Brittney Sykes has verbally agreed to terms on a multi-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks, sources told Winsidr’s Rachel Galligan on Wednesday. Players can officially sign with teams beginning on Feb. 1.
The Atlanta Dream traded Sykes to Los Angeles prior to the 2020 season. Sykes made the most of her first year with the Sparks, named second team All-Defense while averaging 10.1 points per game.
Since the 26-year old is a restricted free agent, she is allowed to entertain offer sheets from other teams, but decided she wanted to be in Los Angeles, per Galligan. The departure of Candace Parker to Chicago opens up the necessary cap space for the Sparks to make Sykes a fair and worthwhile offer.
Sykes was drafted 7th overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft by Atlanta. She played three seasons for the Dream, none better than her rookie campaign in which she averaged nearly 14 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds per game.
In Los Angeles, Sykes was able to shine, stifling opponents on the perimeter and pushing the ball in transition. The Sparks posted the third best defensive rating in the league, per WNBA.com, and Sykes was a huge part of that. With Parker gone, Sykes’s defense will be even more essential come the 2021 regular season.
