The Los Angeles Sparks resumed the second half of the 2024 WNBA season on Thursday against the New York Liberty, but they did so with a short-handed roster. With no new update yet on the Sparks injury report for Saturday's game against the Chicago Sky, the team needed to sign Crystal Dangerfield to a third 7-day hardship contract.
Dangerfield has been on the Sparks roster since July 4 when she signed her first 7-day contract with the team. She signed a second 7-day contract on July 13, but the remaining days of her contract were deferred until after the Olympic break was over. The second contract was set to expire this Saturday.
As per WNBA protocol, teams are allowed to sign additional players past the roster maximum of 12 to a hardship contract if they have less than 11 available players. An emergency hardship contract is allowed when a team has less than ten available players.
The Sparks currently have four players sidelined in Cameron Brink (ACL), Lexie Brown (Crohn's), Aari McDonald (foot) and Stephanie Talbot (foot). Brink has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season while there is no time estimate yet for the other three.
This is the last 7-day contract the Sparks can sign Dangerfield to before they have to either sign her for the remainder of the season or cut her from the team. The 2020 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Dangerfield is no stranger to navigating WNBA life while playing on a hardship contract.
Throughout her five year WNBA career, Dangerfield has played for the Sparks, Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream. She holds career averages of 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists with splits of 41.4 percent shooting from the field, 31.7 percent shooting from the three-point line and 86.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Sparks' injury woes brings opportunity for other players
If there's a silver lining to the Sparks' recent injury issues, it's that some of the younger players on the roster have been given more of an opportunity on the court. That was certainly the case on Thursday during the Sparks' loss to the Liberty when Rae Burrell came of the bench to score a team-high 15 points.
Burrell is in her third season with the Sparks after being selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft. She's been a strong 3&D player thus far, but against the Liberty Burrell was aggressive in putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket.
She took 13 free-throw attempts and knocked down 12 of them. The only points she scored that did not come from the free-throw line was a lone three-pointer in the third quarter. Following the game, Sparks head coach Curt Miller spoke about Burrell's increased aggressiveness.
“Her ability to attack the basket, but also score at the arc, is important for us. She is a really talented offensive player and it comes in streaky ways and you really got to ride that wave,” Miller said. “The physicality, the desire to run us off the arc, made the game important for her because she can get to the rim. There were times where she handled the physicality and loved it and she was able to get to the foul line.”
The Sparks' loss dropped the team to 6-19 and in a tie with the Dallas Wings for the 11th best record in the league. The Washington Mystics are at the bottom of the standings at 6-20.
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