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Conversation continues to swirl around Chiney Ogwumike and the Connecticut Sun

By Natalie Heavren

CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 15: Chiney Ogwumike of the Connecticut Sun poses for a portrait during the 2019 NBA All-Star circuit on February 15, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 15: Chiney Ogwumike of the Connecticut Sun poses for a portrait during the 2019 NBA All-Star circuit on February 15, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Conflicting accounts of the Chiney Ogwumike trade

On April 27, the Connecticut Sun traded Chiney Ogwumike to the Los Angeles Sparks for L.A.’s 2020 first round draft choice. Two weeks later, the timeline that led to the move continues to be the source of conversation, leading Ogwumike’s agent, Allison Galer of Disrupt The Game, to take to Twitter to address it Friday night.

This is good work from a player rep, allowing Chiney Ogwumike to take the high road and focus on her new team in Los Angeles.

Galer spoke out after the latest story, a column from Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant.

According to the Courant, Ogwumike started making threats in February.

“Miller said Ogwumike’s representatives informed him then that Ogwumike would plan to work full-time with ESPN through the NBA playoffs and would not be available until June 17. The Sun will have played nine of their 34 games by then,” Courant columnist Mike Anthony wrote.

“‘Knowing it was going to take a little bit of time to get her back in basketball shape after that, we were looking at, at best, a July return — an entire missed training camp, the late games in May, all of June, before we’d get Chiney back,’ Miller said.”

As the team discussed what their options are over the next few weeks, Ogwumike’s representatives told them she may walk away from playing altogether the article also reported.

However, rumors did not simply appear overnight, nor was this situation immune from some rather unexpected tweets.

The Vice President of the Sun, Amber Cox, tried to direct attention from the trade with this somewhat cryptic tweet seeming to imply Ogwumike was not invested in bringing Connecticut its first WNBA championship, on the day of the deal.

Cox subsequently engaged in a debate with someone in the replies.

Later that day Cox retweeted the tweet below but also engaged once again in the replies.

It is rare to see an executive engage with these sorts of tweets. To Cox’s credit, this has been her consistent approach, as much transparency as possible, engagement always. And she’s helped build a contender in Connecticut, even without Ogwumike.

But the overall approach of the Sun on the Ogwumike deal, instead of clearing up the situation, seem only to have muddied the waters.

It will take some on-court success to change the conversation. Fortunately, the Sun begin preseason play Monday, and their season in just two weeks, hosting the Washington Mystics on May 25.

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