Sparks opt to waive guard Carter, No. 4 pick in 2020 WNBA Draft
LOS ANGELES ❯❯ The Sparks have waived Chennedy Carter, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, the team announced Friday.
“We thank Chennedy for her contributions to the Sparks and wish her the best moving forward,” Sparks chief administrative officer and general manager Karen Bryant said in a statement.
The Sparks acquired Carter, a 5-foot-9 guard, in a trade with the Atlanta Dream on Feb. 5, 2022. The Sparks sent Erica Wheeler, a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 first-round pick to Atlanta, which ended up being the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft, after the Sparks missed the playoffs with a 13-23 record in 2022.
Last May, the Sparks exercised the fourth year of Carter's protected rookie contract, under the leadership of then-general manager/head coach Derek Fisher, with whom the team parted ways less than a month later. If Carter is not claimed on waivers, her salary of $86,701, per HerHoopsStats, will count against the team's hard salary cap during the 2023 season.
Carter, who entered last season as one of the team's promising young players, played in 24 of 36 games in 2022. She averaged 8.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 16.4 minutes per game, mostly coming off the bench.
As a rookie with Atlanta, the former Texas A&M standout was a starter and averaged 17.4 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 47.3% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range while playing inside the Wubble (the WNBA's pandemic bubble in Bradenton, Florida). She also earned a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie Team.
However, at the end of last season, Carter received several consecutive “Did Not Play — Coach's Decision” designations from then interim head coach Fred Williams. Williams later lifted that designation and said he had a “change of heart” and inserted Carter back into the rotation for the final two games of the season.
Bryant has said she is working in partnership with new Sparks coach Curt Miller to build “sustainable success” that includes returning the three-time WNBA championship franchise back to playoffs for the first time since 2020.