Los Angeles Sparks waive former All-Star as WNBA roster cuts continue

Odyssey Sims is the latest player to be cut midseason as teams make room for their EuroBasket players to return.

The Los Angeles Sparks have cut Odyssey Sims and Shey Peddy to stay within the WNBA’s 12-person roster limits.

That’s because guard Rae Burrell, who injured her knee in the first game of the season, is returning, as is Belgian guard Julie Allemand, who just helped lead her team to the EuroBasket title.

Sims was not cut due to a lack of production. The 32-year-old guard averaged 9.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game in 12 appearances for the Sparks, establishing herself as the team’s fifth-leading scorer.

The former No. 2 pick has had an illustrious career; she was an All-Star in 2019 and has averaged double-digit points five times throughout her WNBA tenure. In nine games with the Dallas Wings last season, she averaged a career-best 17.2 points per game.

Peddy, meanwhile, appeared in 6 games, averaging 5 points and 2.7 assists, while shooting 38.5% from three.

Guards Julie Allemand, Rae Burrell return to the Sparks

Before leaving the team for EuroBasket, Allemand had appeared in 8 games for Los Angeles, averaging 2.8 points and 2.8 assists per game.

Burrell played just a single minute this season before suffering injury, but had the best season of her young WNBA career last year, averaging 5.9 points in 15.6 minutes per game. The 25-year-old played for Unrivaled in the offseason, and seemed poised to take another leap in her fourth season before going down with a leg injury.

The Sparks’ roster cuts come just a few days after the Golden State Valkyries announced they were cutting three players: guard Julie Vanloo, forward Chloe Bibby, and guard Bree Hall. Overseas commitments temporarily created roster spots on teams across the league, but with players returning, league-wide cuts were inevitable.