Who should the Sparks protect for expansion draft?

With the WNBA expansion draft rules stating each team can protect six players, here are the ones the Sparks should ensure will remain in Los Angeles.

Every year, each WNBA team undergoes major changes after free agency. This upcoming offseason will be unique because the Golden State Valkyries will join the league and an expansion draft will be held.

The WNBA announced the rules for the expansion draft in a press release this September.

Following the conclusion of the 2024 WNBA season and in advance of the Expansion Draft, each of the existing teams will be required to submit to the league office a Roster List that includes every player to whom the team has rights – players on the team’s active, suspended, draft list/reserved, core, and retired lists – as of the final day of the 2024 regular season.

The deadline for the submission of the Roster List will be determined at a later date but is expected to be approximately 10 days prior to the date of the Expansion Draft.

The submitted Roster List of each of the current 12 teams will be required to designate a maximum of six “Protected Players” who will not be available for selection in the Expansion Draft. All other players on each team’s Roster List will be eligible for selection by the Valkyries (“Available Expansion Draft players)”.

Golden State will have the opportunity to acquire the player contract of, or the negotiating rights to, one available player from each of the current 12 teams.

With the Sparks able to protect just six of their players, they’ll have to decide which ones must be undraftable by the Valkyries.

Los Angeles is currently suffering its biggest playoff drought in franchise history and mutually parted ways with head coach Curt Miller.

Despite only winning eight games, this roster has quality players. The Sparks have the best odds of winning the WNBA Lottery and are in a pivotal part of their rebuild. They have to make sure they keep the right players so they can crawl out of the WNBA’s basement.

Here are the six players the Sparks should protect.

Dearica Hamby

Protecting Hamby is a no-brainer. While Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson and potentially, No. 1. draft prospect Paige Bueckers are the future of this organization, Hamby is the present.

She is the best player on the team, a WNBA All-Star and was second in Most Improved Player of the Year voting this season. She has been the queen of reliability, playing in every Sparks game over the past two seasons. This year, she averaged 17.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, leading the Sparks in both statistical categories.

L.A. has already extended Hamby for the 2025 WNBA season, so the franchise clearly values her and wants her to be a Spark. Ensuring she doesn’t play for Golden State should be a priority.

Cameron Brink

The Sparks rookie was on her way to a phenomenal first season before an ACL tear ended her 2024 campaign early. Even with just 15 WNBA games under her belt, she demonstrated why the Sparks took her with the No. 2 pick. Brink is already an elite rim protector and defender who should be playing in Los Angeles for years to come.

Rickea Jackson

The Sparks took Jackson with the No. 4 pick in the WNBA draft and she exceeded all expectations. She began the season on the bench but was so explosive that she quickly entered the starting five and never looked back. Jackson ended the season averaging 13.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She was named to the All-Rookie Team and, like Brink, is an integral part of this rebuild.

Azurá Stevens

The first three players must be protected and if they are not, then the Sparks have the wrong people making decisions. The next three, a case can be made to not protect them as they all have their pros and cons.

Stevens is a respectable player who improved for the Sparks as the season went along. The team has already signed her to a contract extension so it seems they’re likely to retain her and not give the Valkyries the option to pick her up via the expansion draft.

Rae Burrell

Burrell will be entering her fourth WNBA season in 2025 and has only scratched the surface of what she can do. She averaged a modest 5.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in the 37 games she played this season but improved as her role expanded. She’s only played for the Sparks and they should keep it that way.

Stephanie Talbot

Not a transcended player or a needle mover, but Talbot is a veteran you can rely upon to make the right plays. Similar to Stevens she signed an extension for the 2025 season so I expect her to be one of the players to be protected.

The expansion draft will take place on Dec. 6 on ESPN. Everyone will be watching with bated breath to see what players will join the Valkyries and whether one of their favorites will leave their current WNBA team.

In the worst-case scenario, one Sparks player will be moving to the Bay, but if the Sparks protect these six, it won’t be someone who is part of Los Angeles’ future.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.