The sparks gave up the guard chennedy carter on Friday, undoing one of the residual mistakes of the Derek Fisher era.
After joining the team in a trade from Atlanta, Carter played in 24 games during his one-year tenure with the Sparks, averaging 8.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 16.4 minutes per game.
She was benched for misconduct during the season as the Sparks missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, and Fisher was fired as head coach and general manager in June.
Fisher, whose missteps last season included signing center Liz Cambage, sent former All-Star MVP Erica Wheeler, a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 first-round pick to Atlanta in the deal. The transaction served primarily as a salary waiver for the Sparks, who instead tried to promote the potential of Carter, a former No. 4 overall pick who averaged 16.1 points and 3.4 assists in two seasons with the Dream.
Carter, who was previously suspended by Atlanta for conduct detrimental to the team, never delivered more than sporadic bursts of energy. When Curt Miller was hired as head coach after the season, Carter was one of two players under contract with the Sparks, but Miller didn’t give the young guard a strong endorsement.
“She’s currently under contract and she’s a talented player,” Miller said on a conference call shortly after being signed. “And as the list develops, everyone will be able to understand what it is in the long term for us.”
Miller and general manager Karen Bryant have revamped the Sparks’ roster in a busy offseason. They earned their 2023 first-round pick via a trade with Connecticut that also brought guard Jasmine Thomas to Los Angeles, signed free agent Azura Stevens, a center forward from the Chicago Sky, and re-signed star forward Nneka Ogwumike. Guards Jordin Canada and Layshia Clarendon will compete for the spot on Carter’s roster after signing training camp contracts.
The Sparks open the season at Crypto.com Arena on May 19 against the Phoenix Mercury.