and they both have really obvious strengths and weaknesses. I presume Canada is on the outside looking in here unless Curt Miller really can't get along with Carter.
It's an ok trade for Los Angeles because they get a rotation point guard and a first round pick for basically nothing but I don't think it really does a lot to make them noticeably better. They got the pick to make the salary dump more appealing. A Thomas/Sykes backcourt would be very one dimensional.
that the team that acquired an aging overpaid player coming off an ACL injury won the trade imo is a bit surprising
…maybe not a good sign moving forward for the Sun’s ability to get good value in deals
It's a salary dump. The Sun needed to include a draft pick as an incentive for somebody to take Thomas. And you have explained perfectly why the Sun are unable to get a "good deal" for her. They've done a good job in moving her quickly IMO.
See, to me, it doesn’t look like an obvious salary dump. Pretty equal number of assets swapped. And assuming Thomas is cleared to play by Opening Night, or even early on into the season (should be), Miller will likely make her the team’s starting PG. The Sparks also get a 1RP they didn’t have before. Meanwhile, it’s absolutely possible only Nelson-Ododa out of the three assets LA sent over makes Connecticut’s roster, let alone has a big role.
But yeah, it’s hard to discount the raw salary cap space that the Sun just regained in & of itself.
Last Edit: Jan 16, 2023 18:57:13 GMT -5 by Deleted
Hamby isn't a particularly good fit with Nneka Ogwumike - they play the same position and their skillset is similar. However, if you can get her and a 2024 first round pick for the negotiating rights to an average bench player who wasn't even on your roster last year and a second rounder, why not? Maybe Hamby also serves as insurance for Nneka in case she signs elsewhere or demands a trade in the future after re-signing with L.A.
Yeah it’s a bit of an odd trade for the Sparks, who seemed to declare their intentions to build a contender this year by sporting their vast amounts of cap space, which is now getting smaller & smaller but with only mid-level players
Last Edit: Jan 21, 2023 13:23:27 GMT -5 by Deleted
The Sparks had a good amount of center depth before they traded away Nelson-Ododa and Zahui B. The Aces' 2024 1RP should be towards the end of the round again. And again: Hamby, who basically plays the position as Nneka fwiw, can’t seem to stay healthy when you need her to the most.
Just not sure what the Sparks [thought that they] really got out of this trade. I’d be a bit surprised if it were revealed that Zahui B. demanded a trade out specifically to Vegas or something.
Last Edit: Jan 21, 2023 13:49:49 GMT -5 by Deleted