The Los Angeles Sparks have traded Kalani Brown to the Atlanta Dream for Brittney Sykes and Marie Gülich, according to league sources.
Sykes is expected to start for the Sparks, according to sources. She will likely fill in the void left by the retiring Alana Beard. The Sparks traded for Sykes after chasing Angel McCoughtry in free agency.
Sykes played in every game for the Dream and started 29. She is entering her fourth year in the WNBA. The Syracuse product averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in 2019. She struggled shooting last season as she shot just 36.5% from the field and 25.9% from deep.
Kalani Brown will leave Los Angeles after just one year. The Sparks drafted Brown 7th in last year’s draft. She won a National Championship with Baylor in 2019 and was named Big 12 Player of the Year in 2018.
Brown averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13 minutes per game for LA. She earned a reputation as an enforcer down low and got in a tussle with Liz Cambage last year. Her father, PJ Brown, played in the NBA for 15 years on 6 teams.
Marie Gülich will be playing on her third team in as many years. The Phoenix Mercury drafted Gülich 10th overall in 2018 and traded her to Atlanta for the 11th overall pick in the 2019 draft.
