LOS ANGELES — The Sparks added another former top-10 draft pick Wednesday after trading for guard Lexie Brown from the Chicago Sky.
Brown, the No. 9 overall pick in 2018, has played for three WNBA teams. She helped the Sky to their first WNBA championship last season, appearing in 24 total games off the bench. She has averaged 4.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 89 regular-season WNBA games that included stints with the Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota Lynx.
The Sparks acquired Brown for the rights to Chinese center Li Yueru, who was included in the trade with the Atlanta Dream that brought guard Chennedy Carter to L.A. in February.
Carter, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft, was one of several splashy offseason additions for the Sparks. Four-time All-Star Liz Cambage is the headliner while coach and general manager Derek Fisher also retooled the backcourt by adding former UCLA star Jordin Canada from the Seattle Storm with fellow Southern California native Katie Lou Samuelson.
Hampered by injuries last year, the Sparks averaged a league-low 72.8 points per games and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011.