WNBA Free Agency 2022: Round-up Part 2 of ?
Covering everything from the Carter trade to the Charles signing, the Chicago unknowns to the Minnesota mysteries, further analysis of the WNBA's 2022 free agency moves
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We already covered the frantic opening couple of days of signings in 2022 WNBA free agency but the action hasn't stopped. It's time for Part 2, rounding up all the trades and signings that continue to shape the rosters for the 2022 season. All the information is accurate at time of writing. Something's bound to happen five minutes after publication of course, but that's what Part 3 is for.
Phoenix Mercury
Diamond DeShields acquired in a sign-and-trade for Bria Hartley, a 2023 first-round pick, and two second-round picks. DeShields signed for two years, $150,000/$154,500, fully protected
Tina Charles signs for one year, $108,000, fully protected
Sophie Cunningham re-signs for one year, $75,000, unprotected
Kia Nurse re-signs for one year, $73,542, unprotected
You have to give credit to Jim Pitman. The Mercury general manager came into this offseason with very little room to maneuver, and limited prospects of creating any. Less than a week into free agency he'd added yet another player who was on MVP ballots last year, and a young restricted free agent wing who still has potential to break out.
Diamond DeShields came first, in yet another trade that shows how little regard Phoenix has for draft picks. But these are the moves you make when an icon of the women's game like Diana Taurasi might be making her very last run at a ring. DeShields is something of a gamble, given that she really hasn't played well since 2019, and even back then in an All-Star year she was more star potential than actual star. Injuries have blighted her last couple of seasons, and she lost her starting spot in Chicago last year before playing a limited role in their playoff run. However, on a mid-level deal for only two years, she's a worthwhile bet. Especially with Kia Nurse injured the Mercury needed wing length and athleticism, and she brings that. If DeShields ever actually gets healthy, then who knows what she might reach.
The other key element of the trade was that for the cost of one first-round pick and two largely meaningless seconds, they not only acquired DeShields but also moved Bria Hartley and her $196,100 salary to Indiana. Hartley was briefly a success for Phoenix in 2020, looking good before tearing her ACL. However, she was a shadow of herself after returning for a few games last year and her max contract was the only big deal Phoenix was ever going to want to move (Taurasi, Diggins-Smith and Griner were going nowhere). Hartley may not have had negative value, but even with only one year left on that contract it can't have looked too appealing to many teams around the league. But the Mercury found a taker, and the very next day used their newly created space on Tina Charles, to the shock of many. Charles wanting to go to Phoenix - or the Mercury wanting her - wasn't the big surprise, but Charles being willing to play for $108,000 led to a host of raised eyebrows. Way below the max - and significantly less than posts like Stefanie Dolson, Mercedes Russell and Monique Billings have signed for this offseason - Charles is chasing a ring, pure and simple. It wasn't even the most that Phoenix could've given her, leaving them around $84,000 to offer another addition, if they can find someone left worth giving it to.
Talk of superteams and dominance from the Mercury might be a little premature. We don't know what DeShields will offer, and Charles might not be a perfect fit. Outside of a few Olympic games she's never played a supporting role, and she'll have to learn how to do that at least to a certain extent with the stars around her. Phoenix will also need Charles to stretch the floor even more than she did last year in Washington, because Brittney Griner needs the space to work under the rim. Brianna Turner had become a nice complement to Griner inside, covering up some of the Mercury's defensive holes and improving their rebounding. Now they'll have to work out how Charles, Griner and Turner fit together (and someone's going to have to come off the bench). But at the very least they're going to be interesting, and it's an impressive way to reload from the situation they appeared trapped in.
They also managed to re-sign Sophie Cunningham, despite declining her fourth-year option last year, and it only cost them a few thousand dollars more than that option would've been. As she did behind Nurse last year, Cunningham will offer some additional attitude and energy on the wing, and a backup option if DeShields flames out. Nurse also re-signed, but after tearing her ACL in last year's playoffs it seems optimistic to expect much from her this year.
