WNBA fans will get to see a lot of fun and sometimes unusual player pairings in Unrivaled, but few teams promise to be as much fun as Breeze BC. The team is bursting with exciting young talent and star power. Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga just came off phenomenal rookie seasons in the W, Rickea Jackson, Cameron Brink, and Kate Martin were among the most popular players in the 2024 draft, and Aari McDonald put a lot of fans on notice when she stepped up for the Fever this past season.
For the Los Angeles Sparks, Breeze BC answers some big what-ifs. What if they had kept the number two pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and built a long, athletic frontcourt with Cameron Brink and Dominique Malonga? What if they had won the draft lottery and added Paige Bueckers to the young duo of Brink and Jackson?
The Sparks traded their 2025 lottery pick
After two losing seasons, including a 2024 campaign with an abysmal 8-32 record, the Sparks entered the 2025 draft lottery with the best odds to win the top pick and the chance to draft Paige Bueckers. Bueckers, Jackson, and Brink would have made a formidable young trio to build around and guarantee future success for the Sparks.
Instead, Dallas won the lottery, and the Sparks ended up with the second overall pick for the second year in a row. They also had the second pick in the 2024 draft that featured Caitlin Clark. With Brink already in place and Bueckers sure to go first, the Sparks decided to trade their 2025 pick for Kelsey Plum instead of using it to draft Dominique Malonga, Sonia Citron, or Kiki Iriafen.
Iriafen and Citron were named All-Stars in their rookie seasons, but Malonga promises to have the highest ceiling. Drafting her would have slowed down the Sparks’ rebuild instead of accelerating it like trading for Plum did, but the idea of Brink and Malonga on the same team is still intriguing. Their length and versatility would make them a menace defensively. Brink’s ability to space the floor would also allow them to work well together offensively.
Malonga and Brink may not share the court all the time in Unrivaled, but there will undoubtedly be some instances in which Noelle Quinn wants to make use of their stifling length and versatility. While seeing them play together with Jackson may make some fans wonder what the Sparks would look like in a few seasons if they had kept their pick—not to mention if they had won the lottery—Los Angeles already has a lot of potential. Between Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, Azurá Stevens, Brink, and Jackson, the Sparks have plenty of talent.