High Post Hoops
Fansided

Los Angeles Sparks trade Jantel Lavender to Chicago Sky for 2020 second-round draft pick

By Nicholas Niendorf

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 06: Jantel Lavender #42 of the Los Angeles Sparks handles the ball against the Chicago Sky during a WNBA basketball game at Staples Center on June 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 06: Jantel Lavender #42 of the Los Angeles Sparks handles the ball against the Chicago Sky during a WNBA basketball game at Staples Center on June 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

With the regular season less than a week away, both the Sky and Sparks make significant roster shifts through the trade.

The Los Angeles Sparks traded front court veteran and All-Star Jantel Lavender in exchange for the Chicago Sky’s 2020 second-round draft pick on Monday.

“We thought it was important to add another veteran to our core, especially a player that has championship experience like Jantel does,” Wade said in an official team press release. “I’ve coached against Jantel for a number of years in playoff series and I have always valued her skillset. She’s a player that helps make teams better and bring players together, so we value her for who she is off the floor just as much as we do on the floor.”

More from Chicago Sky

The former Sixth Woman of the Year averaged 5.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17 minutes per game last season for the Sparks.

The move will free up minutes in the Sparks’ froncourt for second-year center Maria Vadeeva and rookie Kalani Brown after the team added center Chiney Ogwumike in a blockbuster trade. Trading Lavender will also give Los Angeles some salary cap relief before the start of the season. The Sparks now have 14 players on their training camp roster.

For the Sky, they add versatile and experienced depth to their team with the acquisition, as Lavender can slot in at the four and five slot off the bench. The Sky currently have six players on their training camp roster who are likely to play a majority of their minutes at the four or five this season and will likely trim that number down before the roster deadline on Thursday.

Love our 24/7 women’s basketball coverage? Join our Patreon now and support this work, while getting extra goodies and subscriber-only content for yourself.

Home/News