Los Angeles Sparks
Katie Lou Samuelson and the No. 9 pick in the 2022 draft acquired from Seattle for Gabby Williams
Chennedy Carter and the rights to Li Yueru acquired from Atlanta for Erica Wheeler, the No. 15 pick in the 2022 draft, and a 2023 first-round pick
Jordan Canada signs for one year, $98,000, fully protected
Liz Cambage reported to be signing at some stage
Similar to Phoenix, the Sparks came into this offseason looking capped out and blocked from making many moves. As with the Mercury, LA decided to hell with that, they're making moves anyway. First up was the trade with Seattle, where Gabby Williams - who was acquired from Chicago for practically nothing and never played a game for LA after skipping last season - was turned into Katie Lou Samuelson and the No.9 pick in the upcoming draft. Given what Williams actually produced during her years in Chicago, the return from this deal was impressive for LA. They got a different former UConn wing who's underwhelmed since being drafted, jumped back into the first round of this year's draft, and gained over $70,000 of much needed cap space due to the difference between Samuelson and Williams's salaries. Maybe you still believe that Williams can break out if given a solid and consistent role, but that's three pieces for one. You have to really like that one piece to prefer that over the three.
Next came the Atlanta deal, with the Dream finally pulling the trigger on the Chennedy Carter trade that's felt inevitable since they suspended her for "conduct detrimental to the team" back in July. Erica Wheeler's a much-loved, useful player but she's nearly 31 and a proven 'pretty good' WNBA guard. Carter, on the other hand, is still in the 'potential star' category. Her rookie season back in 2020 showed flashes of brilliance, electric scoring and quickness, and the kind of individual shot-creation that you can't teach. Especially for a head coach/general manager that might not think he'll still be in the job if LA are bad again in 2022, Carter seems a worthwhile gamble. Obviously there are character concerns at this point, but we've seen a thousand times over in sport that if you've got the talent you'll get a lot of second chances. Li Yueru's a big, physical young center as well, if they can ever get her to show up. This only blows up in their face if the 2022 Sparks implode and that 2023 first-round pick is in the lottery. At which point Derek Fisher will probably have packed up his office and be on a beach somewhere.
For a relatively cheap cost and only on a one-year deal, Jordin Canada is a reasonable addition. With Carter, Kristi Toliver and Te'a Cooper already on board they don't really need her but it'll be interesting to see how she performs away from Seattle and the shadow of Sue Bird. The element we're waiting on in Los Angeles is Liz Cambage. Reports have her agreeing to sign with the Sparks, but at time of writing the contract isn't yet inked. All the moves above have created enough space to give her the max ($196,267), although she'd have to drop down at least as far as the $184,000 range if the Sparks wanted to set themselves up to start the season with a 12-player roster. If she's demanding the supermax - $228,094 - then that would require Las Vegas's involvement. Only a player's former team can give a free agent the supermax, so it would have to be a sign-and-trade with the Aces. Again, the Sparks have the cap room (as long as they're willing to start the season with 11 players, or the Aces take back a significant contract), but Las Vegas would have to play ball.
As with Phoenix, this may not all be a perfect fit, but it has the potential to be absolutely fascinating. We're talking about adding two controversial and combustible characters to a team that's had its issues off the floor in the past. You could also argue that the best position for all of Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike and Amanda Zahui B is center, the spot that Cambage would obviously take up. Both Carter and Cambage are gambles that I absolutely understand taking - add as much talent as you can, figure the rest out later - but gambles nonetheless. At the very least they should be a lot more fun to watch than last year.
Washington Mystics
Myisha Hines-Allen re-signs for three years, $170,000/$175,100/$180,200, fully protected
Elizabeth Williams signs for one year, $90,000, fully protected
Tianna Hawkins, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Klara Lundquist, Lee Seul Kang and Megan Gustafson sign training camp contracts
Seems only fair to cover the Mystics after I forgot about them in Part 1 last week. From a position where they essentially had the cap space to make one major signing, this was reasonable enough. Three fully guaranteed years at numbers approaching the max is quite a lot for Hines-Allen, who had one good year in the bubble in 2020 and then struggled with injuries last season. But that's what it was going to take to keep her, given the talent she's flashed and the interest from elsewhere in the restricted free agent. As long as she can stay healthy and bounce back to that 2020 form - or develop further from it - she'll live up to the deal (or it'll be movable down the line).
