The Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks have kicked the 2024 WNBA offseason into another gear.
On Jan. 31, the teams announced a trade that sends Kia Nurse and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft to Los Angeles while the Sparks' 2026 first-round pick is being sent to Seattle.
The trade ends Nurse's time in the Pacific Northwest after just one season with the Storm. The Hamilton, Ontario native gets a fresh start in Los Angeles, which now owns the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 12 overall picks in the first round of the upcoming draft.
For Seattle, the deal frees up cap space, which could be a sign of an active free agency period. The Storm have already been linked to 2016 league MVP Nneka Ogwumike, who recently announced her intentions to move on from the Sparks in free agency.
Here is everything you need to know about the deal.
MORE: Tracking transactions from 2024 WNBA free agency
Kia Nurse trade details
Sparks receive:
- Kia Nurse
- No. 4 overall pick in 2024 WNBA Draft
Storm receive:
- 2026 first-round pick
As outlined by the official release, the Sparks will receive Nurse, a one-time All-Star, in addition to the fourth pick in the 2024 draft. Nurse returned to action in 2023 after missing the entirety of the 2022 season while rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in 2021.
Nurse started for the first 20 games of the 2023 season before pivoting to a reserve role for the final 20 games. Nurse closed the season with performances of 19 and 18 points in the final two games of the year on .545/.538/.857 shooting splits.
LA now has an opportunity to build for its future with two of the top four picks in an über-talented draft class. The Sparks will select three times in the first round.
The move frees up cap space for Seattle, which signed Nurse to a two-year deal worth $285,000 during the 2023 offseason, per Spotrac. Nurse's $142,500 is now off the books, giving the Storm financial flexibility during the free agency period.
With reigning WNBA scoring champ Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor at the forefront of its core, Seattle can now make a play at a free agent class that includes the aforementioned Ogwumike, Natasha Cloud, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Elena Delle Donne.
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2024 WNBA Draft order
Below is the complete order of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Draft, which takes place on Monday, April 15. The Sparks now own the No. 2 pick, the No. 4 pick via the Storm and the No. 12 pick via the Aces.
- Indiana Fever
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Phoenix Mercury
- Los Angeles Sparks (via Seattle Storm)
- Dallas Wings (via Chicago Sky)
- Washington Mystics
- Minnesota Lynx
- Atlanta Dream
- Dallas Wings
- Connecticut Sun
- New York Liberty
- Los Angeles Sparks (via Las Vegas Aces)
MORE: WNBA Mock Draft 2024: Which team will land Caitlin Clark?
Kia Nurse career stats
- 9.7 points
- 2.7 rebounds
- 1.8 assists
- 35.8 percent field goal shooting
- 32.3 percent 3-point shooting
- 85.8 percent free throw shooting
