Armed with three of the top eight selections in the upcoming WNBA draft, the Los Angeles Sparks on Feb. 19 traded the No. 8 overall pick to the Chicago Sky for Belgian guard Julie Allemand, Chinese center Li Yueru, and a third-round choice in next year’s draft.
The Sparks still have their own first-round draft pick this year, No. 2 overall, as well as the fourth selection, which they acquired in a Jan. 31 trade with the Seattle Storm.
“We are thrilled to have Julie and Li join the Sparks,” Los Angeles General Manager Raegan Pebley said in a statement released by the team. “Julie is a competitor who is eager to help partner in building a culture here in LA that will be one we can all be proud of. Li not only adds depth in our interior, but she also shares that passion for winning.”
The 5-foot-8 Allemand, 27, has played two WNBA seasons: 2020 with the Indiana Fever and 2022 with Chicago. Selected 33rd overall by Indiana in the 2016 draft, she became the first player in league history to be drafted in the third round and make the WNBA all-rookie team.
The starting point guard on Belgium’s national team, Allemand helped her native country qualify for this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris by beating Senegal at an Olympic qualifying tournament Feb. 9. Allemand has WNBA career averages of 5.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Yueru, 24, was also a third-round WNBA draft pick, 35th overall, by the Atlanta Dream in 2019. The 6-foot-7 Yueru averaged 5.1 minutes in 16 games with Chicago during the 2022 season. She played for China in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where she averaged 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
“Julie and Li are outstanding additions,” Coach Curt Miller said in the Sparks’ statement. “Julie is a great floor general and helps make everyone on the court better. … Li has great size and will provide a nice post presence for the future.”
The Sparks’ potential options for the April 15 draft diminished by one Feb. 16 when standout guard Paige Bueckers announced that she will not declare for the draft and instead return to the University of Connecticut next season.
Like many in this year’s potential draft class, Bueckers can take advantage of the NCAA having granted another year of collegiate eligibility to student athletes because of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2019-20 season.
Other top draft possibilities this year include University of Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, who on Feb. 15 broke the NCAA women’s basketball career scoring record, Stanford post player Cameron Brink, Louisiana State forward Angel Reese, South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, and Connecticut forward Aaliyah Edwards.
