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Since the Los Angeles Sparks opened up the WNBA free agency period with a blockbuster trade for Kelsey Plum, they’ve spent the rest of the offseason so far filling out the rest of their roster. In one of the their latest free agency moves, the Sparks brought back a familiar face in former first round pick Maria Kliundikova, formerly Maria Vadeeva.
Maria Kliundikova, also known as ‘Masha,’ was still called Maria Vadeeva when she last played for the Sparks. She will presumably compete for a roster spot during Sparks training camp. Her signing brings the team’s roster to 14 players.
WNBA teams are permitted to carry up to 18 players in training camp, and must then cut down to either 11 or 12 players by the start of the regular season. In a statement prepared for the Sparks, Kliundikova spoke about rejoining the team that originally drafted her.
“I am very happy to be back with the Sparks,” Kliundikova said. “Everything has changed here, and there’s a new and exciting energy. This is a new challenge for me, too, and I think we will succeed together as a team.”
With Kliundikova’s signing, the Sparks’ frontcourt depth chart would appear to be Cameron Brink and Dearica Hamby as the starters with Azurá Stevens and Mercedes Russell as the presumed backups. Emma Cannon and Kliundikova would appear to be in contention for a roster spot.
Maria Kliundikova returns to Sparks
The Sparks originally selected Kliundikova with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She played two seasons for the Sparks before essentially taking a hiatus from the WNBA and heading overseas. The Sparks retained her free agent rights while she was playing overseas.
During the 2019 season, her second in the league, she turned in the best statistical season of her brief career. She appeared in 15 games for the Sparks that season, including one start, at just about 12 minutes per game. She averaged 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals with splits of 49 percent shooting from the field, 31.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 76.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Kliundikova is coming off a solid season playing in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg. She’s played in 13 games and has been averaging 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field and 87.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Kliundikova is a skilled center who is able to score in the paint as well as space the floor with three-point shooting.
