Sparks Player Surprisingly Opts Out of 2024 Season
By Jovan Alford
The Los Angeles Sparks are still in the process of cutting down their roster to 12 players ahead of their regular season opener against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday night.
The Sparks made a few cuts on Sunday afternoon, including third-round pick McKenzie Forbes, which disappointed some fans. However, the Sparks received some interesting news about one of their offseason acquisitions on Monday, which will directly impact who makes the final roster.
According to the WNBA’s transactions page, Sparks point guard Julie Allemand is out for the 2024 season due to personal reasons. Allemand is reportedly not shown on the Sparks’ roster, which still has 13 players, per Edwin Garcia of Silver Screen and Roll.
L.A. Sparks roster also been updated via the site. Now only showing 13 players and Allemand is not on it. Team has updated this very quickly this season. She was on it the other day. https://t.co/W2dyCFwYnF pic.twitter.com/waHhZjs4GT
— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) May 13, 2024
The Sparks acquired Allemand, Li Yueru, and a 2025 third-round pick from the Chicago Sky in exchange for the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Sparks seemed excited to add Allemand to their guard rotation as she’s shown some promise in her first two years in the W.
However, Los Angeles announced in late March that Allemand suffered a right ankle injury and would be out for 12-16 weeks after surgery. Based on her injury timeline, the 27-year-old guard would’ve been ready to play during the summer.
Sparks injury updates:
— LA Sparks PR (@LASparksPR) March 29, 2024
Center Azurá Stevens underwent a successful surgery at UCLA Health after injuring her left arm playing in China and will be re-evaluated in 12 weeks.
Guard Julie Allemand suffered a right ankle injury. Her surgery is scheduled for this week, and will be…
But with Allemand sitting out, the Sparks will be looking for Lexie Brown, Layshia Clarendon, and Aari McDonald to hold down the guard spot this season. At the same time, Sparks fans shouldn’t worry about Allemand’s future with the team as she’s still under contract for 2025.
Seeing what they gave up (a first-round pick) for Allemand, one could make the case that the Sparks believe the 27-year-old guard is a part of their future plans.
More Sparks news and analysis:
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