Given the numbers being handed out to other solid-but-non-star posts in free agency, getting Williams for $90,000 looks like a steal. In a supporting role where all they'll be asking her to do is rebound and play defense she looks like a nice fit. That was essentially all they had left in cap space (barring a meaningful trade), so to add a useful veteran like Williams for that money rather than have to rely on minimum-salary pickups to fill the role was a definite plus.
This roster has the pieces to be decent even without their superstar, especially if Alysha Clark returns in full health and Hines-Allen can stay in one piece, plus they have the top pick in the draft to add to the mix. But as usual, their chances of being a genuine contender likely rely on Elena Delle Donne being available to play basketball. We've seen her for three games since the Mystics won their title back in 2019, and that's an awfully long time. She was recently in camp with Team USA, and said she's feeling good, so hopefully she'll be there. It would be nice to see what Mike Thibault can make out of this group if they're actually intact.
Chicago Sky
Julie Allemand and Phoenix's 2023 first-round pick acquired for signed-and-traded Diamond DeShields, the 2022 No. 7 pick, and their own 2023 first-round pick (as part of a three-team trade)
Crystal Bradford signs for one year, $62,000, unprotected
Lots of people reported to be signing or re-signing but as of yet not official
The grade here (if I was doing grades) would be 'incomplete'. Assuming we add one minimum salary to the six players currently under regular contracts, the Sky have $724,695 left to give to four players. Based on reports and expectations, those four are presumably Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, Kahleah Copper and Emma Meesseman. It's perfectly viable, but there are going to have to be some concessions amongst that group to make the math work. Assuming those four deals eventually get done, this will be a strong squad set up to make a run at repeating as champions (before then potentially having a lot of rebuilding work to do in a year). We can address that once everyone's actually signed.
In some ways, the Allemand deal looks rather expensive. I'm a big fan of the Belgian point guard, but the fact is that she's played one year in the WNBA and her Fever team that year was dreadful. As always with international players, there's also a greater chance that they choose not to play in any given WNBA season than with American players (and she's definitely going to be a late arrival in 2022, as the playoffs in France might not end until a month into the WNBA regular season). Giving up the No. 7 pick and DeShields seems like a lot, but baked into that is the fact that they likely wouldn't have matched a significant offer sheet to DeShields due to the cap space necessary to sign the four players mentioned above. So they helped facilitate that signing, more than anything. Then it largely becomes Allemand for the No. 7, which given Chicago's mess last season in trying to find a backup point guard in the draft doesn't seem wildly unreasonable. Allemand is either a great backup for Vandersloot or a decent insurance plan if that relationship were to implode. She also might be the successor-in-waiting, if Vandersloot returns but only for one more year. The 2023 picks shifting in the deal just adds to the entertainment. Chicago is gambling that they'll be better than Phoenix, and therefore having Phoenix's pick will be an upgrade. Indiana gets to root for Chicago to implode, so that their extra pick improves. And Phoenix is saying "We're going to be too good to care about picks. You take it."
Crystal Bradford's a nice pickup, a combo-forward who can help replace DeShields on the wing and play some stretch-four in smaller lineups. She was only available due to off court events in Atlanta leading the Dream to let her go. Signing for less than $2,000 more than the minimum, she should comfortably outperform that deal if she plays anything like she did last year. If there turn out to be character issues it's a non-guaranteed deal they can easily wash their hands of anyway.
