Out of the bottom five teams in the standings right now, two are right where they should be. The Storm and Sun are rebuilding, developing young talent, and eyeing 2027 lottery picks. The Sparks, Mercury, and Sky should not be as bad as they have been—Especially the Sparks and Sky, who gave up a ton of young talent and draft assets to build veteran win-now rosters.
All three of those teams need to find a mid-season spark to avoid finishing the year outside of the playoffs. The Aces just gave them an opportunity to pick up one of the best isolation scorers in the W by waiving Chennedy Carter.
Chicago is unlikely to be interested in her since they didn’t re-sign her after the 2025 season and already have an electric perimeter scorer in Sydney Taylor. The Sparks and Mercury, however, could use a scoring force—although it definitely wouldn’t solve all of their problems. Moreover, signing Carter would be a gamble. She has a long history of locker room issues, and the fact that she didn’t work out in Las Vegas, a championship team with a great coach and veterans, is definitely a red flag.
So, both teams have to ask themselves one question: Are they desperate enough to take a swing and sign one of the most controversial players in the league?
The Sparks have little offense outside of Kelsey Plum
The Sparks are well aware of the trouble that follows Carter wherever she goes. They waived her in 2023 after a rocky 2022 season. But they also gave up the pick that turned into Dominique Malonga and Rickea Jackson to win now. Missing the playoffs again would be a disaster.
What the Sparks really need is better defense. They have the worst defensive rating in the league and really can’t stop anyone from scoring, especially with Cameron Brink out.
The Sparks’ only answer to their defensive struggles has been Kelsey Plum, who can put up just enough points to allow them to outscore their opponents at times. Plum is currently out with an injury, which has revealed a daunting reality: without Plum, the Sparks can’t defend or create offense.
Carter could help with the offensive issues. However, signing Carter would require the Sparks to waive someone like Chance Gray, Jihyun Park, or Emma Cannon. They may be able to find a less risky option on the trade market before the deadline in August.
Phoenix could use some fresh energy
The Mercury’s situation isn’t great, but it also isn’t as dire as the Sparks’. They won three of their last five games and didn’t give up nearly as much to build their veteran-heavy roster. They only sent out Rebecca Allen, Natasha Cloud, the rights to Kiki Herbert Harrigan, and the 12th pick in the 2025 draft to bring in Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.
Still, a team led by Thomas and Kahleah Copper should not have an 8-14 losing record and be in the same range as the Storm and Sun. They sorely miss Satou Sabally and her offensive production. If they don’t believe that Valeriane Ayayi’s improved production—she scored at least 18 points in three of the last five games—is enough to help them righten the ship, Carter could provide a scoring punch.
But much like with the Sparks, it seems more reasonable to expect the Mercury to explore the trade market before they take a shot at a player with Carter’s reputation.
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