Entering the opening of WNBA free-agency negotiations Friday, the Sparks’ preferred play call is straightforward: Run it back.
Third-year head coach Derek Fisher – who recently was promoted to the dual role as general manager – was clear about that much in recent interviews.
“It is very much a priority for us to retain not just that core in terms of their performance and what they’ve put out on the court prior to the time that I got here, having the championship history that they have together,” Fisher said, “but … who they are beyond just basketball. The leadership qualities, the character, the integrity they each hold, it is vital that we find a way to make it work.”
What he was saying on that Zoom call with reporters: The Sparks hope to figure out a way to retain stars Candace Parker, Chelsea Gray and Nneka Ogwumike, who are among the team’s five unrestricted free agents.
The team identified Ogwumike as its core player Thursday, meaning the Sparks retain exclusive negotiating rights with the WNBPA President and six-time All-Star.
“They’re free agents, so ultimately, it’s their choice, we won’t be able to force them to do anything,” Fisher said. “Our goal should be to be able to have the type of conversation and communication with them that would provide a level of clarity of what our vision is for their time here and how we see them this being the best place for them.
“For Candace, specifically, to finish her career playing for the Sparks and only the Sparks, being able to win more championships. And then for Nneka and Chelsea, as they move into this next phase of their careers and their lives, being able to expand upon the great legacy that they’ve already built and left in this game, but expand and expound upon that even more here in L.A.”
Keeping all three stars in-house – as well as Chiney Ogwumike, whose contract expired after last season, but with whom the Sparks retain exclusive negotiating rights because medical precautions caused her to opt out of playing in the WNBA bubble – likely will require some financial sacrifice by some, if not all of them.
Last season, the league’s new collective bargaining agreement increased the maximum salary to $215,000 from $117,500 while upping the salary cap to $1.3 million from $996,100 the previous season. It’s worth noting that the average cash compensation was about $130,000, meaning the average WNBA player now earns six figures.
“We have a number of players that historically, or even in the future, have what we consider to be max contract value and/or potential in terms of their performance on the court,” Fisher said. “But similar to other sports, there are only a couple players on the team that can demand those kind of salaries, and then you have to find a way to balance everything else out and still put championship teams together.
“So our job is definitely really difficult with the number of free agents we have. And we’ve run through and we’ll continue to run through a number of different scenarios to make sure we find a way to strike that balance. Where we are fortunate … is that Candace, Nneka, Chelsea, Chiney, all of the players that we’ve spoken with so far and had conversations with … they all just want to win, and I think they realize that we have a really special opportunity to do that with this core group. So we’ll find a way to make it work.”
Fisher – as well as vice president of player personnel Michael Fischer and Governor and CEO Eric Holoman – will have other decisions to make, too, ahead of Feb. 1, when the league’s free-agency signing period begins.
In addition to Parker, Gray and the Ogwumike sisters, four other members of last season’s squad also are free agents: Riquna Williams, Seimone Augustus, Reshanda Gray (all unrestricted) and Brittney Sykes (restricted).
The Sparks took Te’a Cooper off the board this week, re-signing the second-year guard Monday.
After playing the entirety of last season in a bubble on the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida, the league hasn’t announced a start date for next season, the 25th for both the league and the Sparks. Traditionally, the WNBA plays a summertime schedule.
Coach/GM Derek Fisher answered @johnwdavis’ query about the conundrum of paying all the Sparks’ stars what they’re worth within the confines of the WNBA salary cap. pic.twitter.com/V98Jj2NYNh
— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) December 23, 2020
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Sparks stars Candace Parker, Chelsea Gray and Nneka Ogwumike enter free agency - OCRegister
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