The WNBA free agency moratorium period is underway with teams and players allowed to negotiate contracts. None of those deals can become official though until Feb. 1. It’s been relatively quiet so far with a couple of deals being reported and one big bombshell move in the works. The Los Angeles Sparks may be losing Nneka Ogwumike, but they still need to fill out their roster. In one of the early reported deals so far, the Sparks have agreed to bring back veteran point guard Layshia Clarendon on a two-year contract as per Rachel Galligan of Winsidr.
Layshia Clarendon was in their first season with the Sparks last year after making the team out of training camp. The veteran point guard will be entering their 11th season in the WNBA after being drafted by the Indiana Fever with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft.
Clarendon emerged as a key contributor for the Sparks last season despite missing a good portion of the season due to injury. They started all 24 games they played in and averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 49.7 percent shooting from the field, 45.7 percent shooting from the three point line and 91.5 percent shooting from the free throw line.
The Sparks went 14-10 in the games that Clarendon was in the lineup. Clarendon will bring a much needed veteran presence what will assuredly be a younger team in a rebuilding phase. They have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons now.