But Rickea Jackson’s downcast face told viewers the result wasn’t what Sparks fans wanted to hear. The Sparks lost out on the first pick to the Dallas Wings, who had approximately half the Sparks’ chance, at 22.7%, for the first pick.
After finishing 25-55 across the last two seasons and in last place this season with a record of 8-32, there’s no question the Sparks were looking forward to the possibility of bringing on Paige Bueckers. The guard out of Connecticut could bring much-needed playmaking to the Sparks offense, which ranked last in the league with an offensive rating of 93.7. They also struggled with net rating (also 12th), defensive rating (10th), and margin of victory (10th, at -7.2).
The Sparks will pick second for the second consecutive year, after selecting Cameron Brink second overall in 2024. Brink started 15 games for the Sparks and averaged 7.5 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per contest, putting her at first in the league per 40 minutes, before she was sidelined with an ACL tear. She was joined by 2024 fourth overall pick Rickea Jackson, who proved crucial to the Sparks’ offensive success as the season progressed.
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While the Sparks will likely lose out on the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes, the 2025 draft promises to be overflowing with talent. In addition to the second pick, the Sparks will also select 13th, 26th, and 28th overall.
“We’re happy to have the second pick in next year’s draft,” Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley said in a press release. “Holding a lottery pick in 2025’s deep draft guarantees we’ll be able to add an impactful player to our roster at a pivotal time in our history. Our staff is already hard at work exploring all our options in the lottery and with our other three picks.”
With the second pick, many eyes are on Kiki Iriafen, the Stanford transfer playing in her first year at USC. The 6’3 forward would be reunited with her post counterpart in Brink, whom she played with for three years at Stanford. Together, the two combined for 36.8 points (17.4 per game from Brink and 19.4 from Iriafen) and 22.9 rebounds (11.9 from Brink and 11 from Iriafen) in the 2023-2024 season, executing high-low play in the post and proving a nightmare for opposing teams.
While the Sparks players at the team’s watch party at Watch Me Sports Bar in Long Beach looked visibly disappointed on missing out on the first pick, the internet read heavily into Brink’s slight smile. Perhaps it wishful thinking that she was smiling from the possible excitement of reuniting with her former teammate.
Losing out on the first pick has not been the only surprise of the 2024 offseason, with the departure of Head Coach Curt Miller after only two years. He will now serve as the General Manager of the Dallas Wings, where he’s now received the first overall pick. In the words of Coach Miller on X: “How you like them apples?”
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