Trade sends Alex Bentley to Atlanta Dream, Layshia Clarendon to Connecticut Sun
By Mike Peden
Layshia Clarendon, Alex Bentley get to start anew.
The Atlanta Dream and Connecticut Sun announced a trade Monday afternoon that will send Layshia Clarendon and a 2019 second round pick to the Sun in exchange for Alex Bentley.
As a result, Bentley will return to the team that drafted her, while Clarendon will try to utilize her passing skills for a group in need of consistency.
The transaction should put an end to an awkward situation that unfolded in Connecticut. On Sunday, WNBAinsidr reported that a physical confrontation between Bentley and now former teammate Courtney Williams occurred sometime in late June. Williams was absent in Connecticut’s last four games for personal reasons, while Bentley played in all four, scoring 10 points or more in each of those games.
Now that Bentley is with another team, Williams should presumably return. If so, the timing couldn’t be better for the Sun. They have a cushion in the playoff race, but missing Williams hurt their offensive capabilities, and Connecticut has lost three of its last four games. The Sun are currently seventh in the league standings, but with a wide open playoff race, settling a dispute was imperative for head coach and general manager Curt Miller.
Considering the circumstances, Connecticut got a solid athlete in Clarendon. The guard has steadily improved her performance throughout her career. 2017 was a banner year for the 27-year-old. She received her first All-Star selection and became the sixth player in WNBA history to log over 200 assists in a season, setting an Atlanta franchise record with 226.
Following up on last year’s effort has proven difficult for Clarendon. The Dream swapped coaches, and the arrival of Renee Montgomery bumped her out of the starting lineup. Clarendon’s 2018 splits of 4.3 points and 1.7 assists per game are less than half of what she put up a year ago (10.7 and 6.6 respectively). With a move to the Sun, she joins a team with a deep core of talent, and if the press release is any indication, Clarendon is chomping to showcase her talents once more.
“She’s a talented and savvy guard with a great reputation as a leader on and off the court. She was thrilled when we spoke, and can’t wait to arrive in Connecticut,” Miller said in a statement published by the team.
Atlanta drafted Bentley in 2013, and she played one season before a three-team trade sent her to Connecticut the following year. With the Sun, Bentley’s stock rose. She earned her first All-Star selection in 2015, a season where she averaged a career-high 14.7 points per game. She also left a resounding impression on Atlanta head coach Nicki Collen, who was an assistant with the Sun for three years.
“I know she can be a dynamic scorer, but more importantly, she can create opportunities for her teammates because of her speed and skill with the basketball,” Collen said in a statement. “I also consider Alex one of the premier on-ball defenders in the WNBA which will only strengthen our team defense.”
Coincidentally, the Dream sit a half-game behind the Sun in the standings. The return of Angel McCoughtry has boosted the team’s profile once again, but they rank last in the WNBA in scoring, and a lack of perimeter shooting is one of the culprits. Only two Atlanta players are shooting above 30 percent from three-point range: Montgomery and Blake Dietrick, with the latter playing sporadically. Bentley is hovering around the 30-percent mark, but if she gets going, the Dream could have a guard that can help space the floor.