The 2026 season arrived with great promise for the Los Angeles Sparks. After ending the 2025 season looking like a team on the rise, the Sparks added a former team legend in Nneka Ogwumike, making them a popular playoff pick for this season.
Instead, Kelsey Plum missed time (and eventually was traded to Phoenix) and the Sparks fell apart. At the FIBA World Cup break, the team sits at 15-25, 11th in the standings and long eliminated from playoff contention. The team will surely look different in 2027, but which specific players won't be back?
Nneka Ogwumike
Might as well get this one out of the way. It's not speculation to say that Nneka Ogwumike won't be back in 2027, because the WNBPA president has already announced that she'll be retiring following this season.
Drafted No. 1 overall by the Sparks in 2012, Ogwumike went on to win an MVP award in 2016 while making 11 All-Star appearances. She's right up there with Lisa Leslie for the title of best player in Sparks history, and Ogwumike's longevity might give her the edge, as she spent 13 of her 15 seasons with the franchise, one more than Leslie.
After leaving the team for two seasons with the Seattle Storm (in a move that seemed, at the time, like it could lead to another ring for Madame President, though that never happened), Ogwumike returned to the Sparks this season. She's ending her career on a statistical high note — 17.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game — but the Sparks just didn't have what it took to make the postseason.
Rae Burrell
This was a breakout season for Rae Burrell. In her fifth season in the league, Burrell is averaging double-digit points for the first time, leaping from 7.5 points per game last season to 14.6 points per game this season. She's also gotten more efficient as a shooter despite almost doubling her 3-point attempts.
The 2026 season has shown that Burrell can be a really, really good role player, someone who can excel as the fourth option on the wing for a good team. Now, she just has to find a way to get to a good team.
One issue with that? She's a restricted free agent, not an unrestricted one, so the Sparks could force her to stick around. Let's hope for Burrell's sake that that doesn't happen. With her recent improvement, she'd be great on a team like the Aces or Dream as someone who can hit open shots, not stuck on a perpetually rebuilding Sparks franchise.
Cameron Brink
Here's the big, big offseason prediction I have: the Sparks are going to trade Cameron Brink.
Sure, you could argue that Ogwumike's retirement opens up space for Brink to get more consistent minutes and for the Sparks to finally work toward getting the production out of her that they expected when selecting her at No. 2 overall. But the Sparks have a new general manager coming in and this is the perfect time to try to recoup some value for Brink if you don't believe she's going to be the answer for you at the five.
This isn't to say I'm ready to call Brink a bust. In fact, I very much think she won't be a bust. Her career has been limited by injury, but she's shooting her best in 2026 and remains a strong rim protector. What Brink needs at this point is a new home where she can get heavy minutes and can actually work through things on the court. Portland would be a good fit, as the team has solid young guards on the roster but could use more help in the frontcourt. Heck, depending on how long NaLyssa Smith is sidelined, I'd wonder about the idea of putting Brink beside A'ja Wilson in Las Vegas, though that one might be a little awkward as far as fit goes.
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