Las Vegas Aces
Riquna Williams re-signs for two years, $145,000/$149,350, unprotected
Kiah Stokes re-signs for one year, $115,000, unprotected
I don't hate either of these deals. After proving she could stay out of the headlines and play a thoroughly effective supporting role on the court, Riquna Williams got the raise she deserved, but without breaking the bank. Stokes's deal raised some eyebrows because it was more than Tina Charles signed for on the same day, but they're two deals that can't really be compared, considering the huge discount Charles took to help the team she wanted to play for. For a veteran post who was decent enough for the Aces last year when they picked her up midseason, who can play defense and bang inside to protect A'ja Wilson from having to battle the league's giants too much, it's not a huge cost. It's a significant step down from what Russell or Dolson got, and right around the amount that Kia Vaughn got from Phoenix last year. That seems in the ballpark of fair.
The additional interesting element was that both deals are unprotected, despite the Aces having two protected spots still available. That gives them the opportunity to move on from either player at some point if they want to (protecting them from Williams getting in trouble again, for example, or needing cap space at some point more than they need Stokes). It also allows them to use those protected spots elsewhere. Unless there's a shocking turnaround from Cambage, it doesn't look like there are any free agents left who'd warrant one of those spaces but they could be used if they're discussing a sign-and-trade with the Sparks, or for any other deal. They could also be useful in extension talks with Jackie Young, as any protected money in years she adds before the May 15 deadline for rookie-scale extensions would have to count in the six allowed protected deals.
Minnesota Lynx
Layshia Clarendon signs for one year, $90,000, unprotected
I talked about this in the last piece, and although Clarendon is now official very little has changed. In fact the situation fits fairly neatly into a tweet:
Just going into camp with all those pieces and cutting three of them doesn't seem likely, so I'm still waiting for the next shoe to drop. Maybe it's a deal to dump Natalie Achonwa's contract, which would solve a lot of their issues. Maybe it's smaller moves like trading the pick or selecting someone who agrees not to show up in 2022. Maybe they're waiting to see what the best offer is for Carleton. Maybe Cheryl Reeve's just been busy with Team USA and now that's out of the way the big move will come. We'll see.
New York Liberty
Stefanie Dolson signs for two years, $160,000/$160,000, fully protected
Rebecca Allen signs for two years, $141,000/$136,850, fully protected
Jazmine Jones waived
Leaonna Odom waived
Both the Stefanie Dolson and Rebecca Allen moves could be considered a little expensive. Dolson gives the Liberty a big body inside, a physical veteran presence who can set screens and hit some threes while allowing them to play more regular lineups than the small-ball they trended towards under Walt Hopkins. As an addition I like it - it's basically using a time machine to fast forward to what they hope Kylee Shook might eventually become, skipping the multi-year waiting period. It's just a pretty hefty contract for a player who seems to constantly pick up niggling little injuries or silly fouls (which she's utterly dumbfounded by, of course). On the bright side it's only two years. It's almost always the three-year ones that teams occasionally regret, due to the extended impact.
Allen's a perimeter gunner who plays decent defense (and occasionally masquerades as a small-ball four) but a two-year guaranteed deal in that mid-range area seems excessive. Her Australian counterpart Steph Talbot does similar things and took her $72,141 qualifying offer in Seattle, for example, or there were the Cunningham and Bradford deals for barely any more than their minimums. Allen will have occasional streaks of hot shooting where she looks like she's worth this much, but it'll invariably be balanced out by long periods of invisibility. If there was no one else to spend it on this year then by all means overpay her in 2022, but there could be some opportunity cost to that number in 2023 (even if it is a descending deal - the only one we've seen so far in 2022 free agency).
Creating the space to sign Allen cost the Liberty Jazmine Jones and Leaonna Odom, as somebody had to be waived to make room. It was a little surprising that Jones didn’t at least get them a minor draft pick from somebody in a trade (and Indiana claimed her off waivers). As you inevitably see with teams in this league who have a huge number of draft picks in a short space of time, eventually you run out of space. There are only so many youngsters you can keep around for so long before having to make some choices.
That's all for now. Considering there are a few important pieces still to slot into place, we may well be back soon with Part 3. Keep your eyes peeled for more breaking news and contract information at the Her Hoop Stats twitter account and cap sheets, and my personal twitter account. There's bound to be a little more madness still to come.
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