The 5 Sparks players to protect in 2026 WNBA expansion draft

Following the ratification of the new WNBA CBA, the league can officially prepare for the 2026 season, including the expansion draft. Scheduled for April 3, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will alternate picks through two rounds with 12 picks each. Unlike the 2025 expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries, teams are only permitted to protect five players instead of six. The Los Angeles Sparks are going to have their work cut out for them to decide which players to protect in the expansion draft.

Last year, the Sparks ended up losing Stephanie Talbot to the Valkyries in the expansion draft. Being allowed one less player to protect, it’s likely the Sparks will end up losing a key contributor from the 2025 season. Here’s a look at the five players the Sparks need to keep away from either the Fire or the Tempo.

1) Kelsey Plum

Kelsey Plum shocked many when she chose to join the Sparks via a sign-and-trade. The team had struggled in recent seasons, and was coming off their fourth consecutive year of missing the playoffs. But for a franchise that has fallen far from its former championship contender status, Plum gave the Sparks a newfound sense of legitimacy. An All-Star player in her prime choosing them over any other team.

And Plum’s impact was exactly what the team needed. Having lost out on the No. 1 overall pick and the chance to draft Paige Bueckers, the Sparks biggest area of need was a true point guard. While Plum has always been more of a shooting guard, she stepped up and filled that role to perfection, finishing top-five in the league at 5.7 assists.

In order to keep building legitimacy, protecting Plum in the expansion draft is absolutely necessary for the Sparks. This is a star player who wants to be here and wants to be a part of head coach Lynne Roberts’ vision.

2) Cameron Brink

The Sparks didn’t get to see much of Cameron Brink during her rookie season as she suffered an ACL injury. But they did see enough to know that she has generational defensive talent. Even missing nearly half of the 2024 season, Brink still finished in the top-three in blocked shots.

She didn’t make her 2025 debut until late July after the All-Star break as she finished up her injury recovery. While she was obviously still shaking off rust and getting up to speed, Brink showed an expanded offensive game to go along with her defense. She still needs to cut down on her fouls, and show more consistency offensively, but she is a starting caliber center.

Brink came off the bench last season, but the Sparks need to invest her development as the eventual starting five. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft, she is a pillar of the future and she needs to be one of the players the Sparks protect in the expansion draft.

3) Rickea Jackson

Rickea Jackson was the Sparks’ second lottery pick in 2024 alongside Brink. This past season, she took a little bit of time to get used to Roberts’ system, but by midseason, she was once again showing why the Sparks felt like they essentially had a No. 1 pick caliber player.

Jackson has refined her offensive game to where she is comfortable as a primary scoring option. She can take defenders off the dribble and get to the rim. She can hit them with pull-up jumpers in the midrange. She’s also worked on playing off ball in catch and shoot situations and hard cuts as stressed by Roberts’ system.

She could stand to improve her 3-point efficiency, but her career average to this point of 34.7 percent isn’t bad. Back when Jackson was at Tennessee, there was talk of her possibly declaring for the WNBA Draft in 2023 instead of 2024. Had that happened, there was a case for her to be taken No. 1 over Aliyah Boston. The Sparks have a franchise talent on their hands, and she must be protected in the expansion draft.

4) Dearica Hamby

Since joining the Sparks via trade ahead of the 2023 season, Dearica Hamby has been the model of consistency. The team knows what they’re going to get from her on a game-to-game basis. That is, efficient post scoring, rebounding, screen-setting and overall toughness and physicality.

Hamby was already playing at an All-Star level before Roberts became head coach, but she flourished under the new system. She was able to take advantage of her playmaking ability, something she hasn’t always been able to show in the WNBA.

The ‘mother’ of the team, new squads like the Fire and Tempo would benefit greatly from having Hamby to provide stability and leadership. That’s why the Sparks need to make sure she’s protected. Hamby is too important to team chemistry to risk losing, not to mention her productiveness on the court. She must be among the team’s five.

5) Rae Burrell

This is where things get a little tricky. The aforementioned four players are no-brainers when it comes to protecting in the expansion draft. But after that, there are three players in Rae Burrell, Azurá Stevens and Julie Allemand who a case can be made to protect. Burrell is a budding young player with potential on both ends. Stevens was arguably the Sparks’ best frontcourt player last season. Allemand is a true point guard and played extremely well alongside Plum.

But ultimately, it needs to be Burrell who takes the last protected spot. With Brink primed for a starting role, that cuts into Stevens’ playing time. Allemand in the starting lineup gives the Sparks a rather small backcourt. Burrell’s size and length is the ideal wing fit with Plum.

She is in the mold of a 3&D player. Her catch and shoot ability has come a long way from when she first got to the league. She has the tools to be the primary point of attack defender. And she’s coming off a strong showing at Unrivaled. The Sparks have already shown they’re invested in her development when they selected Burrell for the time-off bonus, a stipend given to players to help limit their participation in offseason leagues. She’s improved every season thus far, and she needs to be the final player the Sparks protect in the expansion draft.